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Is Firethorne Country Club History?After filing for chapter 11bankruptcy protectionlast month, the future ofFirethorne Country Club in Marvin,NC remains in question. Accordingto a Firethorne businessmanagement consultant, the clubhad been putting together a recapitalizationplan to satisfy the currentlender, Textron FinancialCorp. of Rhode Island.But, before any details could beworked out, Textron asked the federalcourt to decide whether to appoint areceiver to take over the property in Marvin,about five miles south of Ballantyne.Textron reported that the club hadn’tpaid on its $8 million loan since June andowed more than $5.5 million, promptingforeclosure proceedings against thegolf and country club.The Rhode Island based lender alsoasked the court to appoint a receiver forthe property, saying Textron was “indanger of having its rents and revenuesgenerated from the property misappropriated,”according to court documents.This “blindside” move was totally unexpectedby Firethorne officials who wouldadd no more on the record.Jack Nance, executivedirector of theCarolinas Golf Associationbased in Pinehurstwas blunt in hisreaction to theFirethorne news, butwasn’t totally surprised.“The economyhas now put privateclubs under heavypressure. It's a wholedifferent world now."stated Nance. "Tenyears ago, we neversaw a golf club justflat-out close, but nowthe question will be:Are there others on thebrink?”.According toFirethorne membersinterview by CarolinaGolf Magazine, the level of players eachday is picking up after the harsh winterdespite the financial problems. Severalmembers indicated that they have beenasked if they would be interested in buyingthe club if that were an option followinglegal action. Most indicated itwould be a wait and see situation forthem.Losing Firethorne would take anexcellent course out of action. Many ofthe local amateur and pro circuits haveplayed their tournaments there, and theGolf NewsBY: SAM SMITH1st hole at Firethorne Country Club -379-yards, par-4Quail Hollow Championship has a qualifyingday at Firethorne each year whereeven top name pros are challenged bythe Tom Jackson designed track.Most of the financial problems stemfrom the real estate wrong-doings, notthe popularity of the course. Firethorneis also a big player in helping charitieswith their yearly fund-raising golfoutings, what about them? Director ofGolf, Randy Few has said any charityevents scheduled for Firethorne this yearwill stay on the books until he hearsotherwise from club officials.______________________________________________________________________________CAROLINA GOLF JOURNAL - SPRING 2010 – 33