New plan formed for Bluffton’s Island West golf course, once targeted for redevelopment
Homeowners in the Island West neighborhood, located off U.S. 278 near Bluffton, now officially own their golf course and are hopeful the course will reopen in spring or early summer, HOA President Richard Myers said Wednesday.
The HOA closed on the purchase for $1.37 million on Dec. 22, according to Beaufort County property records. The group is now finalizing a deal with Stephens Golf Group to operate the course, Myers said.
The arrangement still has to be worked out, but Myers said he’s optimistic the course will open around mid-May or early June. A large sign along U.S. 278 advertises the course as reopening in spring 2021.
Since the purchase, neighborhood volunteers have worked together to fix up the course’s clubhouse — repainting walls, removing rotten wood, cleaning carpets and redoing the restaurant, Myers said. And Stephens Golf Group is working to refurbish the actual golf course, he said.
The decision to buy the course, approved by 82.6% of Island West homeowners in November, came after a lengthy fight to stop the course from being paved over and developed.
Though the 18-hole golf course — closed since April 2020 — is within the gated community, the residents did not own it. When a proposal was floated to rezone parts of the 145-acre course to allow for 61 acres of residential, hotel and commercial development, the neighbors sprung into action.
They contacted local elected officials; met with The Reed Group, the proposed developer; and retained S.C. Rep. Weston Newton, R-Bluffton, as their attorney.
The neighbors worried that development on the course would increase flooding. They said their home values would plummet if the course was replaced by commercial development.
The community, Myers said Wednesday, is “on cloud nine” about the purchase.
“They didn’t like the flip side of the coin,” he said. “The development with the apartments and the housing — a hotel on No. 9 and a strip mall on hole 2. We’ve had full community support.”
After buying the course, the neighbors formed committees and split up the work required to revitalize it, he said.
Stephens Golf Group
While finalizing the deal to operate the course, the HOA entered a separate agreement with Stephens Golf Group to fix up the course, Myers said. Stephens Golf was formed in February 2020, according to business filings.
The company, owned by Andrew Stephens, also operates the Rose Hill Golf Club in Bluffton.
In August, Stephens was arrested by the S.C. Department of Revenue and charged with operating the Rose Hill Golf Club without a retail license. The revenue department revoked the club’s retail license in September 2018 for $144,000 in unpaid sales taxes, according to the arrest warrant. Stephens was told to close the business and stop making sales.
But, on June 17, a revenue department agent found the business open and was able to make a retail purchase, according to the warrant. Stephens, according to the public index, was released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond on Aug. 11 — the same day as his arrest.
The case is listed as pending, and there have been no public filings since September.
Called Wednesday, Stephens said he was still operating Rose Hill and confirmed he was working out a deal with Island West. Asked about the arrest, he said he dropped “the ball on a couple of things” and is “in the process of getting that finished up.” He referred questions to his attorney.
A call to Stephens’ attorney was not returned Thursday.
On Thursday, Myers said the HOA looked into Stephens’ arrest and is not concerned about working with him.
Asked about his proposed deal with Island West, Stephens said he was looking forward to it. The course’s opening date depends on when the company can finish work on the grass and greens, he said.
“We’re very close to having our lease worked out,” he said. “That’s going to happen pretty quickly.”
Stephens said he also plans to open a restaurant at the course and hopes to stock the pro shop soon. The Island West homeowners did a “spectacular job” restoring the course’s clubhouse, he said.
Stephens Golf Group is offering a special membership for people to golf at both Island West and Rose Hill, he said. The prices listed on the company’s website include yearly memberships, six-month memberships and winter three-month memberships.
Stephens said he formed the company last year to focus on golf operations in the Bluffton and Hilton Head area.
He said he’s also looking for other opportunities but is not interested in operating courses outside of the area.
