The shelter-in-place order from Gov. Roy Cooper didn’t stop folks getting out to the links for some golf, but it has had an impact on one golf course.
Cross Creek Country Club is up for sale by its owners, but the time frame is being pushed back with all the issues going on right now due to COVID-19.
Brett Miller, of Miller Management Associates, is working in conjunction with Hilda Allen Real Estate on promoting the upcoming sale. Miller said the owners were looking to accept sealed bids later this month, but chose to wait until a later date.
This is not the first time the country club has been sold in recent years.
Ed Woltz is an attorney who also represents the Surry County Board of Commissioners and Pilot Mountain Board of Commissioners. Woltz said he and his brother H. Woltz started a limited liability corporation called Woltz Investment a few years ago to purchase the country club.
Ed Woltz said they have been using a management group to help run the business since then.
The group was first called Affiniti Golf Partners, then in 2013 it changed its name to Mosaic Clubs. In 2016 the firm was hired to manage Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta, so in December 2018 Mosaic announced it was changing its name to Bobby Jones Links as a tribute to the late Hall of Fame golfer.
During this time under Woltz Investment, improvements to the outdoor patio and tennis courts took place.
The history
The place where the country club is now was once a working farm owned by H.O. Woltz Sr. It produced corn, tobacco, beef cattle and other livestock.
The farm at one time included a large, commercial flower-growing operation. Woltz’s flower and bulb farm supplied gladiola, jonquil and tulips to many wholesalers.
Over many years, Woltz acquired surrounding tracts as they became available and ultimately incorporated the land into Greenhill Farm.
“Firmly believing that a town was incomplete without an 18-hole golf course, in the early 1970s, Mr. Woltz envisioned a first-class country club for Mount Airy and Surry County,” says a history of Cross Creek on its website.
”He believed that a country club would have a beneficial impact on future economic growth and would enhance the enjoyment of area residents. Since nearby Mount Airy Country Club was already in existence, a plan was put forth by Mr. Woltz and his sons, John E. Woltz and H.O. Woltz Jr., to merge and create a new country club.”
Wanting to ensure their development was a first-class effort, the family brought in outside investors who were prominent in local businesses such as Spencer’s, Pine State Knitwear, Floyd S. Pike and John S. Clark.
The investors included Richard Vaughn, Zack Blackmon Sr., Lindsay Holcomb Jr., Smith Holcomb, Kilbourn Henry, Ed Crossingham and Don Porter.
The group contracted with Joseph Lee, a well-known and respected golf course architect, to begin the planning stage for development. Together with Martini and Associates, a large land-use consulting firm, the founders developed plans and renderings for the new Cross Creek Country Club and its surrounding residential developments.
“After more than a year of planning and discussions, ground was broken for an 18-hole golf course,” says the website.
”The club has operated since 1973, having undergone several renovations and improvements over the years. The clubhouse was completely renovated in 2001 and boasts a well-appointed interior with inviting food service areas and a grand ballroom that serves its members and the community as the center piece of the regional social scene. A three-season pavilion was added in 2007 and has become a popular venue for dining, parties and musical entertainment.
“The golf course was renovated in 2005 by well-known architect Kris Spence. Following the renovation, North Carolina Business Magazine named Cross Creek one of the ‘Top 100’ golf courses in the state.”
National decline
The fairways and greens are the most visible attribute of the country club, but golf courses across the country have seen a decline in play over the past decade.
Last June National Public Radio hosted a show on the golf situation.
“There are more golf courses in the U.S. than anywhere else – about 2 million acres of green space all told,” opened host Ari Shapiro. “But there aren’t enough golfers to keep them all in business.”
“In the late 1980s, golf was surging, and the National Golf Foundation encouraged the industry to build a course a day for 10 years,” said NPR’s Phoebe Petrovic. “Over a 20-year period up until the early 2000s, they built more than 4,000 new golf courses.”
This coincided with the rise of a highly talented amateur golfer named Tiger Woods. In 1996 at the age of 20, Woods turned pro and won two tournaments his first year. As his achievements grew, so did his fame and popularity.
More kids began trying the sport, and golf equipment sales shot up over the next decade.
In 2009 Wood won six events and earned $10.5 million on tour in just 17 events.
The next year, however, the beginning of some nagging injuries and a public breakup with his spouse caused him to only make the Top 10 twice, not win any tournaments and see his earnings drop to $1.29 million.
Since 2010, some golf equipment companies have gone out of business; Nike dropped its golf equipment line. Others sold off their business.
Golf courses also felt the pinch. A 2014 report by Business Insider said that the number of golfers across the U.S. had fallen 18% from 2006 to 2014 even though the country’s population had grown 6%.
That report said 160 golf facilities closed in 2013, the eighth straight year with a decline in the overall number of courses. It has only gotten worse since then.
That can been seen by how many courses are up for sale across the Western Piedmont now.
Miller Management Associates has other golf courses/country clubs listed on its website: Skyland Lakes Golf Club in Fancy Gap, Virginia, Salem Glen County Club in Clemmons, Silver Creek Plantation in Morganton, Waynesville Inn Golf Resort and Spa in Waynesville, and Linville Falls Golf Club in Marion.
One advantage that Cross Creek has is that even without golf the clubhouse itself has long been an important part of the community.
The ballroom has been home to many events such as the Greater Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards dinner, guest speakers, and fundraisers such as Casino Night for the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History.
For more information on the property listing, see the Miller Management Associates website at mmagolf.com/golf-courses.
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Source: https://www.mtairynews.com