Sale of Shackamaxon to RDC Golf Finalized, Mayor and Council Reflect

It’s official - RDC Golf, a leading New Jersey based Golf Management company has finalized its purchase of the Shackamaxon Golf and Country Club, Scotch Plains Township’s largest piece of privately owned land.

RDC Golf and its affiliates own and operate the renowned Forsgate Country Club in Monroe, New Jersey which has been named the state’s Number 1 Family Club and the Number 1 Private Club Value by Golfstyles Magazine.

Christopher Schiavone founded RDC in 1993. As owners of Elbow Country Club in Bedminster since 1965, his family has 46 years of experience in the New Jersey golf industry. The revitalized Shackamaxon Country Club will now offer a variety of upscale amenities and hospitality services, as well as a variety of memberships for members old and new.

The champion par-71 layout course, built in 1916, is home to one of renowned architect, A.W. Tillinghast’s first ninth hole island greens. The Club also has a 40,000 square foot clubhouse that can be used for meetings and banquets and will now incorporate world class catering services.

Councilman Bo Vastine commented on what this purchase means for the Scotch Plains community.

“I think this is fantastic. This Country Club Golf Course has been there for over 100 years. The fact that we have been able to broker a scenario where that will still exist as it has, and help the new owners provide some options to increase revenue through an alternative source, means that we have gotten the best possible outcome from what we were faced with a year ago,” Vastine said.

This announcement comes a year after heated discussions first took place among the Scotch Plains town council when the management company that owned “the Shack” at the time succumbed to their debt and put the property up for sale. 

In an interview today, Mayor Nancy Malool expressed that at the time, there were at least 100 home developers interested in purchasing the property which could have become the site of up to. According to Malool, not a single golf management company had expressed interest in purchasing the property.

Out of fear that a housing development of that size would put a huge strain on the Scotch Plains-Fanwood school system, Malool and the council made a controversial move to declare the 146 acre-property “” with the intention of possibly moving the municipal building and the Scotch Plains Public Library to the Shackamaxon property.

This declaration limited the type of development that could occur on the property and as a result, New Jersey Golf Group and Shackamaxon filed a law suit against the township.

“We were acting to protect the land. The only reason we were ever thinking about moving municipal buildings to that property was because no golf course owner was interested in the beginning. If we were faced with having nearly 100 homes built there, or somehow making municipal use out of it, then that’s what we were going to do,” Malool explained.  

In August, a settlement was reached. As part of this settlement, the owners of the property, (now deed restricted as a golf course) can build up to on 12 acres of land in the center of property. This land is currently being used for tennis courts and a pool.

However, Councilman Vastine noted that all plans for development have to come before the Scotch Plains planning board for approval meaning that, the Council still has final approval over the development of the property.

Today, Malool reflected on the events and heated debate surrounding the Shackamaxon litigation and purchase by RDC Golf.  The Mayor expressed that although the decisions the Council made (as a result of a 3 to 2 majority dividing the Republicans and Democrats) cost the tax payers money, declaring the property in need of rehabilitation was “worth every penny.”

“People have been very critical over the fact that we declared [Shackamaxon] an area of rehabilitation. What we did, set the tone for that to stay a golf course. The only way RDC or New Jersey Golf was going to buy the property was if they could get those condominiums. There would be nearly m100 houses there if we hadn’t made that declaration,” Malool said.

At several public forums earlier this year regarding the construction and purchase of the property, many residentsthat the property values of their houses would drop as a result.

Malool noted that adding luxury condos that are age restricted can only improve surrounding property values and that while no plans for development have been submitted to the planning board thus far, she has no doubt that the condos will be built.

Vastine also emphasized the positive impact this purchase can have on the town.

“We are going to have a course that has the history and the reputation of a Tillinghast course, and a new owner that has the experience and the resources to manage it in a way that will be sustainable for the long term.  If we end up with a plan to add 60 luxury condos to the already great ambience of Scotch Plains, that’s great. If I was at the age where I could qualify, I would definitely consider buying in,” Vastine said.