The 137-acre Haverhill, Mass., property with an 18-hole course was bought for $960,000 by Sterling Golf Management, which manages eight other courses in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire. The sale culminates a longstanding dispute between the city of Haverhill and previous owner Michael Maroney.

A year after The Winchendon School retained Sterling Golf Management to operate the club, using a Donald Ross course on its grounds that dates to 1926, it announced it would close the course for 2017, explaining that “continuing to drag along a loss-producing golf operation puts unneeded financial pressure on the School.” Options will now be assessed that may include “the slight chance” of preserving a few holes for limited play, the school said.

General Manager Cheri Nolan and staff were going to be replaced by a management firm, but were then retained and apologies were issued. The turmoil, which included a police detail and changing locks on the property, stems from a fight for control of Demoulas Super Markets, which owns the club.