LAKE MARY, Florida – From the moment it opened in 1988, Timacuan Golf & Country Club was a favorite among Central Florida golfers and tournament directors who wanted a challenging, fair golf course with private club-level service for their players.
The Ron Garl-designed layout hosted prestigious tournaments like U.S. Open Qualifiers, state championships and major junior competitions, and was ranked as high as No. 14 in Florida.
U.S. Open Champion Graeme McDowell said of Timacuan: “It is a great layout with a links-like feel to it. It can be testy in places if you get off the beaten path, but it is a very fair course.”
But after several ownership and management overhauls, things changed. Course conditioning slipped, revenues dropped, and players and tournaments turned to other courses.
That, however, is about to change – and in a very big way.
Resort Development Partners, a company known for revitalizing distressed private clubs, will soon sign a 50-year lease to operate Timacuan, with the goal of returning it to the standing it earned during its first two decades of existence. The company will have complete control over all operations at Timacuan.
“I remember when Timacuan was the envy of golf course owners and managers all across Central Florida,” said W. Douglas White, a Founding & Managing Partner at RDP. “The glory days at Timacuan were really something to behold. Well, we are going to return Timacuan to those glory days. We will restore this club to the prominent position it earned and occupied not that long ago.”
Timacuan will join the portfolio of Links Asset Trust properties under common ownership of Resort Development Partners. The team at Links will oversee all day-to-day operations to ensure a first-class member experience. The first order of business will be to take Timacuan Club completely private.
Current members of what has been a semi-private facility will have first options to join at a savings.
Membership will provide access to the amenities and other services provided at the newly renovated Timacuan Club. Members also have access to the company’s owned and operated facilities in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Indiana, South Carolina, and Virginia. Members will have exclusive access to all Club amenities. The Club plans to offer golf, dining, and improved member practice facilities.
“The Club will offer a non-equity membership to persons who desire an unparalleled private club and social experience and are approved for membership on a first-come, first-served basis,” said White. “Membership allows use of the Club facilities by the member, his/her family members, and guests subject to the reservation procedures and other rules and regulations.”
Members are not subject to any assessments for operating deficits incurred in the operation of the facilities or for any capital improvements to the Club facilities. And there will be plenty of those.
“Our plans call for renovations and upgrades in all areas of The Timacuan Club,” said General Manager Ron Carlton. “Our first major effort will be to overseed wall to wall in early November. We will continue to make improvements in specific areas of the golf course and clubhouse as we move forward.”
In 2023, plans are to completely renovate the practice facility and the first floor of the two-story clubhouse, with second-floor renovations to follow in 2024.
For more information on Resort Development Partners and Links Asset Trust, visit www.resortdevpartners.com.