A Brunswick County, North Carolina, golf course has closed following rumors of a developer interested in buying the course.
With a sign on the door stating the course is permanently closed and no trespassing signs scattered throughout the property, Carolina Shores Golf and Country Club in Calabash has shut its doors, possibly for good.
Asked if there are plans to sell the golf course or reopen it, property owner Philippe Bureau said no.
The 18-hole championship golf course designed by Tom Jackson opened in 1974. A driving range, pro shop, bar and grill and practice greens are also on the 156-acre property. Bureau was the director of golf at Ocean Ridge Plantation from 2005 to 2008 before taking over Carolina Shores Golf and Country Club in 2011.
Tax records list Lune De La Maison LLC as the owner of the course. Lune De La Maison LLC in May 2018 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy through the Eastern District of North Carolina Wilmington Division. Bureau confirmed he is the owner of Lune De La Maison LLC and said neither he, nor the LLC, has filed for bankruptcy following the course closure.
There have been rumors of Bureau selling the property to a developer to build houses. However, Bureau did not confirm the rumor nor say he plans to sell the property.
Carolina Shores Town Administrator Chad Hicks said the town, as of Nov. 19, has not received any proposed plans for the 156-acre property.
“It’s zoned Conservation Recreation District,” Hicks said.
The Conservation Recreation District, per the towns code of ordinances, is intended to preserve Carolina Shores’ open space areas and protect natural resources.
“Large lot zoning for single-family residential development is conditionally allowed as an effective way to preserve natural and community open space resources,” the code states.
Golf club members and Carolina Shores residents Don Olivero and Dennis Breen said they are still club members, despite the course being abandoned.
Existing members usually receive a member renewal letter in September, but no renewal letters were sent out this year, Olivero said. Members would pay early for their membership, he added, noting the membership would run January to January.
Both Breen and Olivero said Bureau has not reached out to current members about the club closure nor refunds.
On Nov. 21, Bureau said he has not reached out to existing members and that he does not plan to. Asked if he would like to make a comment to club members, he said no.
In October 2023, Bureau told the Wilmingston StarNews the course received a lot of local support, especially from the residents inside the club, and that the greens were in good shape earlier that year.
The greens may have grown well, but the business did not.
Breen said Bureau dropped prices to attract more customers around a year ago, noting he became a member – like other residents – to support Bureau and keep the course open.
The community effort to help failed.
“It’s unfortunate. … Nobody wants to hurt Phillipe and his wife, everybody likes them,” Breen said.
Olivero and Carolina Shores resident Rich Gagliano said the golf course and club have not been fully functional and upkept since they moved to the area.
Many members joined other golf clubs shortly after hearing about the Carolina Shores golf course closing, Gagliano said.
Gagliano, who played his last round of golf 10 days prior to closing, said the men’s bathroom in the golf club had several maintenance issues that were left unfixed.
Olivero moved into a house abutting the course five years ago. He has performed routine maintenance and added beautification where the course meets his backyard.
“From the day I moved in, I always kept up the property where he didn’t,” he said.
Bureau and golfers would notice the yard work, compliment the area and thank him for keeping the section clean and nice looking, Olivero said.
Now that the course is closed and no trespassing signs are posted, Olivero said Bureau has told him not to step foot on the golf course unless he wants to be arrested.
Bureau, in response, said people who step onto the property will be breaking the law by trespassing. He claimed he never threatened to have a resident arrested if they trespassed.
Olivero said his biggest concern is the portion behind his home becoming overgrown and welcoming unwanted animals and pests.
The closing of the course and club may have been posted on a sign and on the club’s website, but residents say Bureau is not wanting to talk about the future of the course.
“Nobody knows what is going on with this whole thing,” said Breen.
Breen and Olivero said they would like to keep the golf course alive for the community and that many residents would be willing to help.
Changing the course from 18 holes to nine and installing a neighborhood park would also be supported, Breen said.
Bureau added he has no plans to open up any other businesses.