“Pin High is the new owner of the Country Club of Orangeburg.”

The Friday morning announcement made by Country Club of Orangeburg President Hayne Culler received a round of applause from about 150 shareholders in attendance at the CCO clubhouse for a specially called meeting to sell the club.

Club’s shareholders voted 550-27 to sell the facility and all its assets to Pin High Visions LLC, a company owned by Orangeburg-based Zeus Inc.

All the club’s assets will officially be transferred Tuesday, May 12, at 8 a.m.

“I think we can all be very proud of what we have done and the club will stay open,” Culler said.

More than 530 of the votes came by proxy. The required number of votes for a quorum was 126.

As part of the purchase, Pin High owner Frank Tourville will be responsible for all current obligations up to $1.2 million, plus $1.5 million for capital improvements.

Pin High has agreed to operate the facility as a country club for the next three years.

Shareholders will be entitled to become members without any initiation fee and the club’s 32 employees will be maintained.

“All the documents are signed ... and the new owner will get all the employees on board Tuesday morning,” Pin High attorney Ed Menzie said, offering his thanks to the shareholders and board members who supported the sale. “I think they (Zeus and Pin High) are very excited about being able to do something for the community.”

Following the vote, Ron McCall, a Tennessee resident, shareholder and outspoken critic of the procedures used for the club sale, expressed his well wishes.

“I wish them all the best,” McCall said. “The shareholders got what we wanted, which was the opportunity to vote on it, and the shareholders have expressed their wishes. We wish Pin High all the best going forward.”

The club’s directors and about 270 members initially approved the sale in January.

But some shareholders said their views weren’t given proper consideration and the board did not follow its own bylaws. Club officials have said they attempted to reach all shareholders and that the club needed to be sold to remain open.

Membership has dropped from about 635 in 2000 to about 330 today.

Circuit Court Judge James C. Williams ordered the club to hold a new meeting with the shareholders.

He amended the club’s bylaws so the shareholders who showed up for the vote constituted a quorum and could decide the fate of the club, provided at least 10 percent of the shares were represented.

Following the vote, the general sentiment among shareholders was one of relief.

The headline should be “Hallelujah” shareholder Harry Mims suggested.

Wes Pickens, a former Country Club board member, stockholder and Orangeburg resident, said the club has spoken.

“I think it showed without question what the majority of stockholders felt,” Pickens said. “It is time to move on.”

Culler also expressed his relief.

“We have been working on this thing for 14 months off and on,” Culler said. “The vote is overwhelming. The bottom line is we are going to keep the club open. This is good for the community and for everybody.”

Culler said the club board will serve ex-officio for three years. He is confident Tourville will make it a success.

“He will spend a lot of money here to keep this open,” Culler said. “He is certainly not going to spend a half a million dollars for three years to close it up.”

Prior to the vote, McCall called for a point of order, noting the meeting was of shareholders only and should be closed to the public.

Culler told McCall the club’s board decided the meeting was to be open.

After a little back and forth, Culler informed McCall he would have his chance to speak later in the meeting.

After Culler opened the floor for any who wanted to be recognized in support of the sale of the club, McCall again asked for a “point of information” and was interrupted by an unknown voice questioning why McCall felt it necessary to interrupt the “damn question.”

Culler again reiterated that McCall would have his concerns answered.

When the floor was opened for opposition, McCall again stood up and asked for an amendment to the question calling for a sale of the club.

He was given 15 minutes to offer his thoughts.

“The question is today does this body want to sell the assets of the club to Pin High?” McCall said. “I would like to amend the question to sell the assets to Pin High under the condition ...”

Country Club attorney James Walsh interrupted McCall.

“Mr. McCall, this meeting has been called by the court,” Walsh said. “The court sets the question. It cannot be amended.”

McCall said, “I disagree.”

Continuing, McCall asked Pin High to “post the bond and to assure the bond of a million dollars cash and it would protect the shareholders and the board from personal liability under the definition of waste.”

“Secondly, the bond would also protect the land use for the club for the three years that Pin High said it would keep this as a recreation facility,” he said. “At the end of the three years, the bond would expire if those obligations are met. I think that is a reasonable thing to do.”

A club shareholder since 1976, Dan Hydrick said the comments made are an “affront to Mr. (Frank) Tourville’s integrity.”

“His word is as good as gold and he will fulfill the duties that he said he is going to do,” Hydrick said.

The Country Club began in March 1921 when a group of men met at the chamber of commerce to charter a country club, which would feature a nine-hole golf course, tennis courts, swimming area and social activities.

Growth of the club began in earnest during the 1960s when members approved the construction of an 18-hole golf course. The club moved to its present location in 1962.

n T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com

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