The story of Pine Knoll Shores Golf and Country Club begins with its incorporation on October 2, 1975, but its genesis
extends back to l969 when the Roosevelt estate conveyed several acres of land
to a group of North Carolina developers headed by Gus Wertz. The covenants
attached to the deed stipulated that a golf course was to be built on the
property.
Construction
of the first nine holes of a course known as the Pine Knoll Shores Golf and
Country Club began in l970. The initial planning was rather grandiose. (See the
following reproduction of an initial membership offering.) The original members
worked tirelessly to bring the plans to fruition. It has been said that some
would stop during the course of play to remove rocks and pull weeds.
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| Aerial View of Proposed Location, circa early 1960s |
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| Charter Membership Application |
The
original developers sold the club to Autry & Associates in July l972. In 1972 and 1973, Autry built the original
small clubhouse, completed the second nine holes, constructed the club’s tennis
courts and swimming pool and installed sprinkler systems covering portions of the
fairways as well as tees and greens.
Despite a
recession in business and financial markets in l974, construction of a
two-story pro shop and clubhouse began in March of that year. Meanwhile, the original
clubhouse was moved to the tennis court area and has served as the tennis pro shop
since that time.
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| Original one-story clubhouse, circa 1972-73, moved to become the Tennis Pro Shop. |
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| Second clubhouse: Two-story clubhouse built in 1974. |
At the
close of l974, the club had its new clubhouse but the golf course itself was
not in first-class condition, and Autry was in a financial bind. East Federal Savings and Loan, which held a
first mortgage on the property, initiated foreclosure proceedings and took
possession of the club in the fall of l975.
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| Sale on Courthouse Steps, October 1975 Odell Flynn, Wayne Cleveland, and Ken Kirkman |
Prior to
l975, membership participation in club operations was limited. As Autry’s
financial troubles mounted, however, this situation changed. A representative
of the members was appointed to Autry’s board, and in the winter of l974-75,
the members organized their own special committee to develop a plan for the
organization and takeover of the club’s operations. The plan was approved by
the members in August 1975, and the following charter members were elected to
serve sas the first Board of Directors of Bogue Banks Country Club: Wayne
Cleveland, President; Odell Flynn, Vice President and House Committee; Fred Holt,
Secretary and Tennis; Jerry Stockard, Treasurer and Social; Jake Brooks,
Admissions; Bob Ames, Greens and Grounds; Ray Scoggins, Golf; Janet Robbins,
Publicity; and Myrtle Wertz, Membership.
In October
l975, the newly formed corporation offered to purchase the club’s properties at
a price approximating the amount then owed. In return, East Federal issued a new mortgage loan to Bogue Banks
Country Club, which called for payments of $78,167.74 per annum for 20 years.
To raise
operating funds, the members had voted at their August l975 meeting for a $500
assessment payable in full or at the rate of $100 per year. At the club’s first
annual membership meeting in January l976, however, a majority voted for a
slate of directors who rescinded the assessment program in favor of a drive for
new members and an initiation fee of $250. Their goal was 400 members by April.
The drive
met with brief initial success but stalled far short of its goal. Little money
was available for operations or fertilizer, and none for weed control. As the
year progressed, a number of the newly elected directors resigned. In general,
the year l976 was not a good one for Bogue Banks Country Club. That the golf
course itself did not revert to the natural-growth land it had originally been
was due in substantial part to an active Greens Committee and its volunteer
workforce. By December l976, the club’s
bank balance was $1,541.15. Nothing was available for property taxes or
insurance premiums.
In the fall
of l976, the Board of Directors and certain non-board members initiated studies
to examine the extent of the club’s financial problem and to develop
recommendations to correct the situation. Their proposals, which involved $100
assessments, sale of member certificates at $100 each, and major reductions in
mortgage payments for four or five years, became known as Plan A. The best
assurances that could be obtained following a series of conversations with the
president of East Federal were that some reduction might be given consideration
if that would resolve the problem over the short term.
A special
membership meeting was called by the board for January 21, l977, to consider Plan
A. Prior to that meeting, members were
notified that East Federal “has informed us that unless our past-due mortgage
payments are caught up by February 1, l977, the bank will begin action to
acquire or sell at foreclosure all of the club’s real property and
improvements.” At the meeting, Plan A was rejected, six new directors were
elected, and an outline of a new plan set forth. This plan, which became known
as Plan B, involved the purchase by each member of one Member Equity
Certificate (payable in full), one $1000 bond (payable in full or in installments aggregating $100
annually), and the sale of a limited number of additional Member Equity
Certificates (MECs).
Initially,
the new board obtained a delay in foreclosure action from East Federal. Unfortunately, East Federal rejected the
$24,000 in funds Plan B raised, and foreclosure action was, again, initiated.
