New owner reopens Hernando County's oldest golf course

RIDGE MANOR

Two years ago, Whispering Oaks Golf & Country Club, the oldest golf course in Hernando County, closed when the owners fell behind on their taxes and returned to their native Indiana. It didn't take long for the course to become overgrown and begin to fall apart, much to the dismay of homeowners in the Whispering Oaks Estates community and Ridge Manor.

In an already poor real estate market, the homes on the course were losing value at an alarming rate.

Enter Bob Carson.

A golf pro in Ohio years ago, Carson later competed on the Senior PGA Tour for four years after winning the National Senior Club Pro Championship in 1993.

After moving to Florida in 1976, Carson began buying courses around the state, including ones in West Palm Beach and Titusville. He had looked into buying the course at Whispering Oaks almost eight years ago, and said he offered $1.5 million for the property.

Former owners Jason and Jill Hofius, he said, turned him down.

When he heard from a real estate agent that the course was up for sale, he jumped at the idea, and purchased it for $550,000. This summer, Carson, a crew of workers and $300,000 worth of landscaping equipment began to reclaim the course.

"It was a tremendous challenge, but it was a tremendous risk as well,'' Carson said. "I've never bought a course that had been closed for so long."

First, he would need a group of investors who supported his idea.

Carson, who plans to build a home in Ridge Manor, got right to work with the help of Bob and Carol Armstrong, whose home is on the opening hole of the course.

The Armstrongs wanted to restore the course for the community and offered to help Carson find supporters. Their tool: The sale of lifetime memberships, at $1,000 each, to a country club that did not yet exist.

Knocking on doors, the Armstrongs said they were able to come up with more than $80,000 in less than a week. The club so far has secured 163 lifetime memberships, with a goal of 200.

It was enough to convince Carson that the community was serious about backing his play for the course.

"Without the support of the community and numerous hours from volunteers, this would never have happened," Carol Armstrong said. "I get a little emotional thinking about it because of all the hard work we've all put in."

On Monday, the facility was reopened to much fanfare and a new name: The Ridge Manor Oaks Golf & Country Club.

The course has brought the community together more than anyone could have imagined, a sentiment that was apparent at the re-opening among many people in Ridge Manor who feared the course had seen its last days.

"The flag-raising ceremony brought a tear to a few people's eyes, including my own," Carson said. "Maybe I'm just getting old."