By Brad Stager
If you are looking to upgrade from an indoor putting green or golf simulator, a local championship-level golf course has hit the market.
River Hills Country Club and it is almost 200 acres of land and facilities, including an 18-hole course designed by legendary designer Joe Lee, is for sale at an asking price of $3.35 million.
You also get amenities like a 13,000 sq. ft. clubhouse, a pro shop as well as men and women locker rooms. Other athletic and lifestyle facilities include a fitness center and swimming pool as well as basketball, sand volleyball and tennis courts.
Besides physical recreation, River Hills dining and banquet facilities have been locations for countless family and community celebrations, ranging from wedding receptions to charitable chili cook-offs.
How all that will change after the sale of the club, which was established in 1989, remains to be seen.
In the near future, not much is expected to be different, according to River Hills General Manager Tom Ritenour in an email. “The club and all club staff continue to operate on a normal basis and we will continue to strive to give the members and their guests the best experience possible.”
There are a few options available to buyers, according to Steve Ekovich, the national managing director of the Leisure Investment Properties Group of Marcus & Millichap, who is handling the club’s sale.
According to Ekovich, new owners could turn it into a public course, make it semiprivate, keep it private as it is or develop part or all of the site as apartments, a rehabilitation center or an assisted living facility. Ekovich said he is getting interest from prospective buyers who are leaning toward development of the property.
“We’re talking to those types of people right now,” said Ekovich, who added that if a buyer continues to operate the club and course as it is now, a deal could close in six months, but if development is the buyer’s intention, the process could last up to two years.
The River Hills golf course was designed by ‘Gentleman’ Joe Lee, who according to golfadvisor.com designed 146 courses in the second half of the 20th century, reshaping the landscape of Florida with 71 courses in the state including Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge outside of Orlando.
For more information, visit https://riverhillscountryclub.com.
