[bystander1]

River Run to reopen
By Tom Ensey • January 10, 2009

The Poarch Creek Indian Tribe has put the River Run Golf Course back in business.

The 36-hole, two-course complex, located near Emerald Mountain, will reopen Jan. 19 with a new name and new owners, according to the club's general manager.

The tribe, which operates a casino in Montgomery County and two others in the state, bought the troubled property that closed last month after it ran out of money.

Cam Hardigree, who served as general manager for the previous owner, Michael Forbus, will continue in the same position.

The complex, which is next to the Poarch Creek Indian Reservation and the Tallapoosa Casino, will be renamed Tallapoosa Lakes, he said.

"The Indians are going to put the necessary money into this to maintain it at a high level," Hardigree said. "They have made a major commitment to have as nice a facility as possible. People will see many, many changes that will benefit the golfers of the Montgomery area."

The course will purchase about $750,000 in new equipment and golf carts, he said, and the facility is being rewired to accommodate 110 new battery operated carts, which will be in service by March.

The bar and grill won't be fully open on Jan. 19, Hardigree said, but it will eventually reopen as a full service dining facility.

Broken places in the cart paths on both courses will be repaved and the 1,100 or so golfers who bought membership packages will remain members under the new owners.

"The Indians will fully honor all memberships," Hardigree said. "And that's a big deal, because they are receiving no revenue from Mr. Forbus."

One member was delighted to hear the news.

"Man, that's good," said Lytle Allen. "I thought I might have lost my membership. I'm sure they'll have the resources to improve it -- it was always a pretty good place to play, and get in a reasonably priced round of golf. I've missed it since it closed."

The course has not hired back all 18 employees who lost their jobs -- along with the three weeks' back pay they're owed. But Hardigree said once all the improvements are complete, the restaurant and club would employ "45 to 55 workers."

The food and beverage manager has been rehired, Hardigree said, getting the restaurant ready to go. The course superintendent is back on board and hustling to get both courses back into playing shape with a crew of about five or six.

"We will offer a very attractive membership package later in the week," Hardigree said. "It will be the most attractive in the River Region."

The course also will allow non-members to play, as it always has.

This is the first venture into golf by the Poarch Creek Indians, whose casinos are in Atmore and Wetumpka. Calls to the cell phones of Forbus and Tim Martin, the tribe's chief financial officer, were not immediately returned.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20090110/NEWS01/901100371

This happened sooner than I expected. The late Eddie Tullis, former Tribal Chairman of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, mentioned the long-range plans for the casino years ago saying that one day it would become a large resort with amenities like fine dining, golf, concerts, and a luxury hotel. That's why most of us knew that they had plans to one day buy the River Run golf course and incorporate it into their planned development...since the casino sits next to it already.

This was a good opportunity for the Creek Indians to buy the golf course right now for a very good price. But Tullis said the Montgomery casino's upgrade was planned for last--after upgrading the one in Atmore first, then Wetumpka's second.

Now that Atmore is finished, they're in the process of moving the old metal buildings from Atmore to Wetumpka to serve as a temporary gaming facility there while they demolish the current building and build a new one--along with the hotel, an arena, and possibly a dock for the riverboat.