Personal passion will guide the reopening of the Stoneybrook West Golf Club.

Rocky Hodge, the new man in charge of the club leasing the course from the Stoneybrook West Homeowners Association, said if he ever had the opportunity to own a golf course, he knew it would be something he would love to do.
 

Hodge said they have touched every single wall in the building, as well as every floor and ceiling of the 145-acre property, plus the 10,000 square feet of the clubhouse.

The golf course renovation was easily the biggest project, Hodge said.

Although the aesthetics of the golf course were not really changed, some of the bunkers that were previously discontinued and covered were brought back so the course is now in its original state.

“We felt the challenge and the overall look of the golf course needed those bunkers and that kind of visual for that player and also for residents and how they look out their backyard and see the golf course,” Hodge said.

The golf course will continue to be a construction and maintenance project every day.

Although Hodge said the clubhouse building was nice before, the space was given a substantial update to exhibit a casual and upscale look, starting with a full painting of the exterior of the building.

The clubhouse will feature additional TVs to draw the sports crowd in.

In addition, the golf club is introducing a new bourbon and cigar lounge outside.

Hodge said he wants to provide a community hub and a place for people to eat, gather and watch events.

“(Previously) it was more of a golf course restaurant, and now it’s a restaurant that just so happens to have a golf course,” he said. “I wanted this to be a place that people wanted to come to because it’s a great restaurant with great food.”

The bar now will feature eight options on draft, including Guinness. Happy hours will be paired with escalated cocktails, and the restaurant will serve American-style food such as pizza, wings, burgers and appetizers.

In addition, the golf club — which would previously close early in the evening — will stay open until 10 p.m. during the week and 11 p.m. on the weekends. The driving range will be lit at night so people can continue golfing through the evening.

The club plans to host a grand re-opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony in the near future, with a possible August date.

The club hosted a resident open house at the end of May, and a job fair and demo day earlier this month.

Hodge said the range and restaurant will open in the next week or two and the golf course likely will open in mid to late July. He said all official updates will be posted on the club’s Facebook page.

COMMUNITY CONCEPT

Hodge has lived in Windermere since 2015. When he moved to the area, Stoneybrook West was the first golf course he played at regularly, and he even got involved in a men’s league at the club that played every Wednesday.

“To get the golf course open again has been a very exciting thing to see (for me),” he said. “The transformation that we’ve done with the golf course and also the clubhouse has been very exciting, as well, and we think we’ve done a good job. The feedback has been great so far.”

Hodge brings a vast background in customer service, with experience in the hospitality/restaurant industry and in the beverage world with convenience stores, bars and restaurants. However, golf always was one of his leading interests.

Hodge said he knows losing the golf course was devastating to the West Orange County community and the 1,200-plus residents who live in Stoneybrook West.

“Now, to be a part of bringing it back, and also to be a part of it where I can play here, is a great thing to see,” he said. “The residents have been nothing but supportive, and it’s been really cool to work with them.”

Eli Gray, Stoneybrook West HOA president, said it has been a long road to get to the present.

“The biggest reason why I’ve been helping to champion the golf course is so that we can pick our own future,” Gray said. “There was so much concern about developers coming in and purchasing it. People approached us about buying it and putting up condos or RV parks. … Those were the kind of fears people were up against.”

In the past, the relationship between the golf course and the residents was distant, Hodge said. This was one of the things he most wanted to change.

Now, the club will offer a structured package for residents who will get discounts in the restaurant and for golf.

Gray said there is a huge financial impact for the residents who are passionate about having the golf course restored.

“As the owners, we have to maintain the property,” he said. “Previously, we were spending about $400,000 a year earmarked for maintenance of the property, and the majority of that money was spent just on repairs of existing stuff. No renovation budget was able to be put into it. We couldn’t devote money to any of those items because we couldn’t afford it. Maintaining a proper golf course of this size is about a $850,000-a-year proposition.

“Part of the deal that we have with Rocky is that we get a revenue share,” he said. “I believe it’s 2% off the food and drink sales and 4% off the green fees. It’s a huge potential source of income for the community once we have finished paying back the money to Rocky for the renovations. From our perspective, we’re paying the same $400,000 a year that we would be paying forever to maintain the property, but we’re paying it for the next five or six years until we’ve paid off the renovation fee cost, which is about $3 million.”

Hodge said the entire community also will reap the benefits of the sales.

“We want them to feel like it’s part of them and that they’re a part of the success,” he said. “This golf course in this community is probably the most central part of Winter Garden, and probably the easiest access to probably 15 to 20,000 homes within a 10-minute drive.”

City Manager Jon C. Williams also believes the club is an asset to Winter Garden.

“Stoneybrook West is one of the city’s largest neighborhoods, and it will be great for the residents and community to see golf operations restored,” he said. “This was the intent when (the) city of Winter Garden purchased the golf course in 2021 and transferred it to the community’s HOA to rebuild, and it is great to see that come to fruition.”

Gray lives on the fourth hole and said it’s been amazing to watch the golf club come alive again.

“It’s almost miraculous that we got to this point with some very dedicated naysayers who did everything they could to prevent this from happening,” he said. “It was an uphill battle the whole way, so seeing it finally come to fruition is just amazing. Not even as just someone who was involved in the process, but as a homeowner, it gives me pride in my community and in my property.”

BACKGROUND

The public, 18-hole Winter Garden golf course, located at 15501 Towne Commons Blvd., opened in 2000. The club closed in December 2018 before facing years of turbulence and uncertainty.

In January 2019, the Stoneybrook West Homeowners Association attempted to purchase the club and golf course from owners Stoneybrook West Golf Club LLC. However, the owners reportedly declined the letter because of interest in the property from other companies.

The sale of the mortgage note held on the property occurred in June 2020. Steven Fusilier, an Orlando-based real-estate agent, purchased the note previously held by the Davis family. According to the Stoneybrook West HOA, Miguel Vidal still held the title to the property.

Vidal — who also owned Legends Golf and Country Club in Clermont — incurred a multitude of code violations because of lack of maintenance. In July 2020, Fusilier said he had initiated the process of foreclosure and was working on obtaining a writ of possession to assume ownership.

In March 2021, a deal was approved for the city of Winter Garden to purchase the golf course for $2 million and allow the HOA to take it over. Stoneybrook West homeowners will repay the city over 20 years through a special assessment. As part of the deal with the community and in addition to the special assessment, homeowners agreed to pay $1 per day per home to go toward maintaining the property as open or green space.

In July 2021, homeowners had to decide whether to enter a lease agreement with Kemper Sports to restore and reopen the golf course. At the end of July, the community voted overwhelmingly in favor of entering the lease to revitalize the shuttered golf course. Out of 1,225 homes in the community, 792 households — or 65% of residents — responded. Of those, an overwhelming majority — 94% of respondents — indicated they were in favor of the deal. Only 6% disapproved.

In March 2022, The Stoneybrook West Board of Directors issued an update on the fate of its golf course. In a letter to the residents of the community, the board explained it had accepted a letter of intent and proceeded to negotiate a lease with XB USA, led by Rocky Hodge.