VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Signature at West Neck Golf Course was once an Arnold Palmer course, bringing a certain prestige with it.
Today, the course is closed and has turned into an eyesore in an otherwise upscale community, neighbors say. The course is covered with weeds and dead grass. Neighbors say the new owner isn't maintaining it.
"Nothing's been done. The golf course is a mess," said Tom Luckman, whose home used to look out onto the par 4 third hole. "This golf course used to be known as the most well-maintained golf course in the area."
The course abruptly closed in 2019 with a Facebook post saying, "We are hopeful that the golf course will reopen very soon," but that never happened.
The course is now owned by an entity called WC Capital LLC, according to city records. Due to laws in other states, neighbors say the true owner of WC Capital has been able to remain anonymous, although there are theories as to whom the owner is. Neighbors directed News 3 to a bankruptcy lawyer who has represented WC Capital in the past, but the lawyer didn't respond to a request for comment.
Another neighbor, Natalie Volsky, grew up in the neighborhood and recently decided to buy a home that backs up to the course.
"We know when we bought the house that the golf course was in limbo, but the piece that we didn't know was that it was going to stop receiving any attention, any TLC, and look the way it does," said Volsky.
The city said there's not much they can do because it's private property, but a code enforcement official told News 3 a recent inspection found grass in spots to be higher than 10 inches, a violation. On Friday, someone was mowing part of the course.
"It's a huge eyesore. It's very disappointing to drive into a beautiful neighborhood and just have the weeds and bushes and dead grass, flowers everywhere and totally unkempt," said Volsky.
The neighbors accept they can't force WC Capital to reopen the property as a golf course, but think the course could at least be maintained so it's not an eyesore.
"We sent a letter to WC Capital for them to maintain the golf course in accordance with our community standards," said Luckman. "What happens from that, we don't know."
