About Preserve Bluewater Bay

Originally Bluewater Bay only had two 9-hole courses. The Bay and the Lake. The third course, the Marsh course, was added in 1984. The fourth 9-hole course was the course within Magnolia Plantation added in 1996. More recently, the course at Magnolia Plantation and the Lake course have closed.

In August of 2021, an emergency meeting was called by the attorney for Bluewater Bay Development Venture, LLC (BBDV), which owned the land The Bay and The Marsh Golf Courses sit on, with The Men’s Golf Association (MGA) Board. The MGA was told The Bay nine-hole course was going to be closed and would potentially be developed. This meant that a single course would remain of the original four courses in Bluewater Bay – the 9-hole course known as The Marsh.

In response, five concerned residents of Bluewater Bay formed an LLC – Preserve Bluewater Bay, LLC. (PBWB), now known as PBWB, Inc, to work toward buying The Bay and The Marsh Golf Courses and four holes on the old Lake Course (#1, #2, #3, & #9), with a mind to keeping them as golf courses or otherwise preserving the land as green space. While it might not be golf courses that occupy space in the future, the founders of PBWB wanted to ensure the 150 acres of land was not developed. Initial financial support for our two-year effort came from 61 Bluewater Bay Residents/Supporters who shared concern about the loss of Greenspace to Residential Development. Sixty-One Supporters donated $5,000+ to “Saving the Greenspace.”

The following individuals are the initial founders and directors of Preserve Bluewater Bay:

Justin LeMire
Dave Rauch
Bud Roberts
Brien House
Art Jean

Rules outlined in the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) guidelines govern the use of the land now known as Bluewater Bay. Those rules allow any developer to build much more dense housing on the land where the golf courses now lie. Currently, the DRI allows for a little over 4,000 homes to be built in Bluewater Bay. According to Preserve BWB, there are currently about 3,800 homes in the area.

As a result, PBWB, LLC Board of Directors financially committed, with a letter of intent and a $25,000 deposit, for a Lease–to-Purchase the 150 acres. They started the two-year Lease-to-Purchase effort on 1 March 2022 with the option to purchase the land. While PBWB leased the land, they were responsible for paying salaries for employees, insurance, taxes and day-to-day operations of the course.

Thanks to the generosity of Bluewater Bay Residents, PBWB, Inc Board of Directors, raised $2.3 million to purchase the land and maintenance infrastructure and equipment from BBDV, LLC. The clubhouse was not a part of the purchase. Effective 1 September 2024, Bluewater Bay Golf, Inc is now managed by Elite Golf, LLC. PBWB, Inc a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) owns the land.