ClubCorp. one of the largest golf club ownership company in the U.S., added significantly to its portfolio when it announced the acquisition of Atlanta-based Sequoia for a reported $265 million.
Sequoia owned or operated 50 golf clubs under its two branches (Canongate and Sequoia), more than half of them in Georgia, with the number of ClubCorp properties in the state increasing from 8 to 35.
In addition to greatly expanding ClubCorp’s impact on the Georgia market, the company also added to its list of clubs in the Houston area, as well as moving into the Denver and Chicago markets.
In a statement, ClubCorp president and CEO Evan Affeldt said the company would continue the geographic clustering of clubs that has enabled members of Canongate and Sequoia clubs to have multiple home clubs, as well as access too many others.
Sequoia has 26 clubs in Georgia, most of them in metro Atlanta. White Columns, Atlanta National, The Manor and Polo Golf & Country Club are owned by Sequoia, which recently acquired the four upscale clubs and were operated under a different branch of the company.
The company also has 22 courses within the Canongate family, some of which are either managed or leased by Sequoia.
Those courses are Bentwater, Braelinn, Canongate I, Georgia National, Chapel Hills, Eagle Watch, Flat Creek, Georgia National, Hamilton Mill, Healy Point, Heron Bay, Mirror Lake, Olde Atlanta, Planterra Ridge, River Forest, Smoke Rise, Sun City Peachtree, The Frog, Traditions of Braselton, White Oak, Whitewater Creek and Windermere.
Prior to its acquisition of Sequoia, Club Corps owned six Atlanta-are golf clubs – Bear’s Best, Country Club of Gwinnett, Country Club of the South, Eagle’s Landing, Laurel Springs and Northwood.
Affeldt said ClubCorp will re-invest capital into the clubs it is acquiring, and believes the Sequoia clubs “align perfectly with our business model.”
Joe Guerra, the president and CEO of Sequoia, said ClubCorp “is the best fit for our members and employees and partners.” He will serve as a senior adviser during the transition.
ClubCorp is a Dallas-based company that was founded in 1957. Joe Guerra and his brother Ken acquired the Canongate family of courses in 2002 from the Roquemore family, and have significantly expanded its number of courses over the past dozen years.