When Tommy Biershenk put his professional playing days behind him and joined with local entrepreneur Anthony Anders to take over the old Shrine Golf Club they both new a day would come when the property would be too valuable to remain a golf course.

The business plan in 2015 was to improve the golf course and make it a great place to play, but to also keep an eye on the development market for housing in the area.

Under Biershenk’s direction the course has been successful, but the housing boom hit and it took aim at the course.

“I’m always looking ahead,”said Anders. “In business you do what makes sense and selling Legacy Pines now makes sense,”he said.

A final day for the golf course has not yet been set, it is going to happen sometime in the fall.

“It looks like we will close Legacy Pines in late September or October,” said Biershenk. .

While the course in Mauldin will be closing, Biershenk and Anders are not leaving the golf business.

They have two projects in front of them in the golf and recreation business.

One is in operation, now while the other will be a first of its kind not just in the Upstate, but in all of South Carolina.

The Rock Golf Course on Highway 11, north of Pickens was the ultimate “fixer-upper” when the two took it over a few years ago.

Anders purchased the course and partnered with long time Legacy Pines superintendent David Greene and Biershenk to operate The Rock with the knowledge that someday Legacy Pines would be gone.

The three began to put the same kind of effort into fixing up The Rock as they did at Legacy Pines.

“We did a lot of work to clean this course up and it is in very good condition right now and we are working to make it even better,” said Biershenk.

The fairways are manicured and the rough and brush that affected play are gone.

The trees are limbed up or gone and the greens are consistent and rolling smoothly.

One of the projects put all three of the owners to work.

A rebuild of the 14th tee box was needed from reshaping to putting down sod.

Anders, Greene and Biershenk all got their hands dirty on the project.

Anders, the former local NASCAR series driving champion, looked right at home behind the controls of a Bobcat reshaping the tee.

Greene was smoothing the ground for the new sod and Biershenk was laying the sod down and making sure it lined up.

When the grow in is complete the course will have three very distinctive holes that will be remembered by golfers.

With the mountains in the background at the newly rebuilt 15th tee box, the island like green on number 3, near the entrance and the number 8 tee box next to Gauley Falls almost make a round of golf a sightseeing trip near Table Rock.

But just as Anders had an eye to the future at Legacy Pines he does again with a new project that is now being developed.

District Park is designed to be a premier upper level family entertainment and recreational center

With indoor and outdoor soccer fields, pickle ball courts and a family entertainment atmosphere, golf will be a big part of the new recreation destination.

The range at District Park will feature Trackman, a first for any range in the state..

Golfers will be able to practice using the information coming from the Trackman or play courses using the simulator feature.

With Trackman available District Park is expected to become a premier teaching facility in the Upstate.

District Park is located off Highway 123 at 221 Kay Drive near Easley.

The new venue is projected to open in early spring.

It might be a kind of round about way of looking at it, but with Legacy Pines closing in the not to distant future the group will actually be adding to golf opportunities in the Upstate.

Biershenk and Greene both are sorry to see the old course once known as Ramsgate going away.

“We worked really hard to make it a good golf course and a good value and now we are doing that at The Rock,” said Biershenk.

After 24 years at Legacy Pines, Greene will be a partner and superintendent at the course where his career began after graduating from Clemson.

“This was my first job and now I will be coming back as partner. I put a lot of work into Legacy and hate to see it go, but I’m looking forward to what we are doing here at The Rock,” said Greene.

While there is not a closing date for Legacy Pines. There will be a going away tournament in September as the course nears the end.

“The Traveling County Club will run the tournament and it should be a fun event for golfers to play the course,” said Biershenk.

Information on how to enter the September 16th tournament will be available on the www.travelingcountryclub.com website.

“Legacy Pines will be open and we hope golfers keep coming out to play and then follow us to our new venues,” concluded Biershenk.