Residents in Seminole County, Florida, near the Rolling Hills Golf Club built in the 1920s, may be experiencing the same pit-in-the-stomach fears as other homeowners around the country with news of their golf course’s impending sale.
Rolling Hills golf course owner, Southern Pioneer Inc. had planned to sell the property to an unnamed buyer on June 30, according to a June 26, 2014, article in The Orlando Sentinel .
Developers’ First Moves: Change Land Use Plans
Developers Chris Von Hohenstraeten and Bob Holston recently requested Seminole County to change the land-use designation on the course’s 120 acres from recreation to low density residential. The developers’ application would allow as many as four homes per acre, according to the newspaper.
Residents Weigh Options
Options discussed by residents include asking Seminole County to form a special taxing district to buy the course, or raise funds to buy it themselves.
Golf Courses Bulldozed and Turned into Subdivisions
“Real Estate Buyers Clubs and Associations Casselberry DeLand Longwood (Seminole, Florida) Volusia County Altamonte Springs Golf courses throughout the country, including many in Central Florida, are being bulldozed and turned into subdivisions as owners discover it makes more financial sense to sell to a developer rather than continue maintaining 18 fairways and greens at a time of waning recreational interest in the game,” writes reporter Martin E. Comas.
Rolling Hills the “Hidden Jewel” of Central Florida Golf Courses
FloridaGolf.com refers to the reputation of Rolling Hills Golf Club as the “hidden jewel” of Central Florida golf courses due to the course’s unique rolling terrain and “strategically located lakes, and meticulously manicured greens. Many sand bunkers have been incorporated into the course design. There are lots of traps to avoid. The greens have lots of twists and turns, even on short putts.”
Sources:
http://www.floridagolf.com/courses/longwood/rolling-hills-gc/