The Wedgefield Plantation golf course, which has sat dormant for more than a year, has been sold and the new owner has plans to lease the course, a restaurant and amenities including tennis courts and a pool. 
Myrtle Beach business owner Harry Karetas purchased the 175-acre property as a foreclosure with furniture, fixtures and equipment July 10. He bought it from Colonial Charters Lender LLC for $650,000, according to the deed.
Karetas, owner of Terminal Storage in Myrtle Beach, said he decided to buy the property to bring it back to its former glory.
"My wife Vonnie and I love the property," Karetas said. "It is beautiful and has a lot of history."
Wedgefield Plantation, located near Georgetown, is the southernmost golf course on the entire Grand Strand, according to its website.
"It is one of the oldest layouts in the Myrtle Beach area, open since 1972," the website states. "Architect Porter Gibson preserved the Old South feel of the property by incorporating many of the centuries-old live oaks into the design as well as positioning the historic manor house on the property as the clubhouse."
Gary Roberts and Louie Chang, realtors with Coldwell Banker Chicora Advantage, handled both sides of the property sale transaction. Roberts said Georgetown County expressed interest in purchasing the Wedgefield Plantation golf course if no one else bought it, but the county is no longer involved with the property.
Karetas said he plans to lease different parts of the property to individuals or companies that have experience managing a golf course, a restaurant, or the tennis courts and Olympic-sized swimming pool.
"I'm not really a golfer, but I am talking with a gentleman now who is very much into golf and has a lot of experience with maintaining greens. So, we'll see how that works out," Karetas said. "I'd also like to get someone with the right credentials to operate an upscale restaurant in the manor house."
He and his wife plan to live part-time in a cottage on the property.
"We will be using that as a weekend get-away," he said. "Vonnie and I are both excited."
He said he will do his best to get the right people in place as soon as possible. But the first thing he needs to do is clean up the property.
"It is a mess and it is overgrown," Karetas said. "Thankfully, the neighborhood's home owners association has pitched in to maintain the golf course."
He spoke during an HOA meeting on Aug. 15, thanking the residents for pitching in with donations and cutting grass with their own lawnmowers.
"I think that is very admirable," Karetas said.
Butch Williams, who is chair of the HOA committee in charge of maintaining the golf course, said he and other residents are excited about the sale and the new owner.
"I think it is awesome and it will be great for the community," Williams said. "(Karetas) seems like a nice guy who is very positive. He made a great investment and wants everything to work."
He said the former owner left the property in disarray after filing for bankruptcy.
"He had no passion for the golf course, he never put any money into it and he let it go," Williams said. "It will be nice to have somebody who has enthusiasm for making it great."
Karetas said he hopes to open the golf course in spring 2019.
Williams said he would like to see the Wedgefield community, as well as other communities in Georgetown and surrounding areas, support the course and restaurant when it opens.
"I hope that everybody in the community, in town and in surrounding towns are as excited as we are," Williams said. "We need to get Wedgefield back to where it needs to be."