SEMINOLE, Fla. -- Golfers took their final swings at The Tides Golf Club on Saturday. 

  • The Tides Golf Club is Seminole closing
  • Residents in neighborhood backing onto golf course concerned about development
  • Empty course will leave about 100 acres of green space in Seminole

Owners sent a memo to members last week announcing they would be closing the course, located off 66th Avenue North in Seminole. 

They cited damage from Hurricane Irma and a decrease in activity, as well as a "lack of support from the golfing community."

"The golfing community and the people that I know from this club- they’re heartbroken," said Dan Hott, a former employee of the course.

"This is a treasure in Pinellas County."

Many residents in Seminole and all over Pinellas County are disappointed because they enjoy the course. But they also fear what will happen to the near 100 acres of land.

"There are not that many golf courses that have the proximity to the golf beaches," said Ed Methfessel. His backyard has a perfect view of the 18-hole course. "So this is a gem to the community as well as tourism dollars.

"They’re not making green space anymore so once you pull a piece of green space out of the county you’ll never get it back."

Methfessel created an organization called Save The Tides in 2013 when the land was in jeopardy of becoming developed into housing. 

The group collected signatures and fought to maintain the land. 

In the end, the county sided with them and kept the land zoned as residential open space.

The Tides – Press Release

The Tides Golf Club – Seminole, Florida

In November of 2016, The Tides Golf Club was purchased from Wells Fargo with a desire for the club to continue operating as a public golf course. During the first 18 months under new ownership, the new owners replaced an aged golf cart fleet with brand new carts, installed new irrigation pumps, improved golf course views, and upgraded the fuel storage facility in an effort to improve the financial stability of the club. After enduring Hurricane Irma and the ensuing clean-up, the club has seen a continued decrease of activity. Due to the lack of support from the golfing community, the owners have made the decision to close operations effective July 1, 2018.

Thank you,
Keith Bradshaw
General Manager

A spokesperson for the county released a statement to Spectrum Bay News 9 that said "Pinellas County is aware that the Tides Golf Course is closing, but only through the same information that the neighborhood is receiving. 

"We have no applications for the Tides for any type of redevelopment at this time, nor have we heard from anyone interested in redeveloping the property at this time."

But for the residents who are part of Save The Tides, it’s what will become of their backyards that concerns them.

"It's going to change a lot of lives for a lot of people that golf here and live in the community," said Hott.

In the memo, the owners stated the future of the land remains unknown. 

Spectrum Bay News 9 reached out for comment but has not heard back.

Tides
cited damage from Hurricane Irma and a decrease in activity, as well as a "lack of support from the golfing community" for the closing. (Jorja Roman, staff)