Here is why the Daufuskie Island’s Bloody Point course closed and what its future may be

Daufuskie Island Bloody Point Golf Course is for sale, owner Brian McCarthy said Friday.

The golf course closed Wednesday along with the affiliated businesses Eagles Nest Restaurant and Bloody Point Water Taxi. Guest rooms at the resort will remain open.

McCarthy said the resort went up for sale earlier this , and it was no longer feasible to continue keeping the course open.

“We have several prospects who have taken a look at it, but no offers at this point,” McCarthy said.

The resort was sitting empty for years prior to McCarthy purchasing it at a bankruptcy auction for $1.64 million in 2011.

McCarthy spent another $2 million restoring the course. It has been previously reported that the course was losing $125,000 a month in recent years.

Melrose resort is the reason for Bloody Point’s failure, McCarthy said.

“The challenge for the entire island, in my opinion, has been the lack of momentum at Melrose,” McCarthy said. “Melrose is definitely the centerpiece of development here — because Melrose did not develop any type of momentum, it was almost futile for us to drive the engine.”

Melrose has sat empty for nearly a decade as it has seen two bankruptcy sales in the past seven years. The most recent sale was in August.

With the languishing of Melrose, the options for tourist to stay on the island has been significantly reduced.

“Melrose is the main economic engine,” McCarthy said. “We are the sub-engine.”

Plans to transform the course property into a residential and commercial space will be passed on to future purchasers, McCarthy said.

“Our goal is to try to keep some of the golf course viable,” McCarthy said. “But we can’t control what any potential buyers might do.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Here is why the Daufuskie Island’s Bloody Point course closed and what its future may be."