There are new details about the Sea Trail Golf Resort renovations. Here’s what we know

The Sea Trail Golf Resort development project in Sunset Beach, N.C. announced a new investment partner, golf course management service and renovations to one of its clubhouses, including a new restaurant area.

The resort partnered with East Coast Golf to manage Sea Trail’s three courses, the Rees Jones Golf Course, Willard Byrd Golf Course and Dan Maples Golf Course. A press release announced the news.

East Coast Golf is a prominent management company in the Grand Strand region of South Carolina.

Part owner of the Sea Trail project, Robert Hill, said the pairing was the right fit, as East Coast Golf has a track record of rejuvenating the golf courses it operates, particularly the Rivers Edge Golf Course in Shallotte, N.C.

“In a short time, I want to say, in less than two years, they had turned that course around from a really failing declining course to a top course in the area, just a total 180-degree turn,” Hill said.

The Sun News previously reported that all three golf courses at Sea Trail would undergo varying degrees of renovation.

The Sea Trail venture also has a new face. Sandesh Sharda, an entrepreneur who founded the IT consulting firm Miracle Systems, was also announced as a partner in the project.

Hill and fellow Riptide Builders co-founder Donald Bean, is part of the Sea Trail ownership group along with Parker Smith, the CEO and founder of Golf Trek. Hill said Sharda is now a 50 percent partner in the Sea Trail ownership group too after making a “very large” undisclosed investment.

“We wanted somebody that wanted to partner on the entire picture because we believe continuity is incredibly important,” Hill said. “(Sharda’s a) smart guy, a quick decision maker ... the relationship works really well, is a kind of a natural fit, and we’re excited about that.”

Sharda’s involvement includes purchasing the Sawmill Townhomes community of 27 units built by Hill’s company, Riptide Builders, which will be used exclusively as short-term rentals for golfers playing at Sea Trail’s golf courses.

Sharda’s investment in area golf courses does not stop at Sea Trail. Sharda’s recently purchased Rivers Edge Golf Course in Shallotte, N.C., and is also finalizing a deal to buy the International Club of Myrtle Beach in Murrells Inlet.

Hill added that potential golf packaging services for Sea Trail and Rivers Edge are under consideration for both golf courses, as the two are about 20 minutes apart.

“River’s Edge right now is known as a top horse in the market to play,” Hill said. “We plan on getting Sea Trail to that level.”

Part of that process includes renovating the Jones-Byrd Clubhouse. Hill said the $2 million renovation project will have a new inside and outside sports bar, a breakfast buffet and a high-end steakhouse inside. Hill compared the future chophouse to 21 Main, a dry-aging steakhouse in North Myrtle Beach.

The renovation will be completed by March 1, 2024, Hill projected. The entire project is part of an effort to turn the Sea Trail area into a resort destination in Sunset Beach, N.C. The renovation will also include building a new hotel, new sing-family and townhome communities and re-opening of the Sea Trail Convention Center all of which could cost almost $100 million.

Hill added the convention center will have a grand opening the second week of December.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The business relationship between East Coast Golf Prestwick Country Club and Wedgefield Country Club was incorrect in a previous version of the story. Prestwick and Wedgefield are course partners as part of the Myrtle Beach Golf Trail. (Updated: 1:15 p.m. on 11/21/2023)