The city of Slidell, La., planned to purchase 86 acres of the golf course for $800,000 to build retention ponds, but Chris Smith and Louis Ochoa have offered to buy the property for $1.15 million and maintain it as a golf course, with immediate plans to upgrade the greens and fairways.
Stockholders of Pinewood Country Club in Slidell, La., have agreed to sell the course, adjacent driving range, clubhouse, pool and tennis courts to Chris Smith and Louis Ochoa, rather than selling most of the land to the city, the New Orleans Advocate reported.
The city planned to purchase 86 acres of the golf course for $800,000 to convert it into detention ponds. The new deal is for about $1.15 million, according to Keith Sison, president of the Pinewood board. Stockholders plan to close the deal within 45 days, the Advocate reported.
Once paperwork outlining the sale is ready, the board will request a subdivision of the land through the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, Sison said. If approved, the rezoning would go before the Slidell City Council, which less than a month ago agreed to purchase the property for the city, the Advocate reported.
Smith grew up playing golf at Pinewood, as did his children. The petroleum engineer retired from Shell in August and was looking for a new pursuit. Smith plans to purchase 89 acres, with plans to upgrade the greens and fairways in the immediate future. His part of the purchase also includes the maintenance barn and all equipment used for the course’s upkeep, the Advocate reported.
Ochoa has been operating the clubhouse, banquet area and pool for some time. His part of the purchase includes about seven acres, including those facilities, as well as the tennis courts, the Advocate reported.
The two men have come up with a plan that would keep the driving range the same size, which a previous purchase offer by Smith did not, Sison said. “Chris buying Pinewood shows this course is alive and kicking,” Sison said. “He’s breathing fresh life into it. It’s a win for Pinewood, for golf and for the city.”
Smith’s share of the purchase is $850,000, from his own money and investors, whom he described as people who are mainly club members and who live in the neighborhood. Ted Elliot, the current pro, will remain and will be the COO, while Smith will be the CEO, the Advocate reported.
“What I see is a community golf course,” Smith said. “This is a place where you don’t have to spend all day to play. If you’re a member, you can walk nine holes or get in 18 if you have time. As long as there has been a Slidell for me, there’s been Pinewood. I can’t imagine the city without it. That’s the main reason I bought it. I wanted it to be a golf course, not a retention pond.”
Smith plans to keep the course semi-private and he needs people to support the course for it to succeed. “People need to realize that Pinewood was a whisker away from being a retention pond,” he said. “I don’t have deep enough pockets for this to be a charity. I need the public’s support.”
Councilman Bill Borchert, who represents the area, said Smith’s commitment to keep the golf course intact was the main reason for the Pinewood board’s decision to sell to him, the Advocate reported.
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