The partnership that bought the club is called RidgelineEquestrian Estates LLC and is headed by Orange Park Acres residentJohn Martin. Bettencourt says that a preliminary analysis concludesthat the site of the club, at 1051 N. Meads Ave. would most likelybe most suitable for a development of equestrian estates.

"We've been working on this property for the past two years,"Bettencourt tells GlobeSt.com. "We've performed a highest-and-bestuse analysis, and our business judgment is that the highest andbest use is an equestrian-oriented estate lot project."

The Ridgeline property includes only a nine-hole golf course,not an 18-hole championship course, and is surrounded on four sidesby one-acre lots. "We still saw a use for the tennis club [atRidgeline], but we were skeptical about the long-term viability ofa nine-hole golf course," Bettencourt says. Rates are continuing todecline even for 18-hole courses, so a nine-hole course wouldlikely have a tougher time of it over the long run, the planneradds.