The board
searched for a private buyer who would be satisfactory to the members. One potential buyer, who was both interested
in taking over and had membership approval, proposed to use his personal funds
to buy out the mortgage at a modest discount from par value. East Federal
refused the offer. The membership voted unanimously on April 1 to sell, but no
new buyer came forth. The foreclosure date was April 7th. Time was
limited!
During
l976-77, East Federal’s stated purpose for takeover was to satisfy its mortgage
claim by turning a portion, or all, of the property into residential home sites.
Presumably, it would solicit golfing fees during the summer of l977 while it
petitioned the courts for permission to develop lots. Whether the courts would have
approved the request is unknown. At that time, the course itself was not in
good shape, and after a summer—or possibly two summers—of deterioration, it
would have been even less appealing.
In an
attempt to forestall this possibility, Plan B was amended to include the sale
of all the 500 authorized MECs, which if successful would raise $35,000 in
addition to the money already in escrow. East Federal tentatively approved a
substantial reduction in mortgage payments for l977-80 if the $35,000 were raised.
Members were promptly solicited for (1) a verbal pledge to buy additional MECs
if offered and (2) a written pledge from at least five members to guarantee the
full $35,000 by paying for all of the 350 MECs not bought by other members.
Directors
John Elder and Bill Bosse represented the club at foreclosure proceedings at
the Carteret County Courthouse Thursday morning, April 7, l977. Although only three members had agreed to the
$35,000 underwriting guarantee, further participation was possible if East
Federal would commit to specific terms, namely a mortgage payment of $39,000
for l977 and a graduated step-up thereafter. That commitment was given together
with a limited grace period to secure the required personal guarantees. Friday
morning, two more members signed up, and foreclosure was postponed.
On April
12, 1977, East Federal formally accepted the terms discussed at the courthouse.
Shortly thereafter, the escrow account was released to the club, and its 142
members were solicited for the slightly over 350 “excess” equity certificates
available for sale. By the May 15 settlement date, only one-half of the offered
MECs had been subscribed to, and the underwriting group arranged to take up the
unsold balance.
The club’s
membership grew. By early August l977,
l72 members had paid for at least one MEC and had either bought, or were buying
on the installment plan, one $1,000 bond.
Associate
memberships were sold beginning in l978, but there were times when associate
members opted not to continue their memberships, and funding levels continued
to be very limited. That the club survived as well as it did in this period was
due to a tremendous outpouring of volunteer help in all phases of its
operations. When funds were not available for relatively small but absolutely
essential capital expenditures, bond buyers or by Club’s very active Ladies
Golf Association paid off the outstanding balance,.
In the
spring of l979, the decline in associate memberships slowed, but the budget
crunch continued. A fire totaled the club’s
cart shed and its contents. While insurance offset the direct loss, normal
operations were interrupted for a time. By summer, it was evident that the club
could not meet its mortgage obligations for long, and East Federal was notified
of a forthcoming default unless mortgage terms were changed enough to permit
survival.
Over the succeeding
weeks, the bank worked to develop something that would be satisfactory to both
parties. The proposal that was ultimately approved involved a new mortgage with
a 30-year rather than a 20-year payout and cancellation of the $66,000 in unpaid
interest that had accumulated on the old mortgage. The agreement also required
that l980’s mortgage payment be $78,167, the full amount due under the old
mortgage. This last proviso was met through yet another successful “please pay
up your bond” drive.
Early on,
the Roosevelt Trust and the
developers associated with it had advanced funds to the country club over the
current and near term in return for assurance that purchasers of Roosevelt
properties could be members of that country club in the 1980s and 1990s if they
met the club’s membership standards. Understandably, the Roosevelts were reluctant
to execute a long-term agreement with Bogue Banks Country Club when even its near
term survival was in doubt. As the club’s prospects appeared reasonably good
after the new mortgage was signed, they became more willing to do what they
could to insure its long and successful life. In 1980, two contracts were
signed with the Roosevelts stipulating payments to the club in return for
reserving memberships for purchasers of the Roosevelts’ residential lots,
condominiums and other developments.
By year-end
1980, the financial problems that had plagued the club were reasonably well in
hand, and there was money in the bank. At the close of its first seven years,
the club was not only alive but flourishing. Its golf and clubhouse facilities
were far better than in the 70s, its active membership far larger, it was the
only golf course on Bogue Banks, and the island’s permanent and transient
populations were growing fairly quickly. In short, it had come through a very
rough period successfully and could look to the future with confidence.
To an
incredible degree, every member had a significant part in and can be justifiably
proud of that success. Virtually all had pitched in to improve the golf course,
to recruit new members, to establish and maintain a highly regarded social
program or to organize and carry out all the other things that helped make it
possible.
