Shuttered for years, one of Brunswick's oldest golf courses maps out plan to reopen

Shuttered for years, one of Brunswick’s oldest golf courses maps out plan to reopen

Posted by author March 6, 2025 Golf

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One of the oldest golf courses in Brunswick County is one swing closer to reopening after nearly eight years of closure.

The town of Shallotte granted a special use permit to property owners of the Brierwood Golf Club with several conditions. The owners plan to reopen the golf course with some upgrades.

The Shallotte Board of Aldermen on March 4 held a quasi-judicial hearing on the special use permit proposal. Several residents expressed concern during the hearing and over 50 residents showed up.

Here’s the latest.

Prior opening and closing

The 18-hole Brierwood Golf Club opened in 1967 with a 10,000-square-foot three-story clubhouse.

Owner Kevin Blum and a partner in 2014 bought the property for $1.5 million. By June 2017, the course was closed.

Another swing at it

The project spans over 75 acres and is located in a residential neighborhood in Shallotte’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. The course is currently zoned for residential use.

Golf courses require a special use permit from the town.

Blum Investment Group Golf applied for a special use permit to the town of Shallotte to bring part of the golf course back to life. Plans also include reopening the clubhouse and restaurant.

Plans show the reopening of only the first nine holes of the existing 18-hole golf course layout. The remainder of the course is unknown at this time.

The application and additional plan information is available on the town of Shallotte’s website.

Additional amenities have been scratched

Blum Investment Group Golf’s February proposal included additional amenities, such as a community swimming pool, children’s park and pickleball and basketball courts.

A new, revised plan does not have a swimming pool nor additional pickleball courts.

Several residents during the March 4 hearing expressed concerns about adding pickleball courts to the facility. The concerned residents said the pinging of the ball and paddle and grunt of players would be noisy to neighbors.

Homes located in close proximity to the loud pickleball courts could also depreciate in property value, they maintained.

During the March 4 hearing, Blum said his top priorities are reopening the golf course and restaurant.

Blum said the property owner will only open a pickleball court if the community supports resurfacing the existing tennis court as a pickleball court.

If a pickleball court is added, Blum’s representative Jim McNeil said, the pickleball court will only be available during daylight hours. There are no plans to install outdoor lighting.

Blum told the board that the pickleball court is not a top priority.

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Agreed conditions

The board and Blum agreed upon 11 conditions that accompany the special use permit. Some of the conditions require Blum to submit detailed site, landscape and lighting plans.

Site improvements, stormwater drainage, required fees and permits are also outlined in the conditions.

“Per Sec. 12-12, all required site improvements, shall commence within 12 months of [special use permit] approval date or applicant shall request an extension of up to six months from the Shallotte Board of Aldermen,” one of the conditions state.

One of the conditions requires Blum to come back to the board with plans for a pickleball court, if he decided to open one.

Repeated attempts to reach Blum were unsuccessful as of Wednesday, March 5.

No plans have been submitted for the remainder of the golf course.

Savanna Tenenoff covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at stenenoff@gannett.com.