An upcoming auction will determine the fate of this once-proud Ohio golf club
LAKE TWP., Ohio ‒ The dormant former Seven Hills Country Club will be auctioned in two weeks.
Kaufman Realty & Auctions of Sugarcreek will handle the two-day sale. At noon on Dec. 15, it will offer the 160 acres of land, buildings and a house. The next day, golf course maintenance and restaurant equipment will be on the block in a separate sale.
“I know there are people who want it to remain a golf course,” said Jr. Miller, a Kaufman realtor/auctioneer.
And it still could be.
That all depends on who wants to buy what.
Seven Hills CC in Ohio is going up for auction. (Photo by Tim Botos/Canton Repository)
Pieces, parts or the whole thing
The Dec. 15 sales will begin with an adjacent three-bedroom, custom-built 4,900-square-foot home on five acres. Next will be the clubhouse and outbuildings on a 20-acre parcel.
Then, comes the 18-hole layout itself, offered separately in eight chunks, ranging in size from 5 to 44 acres.
Driveway into clubhouse area at Seven Hills Country Club earlier this year.
However, Miller explained there will be several opportunities as the auction unwinds for bidders to buy the clubhouse, buildings and course property as a package.
“It’s all going to be up to the buyers,” he said.
The golf course, on William Penn Avenue NE, was built in 1968. It was owned by the Gran family for most of the past half-century, a time when the site was often rated one of the premier public courses in the region. The course was designed by Bill Newcomb, who worked as an apprentice under Pete Dye before forming his company and designing numerous courses throughout the country. He also has Alpine at Boyne Mountain Resort, Polo Fields Golf & Country Club in Louisville and Anchorage Golf Course to his credit.
The Grans sold it and two adjacent houses in 2020 for $2.7 million. James Gesiotto, a Mount Eaton dentist, and family members headed the purchasing group.
The course remained open through most of 2022 but closed for this past season.
Earlier this year, the golf course and clubhouse — not including either of the two houses — was listed for sale with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services for $4.3 million.
Miller said the auctions do include unpublicized reserve prices, which means the owners provided a minimum amount they must receive for sales to be completed.
“It’s fair and reasonable,” Miller said.
An Ohio golf club is up for auction on Dec. 15. (Photo: Julie Vennitti Botos)
Property already is zoned for houses
An open house is scheduled for 2 to 5 p.m. Monday.
The Dec. 15 auctions will be simultaneously online and in person. The Dec. 16 equipment sales will be in-person only from 10 to 11:30 a.m. However, online access will be available beginning at 11:30, for about a dozen pieces of the largest equipment.
Seven Hills Country Club will be auctioned in a two-day offering.
The entire Seven Hills complex is zoned for low-density residential use, which means houses could be built there.
The township’s zoning code permits lots as small as less than a half-acre to two acres in size.
Township Zoning Administrator Nicole Wilkinson previously told the Canton Repository that any development ― other than a golf course ― would likely have to be submitted to the Stark County Regional Planning Commission for approval.
Reach Tim at 330-580-8333 or tim.botos@cantonrep.com.On X: @tbotosREP
