Source: The Sun News
Coastal Carolina University easily passed the second of three hurdles Thursday in its quest to lease adjacent Quail Creek Golf Course to use in its professional golf-management program.
The Joint Bond Review Committee, which must approve state leases, agreed to the request with no discussion. The state Higher Education Commission approved the lease in October.
Final approval will come from the Budget and Control Board, which is to meet March 3.
In its documents submitted to the committee, CCU said the course also will be used by Horry-Georgetown Technical College's turf management program.
"The really neat thing about this is the cooperation with [HGTC]," CCU Vice President Sally Horner said.
CCU proposes to lease the 180-acre, 18-hole course for five years, with the option to renew.
The yearly cost is $ 353,794. The course income in recent years has averaged $ 363,000.
Horner said she hopes the course will make a little more money because of lower operat ing costs, but that's not import ant. It only needs to break even, she said.
The university proposes to have students operate and maintain the course, under the supervision of professionals.
Memberships will be open to the faculty, students and anyone interested. Any existing memberships will be honored, Horner said.
The lease begins July 1. It will allow CCU to expand the golf-management program, the college said in the documents it presented to the committee.
The golf-management program has 150 students but could take 250. It has a waiting list of 70 people, who can be added after July 1.
Horry-Georgetown Technical College's turf-management program has 90 students, in addition to a separate course for turf-equipment technicians, which serves 15 students.
CCU said in its documents that it is one of 15 institutions with a professional golf-management program accredited by the Professional Golfers Association.
CCU is one of two of those 15 that does not have its own golf course, and officials say a course is essential "to ensure the future of this sought-after program." The owner of the course is Chestnut Holdings LLC of West Virginia. Horner said the owners put the course up for sale. CCU asked to lease it instead, and Chestnut Holdings agreed.