Residents concerned about closed Carolina Shores golf course

CAROLINA SHORES, NC (WWAY) –Some residents in Carolina Shores are worried about what might happen next to the golf course that borders their homes.

The Carolina Shores Golf and Country Club officially closed in November 2024. Since then, several homeowners say they’ve noticed survey crews walking the course — raising concerns about future development.

Rich Gagliano has lived on the eighth hole for nearly 25 years. He said the closure came with no warning.

“It was open one day and the very next day he just closed the door,” Gagliano said.

He said the golf course was one of the main reasons he bought his home back in the early 2000s.

“Anybody who is living on the golf course, like myself and all the other homes here, it has an impact. It has a great impact to have it go through this state of disrepair,” he said.

Gagliano believes the course started declining after it was sold to a new owner in 2013. Over time, he said the lack of maintenance became more and more obvious.

“It wasn’t a matter of it was coming up and dwindling away to a little bit. We stayed here. We knew it wasn’t doing well, but we were trying our best to support the owner and keep the place running,” he said.

“And from that point on, there was just never an input of money — you could see it,” Gagliano added. “The equipment wasn’t kept up, the course wasn’t kept up. There was just no maintenance that was really done on the course.”

In December, he saw surveyors on the course for the first time. That made some residents more nervous about the future of the land.

Gagliano said he speaks with the town often and feels they’ve been upfront.

“It’s been months now since they put the original plan out, and there has been nothing from the town,” he said. “As per just two hours ago this morning, they’ve actually gotten a plan to develop the course.”

As of this week, no official plans have been submitted to the Town of Carolina Shores. Still, many residents want the land to stay a golf course — not a housing development.

“That’s what we bought into, always been used to, and that’s what our property values are based upon — on the fact that it is a golf course,” Gagliano said.

In a statement to WWAY, Carolina Shores Town Manager Chad Hicks said:

“We are aware of some residents having concerns about the golf course. If any violations of the town ordinance are discovered, we will handle the situation as required by town ordinances and state law.”

WWAY also reached out to the current owner of the golf course. He told us he needs more time before providing a response.