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| Bogue Bank Country Club golf course. |
During the
late 1980s and through much of the 1990s the membership continued to grow
along with the growth of Pine Knoll Shores. Bogue Banks Country Club became the
focus for the social life of newly retired residents looking to make new
friends in their chosen retirement homes. There was, generally, a party,
prepared and presented by a small group of members, for each of the major
holidays. A small fee was charged by the
group responsible in order to cover their cost for the event. In addition,
there was a monthly covered dish dinner on Sundays, and on a Thursday night
each month, there was “men’s night,” and male members prepared a meal. These
events were very well attended.
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| St. Patrick's Day Party 1995 Sitting, L to R, Patti & Charlie Swetz, Jack & Maxine Dickerson, Bill & Judy Poit Standing L to R, Jan Webb, Lois Strube, Ruth Dutcher, Ted & Marilyn Lindblad, Bill Stube |
While the
growth in membership was highly beneficial for the club and its finances, there
were some drawbacks. Space in the now aging clubhouse became limited, and many
members suddenly found it difficult to buy tickets to certain social
activities. Also, the old clubhouse began to suffer from some serious settling
problems. This became so extreme that at one point in time the town’s building
inspector required an engineering test to determine if the building was safe
for occupancy. Dissatisfaction began to grow among the members.
As a result
of these problems, the club’s Board of Directors initiated a plan to design and
build a new clubhouse. The plan, while it was implemented, did not meet with
the approval of many members due the increased membership fees they anticipated,
and membership began to fall. The new clubhouse design period took almost three
years, and over that time, membership levels continued to fall and eventually
reached the point that the planned construction was delayed for a year to see
if conditions would change. Sadly, they did not.
Several
years later, the then sitting board decided to construct a new building and
proceed with an entirely different design. On August 18, 2007, Bogue Banks Country Club was renamed The Country Club of the Crystal Coast, the grand opening of the new club was celebrated, and the Club began a new
chapter in its life.
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| Invitation to Grand Opening of the new Country Club of the Crysal Coast August 18, 2007 |
Shortly
after the grand opening, new management, new directors on the
board and a new general manager, took over the operation of the Club. A few
lean years were experienced, but membership began to grow once again as other
improvements such as a new swimming pool, beautiful dining facilities, better
course maintenance and a more congenial atmosphere were put in place.
Third clubhouse: The Country Club of the Crystal Coast, 2009
For the next several years, the Club continued
to operate with relative success. With
the increase in mortgage payments due to the building of the new club house,
membership growth was a must in order to maintain a positive cash flow. Although new members continued to enter the
Club’s ranks, there were also member resignations. The result stagnated Club growth. Fortunately, there were several dedicated
members who did all they could to keep the Club operational.
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| #4 Green, 2013. Above two photos by then club Manager Chip Chamberlain. |
As mentioned above, in the fall of 2018, a
devastating blow literally hit the Club.
Hurricane Florence did a significant amount of damage to the buildings
and the golf course. Although, the
financial situation was dire, the employees and management of the Club found
ways to maintain some operations while insurance and repairs were being
accomplished. Unfortunately, this was
not enough to make the Club financially viable again, and it became necessary
to seek new financing. There were two
offers to purchase the Club, and ultimately, it was sold to PKS CC, LLC on
January 31, 2019 and renamed the Crystal Coast Country Club.
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| All new club photos are provided by CCCC. |
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| 4th clubhouse: Crystal Coast Country Club, 2020. |
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| #10 Tee. |
With the sale of the Club, new life was on the
horizon. The new ownership made a
massive investment into the clubhouse, golf course, pools & exercise center, maintenance
facility, and the tennis & pickleball center.
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| New Exercise Center. |
Further,
new equipment was purchased to ensure the golf course and grounds were properly maintained. New management was hired with
a philosophy that aligned with the new direction of the Club
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| New Tennis Center under construction. |
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| New Pickleball Courts. |
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In early 2020, a global COVID-19 pandemic made its presence known at the
Club. However, even through this
difficult time, the management and staff rose to the occasion by developing and
implementing plans, including food take-out services, that kept the Club as safe as possible as well as keeping it
operational and the facilities open.
The history of the country club since 1969 has been one of many challenges and enduring successes in Pine Knoll Shores. It is a testament to the strength and determination of the many stakeholders who have given of their time, talent and financial support through the years. None of these stakeholders gave up. They understood the value of the Club to the health and social fabric of the town and were persistent in keeping the Roosevelt vision alive. The title of this article "The Little Club That Could" is truly fitting and enduring.
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Much of the information contained in this post is based upon historical files donated to the PKS History Committee by the country club. Individual credits are noted as they apply.
Post Author: Ted Lindblad, published 2/4/14 and revised 3/26/2014
Post Author: Kathy Werle, revised 2019