A 99-year sublease for a long-idle course
On November 2, 2026, The Apopka Chief reported a new agreement covering the closed Rock Springs Ridge golf property in Apopka, Florida. The Rock Springs Ridge homeowners association (HOA) has granted Tamarack Golf Management a 99-year rent-free sublease to restore and operate the course. HOA president Simon McKenna and Tamarack owner Rocky Hodge confirmed the arrangement in direct interviews with the local newspaper.
This is a restoration agreement, not an announcement that the course has reopened. Tamarack assumed operational responsibilities, including utilities, on October 1. At the time of the interviews, the company was still conducting due diligence and working with the HOA on the necessary approvals.
Proposed reopening phases
According to Hodge, the clubhouse and driving range are targeted to reopen on May 1, 2027. The first 18 holes are pencilled in for October–December 2027, with a further nine holes expected in late 2028. These are targets rather than guaranteed opening dates. A separate proposal for a residential golf academy accommodating about 15–40 full-time students is being considered for 2029 or 2030.
The operator intends to preserve the existing routing and general land elevations while replacing turf and repairing the irrigation network. Irrigation work may continue into early 2027 before new grass is planted. No confirmed date for the completed facility has been announced.
A distinct property purchase and restoration budget
McKenna said the HOA is separately pursuing a 15-year lease-to-own acquisition involving approximately 310 acres, funded by higher resident dues. Tamarack, by contrast, is expected to pay for the course restoration. The refurbishment budget had not been finalised as of November 2; the operator hopes to provide a clearer cost estimate within four to six weeks.
Under the reported terms, residents are to receive a minimum 10% discount, although the precise arrangements for golf, clubhouse use, practice facilities, memberships and guests are still being determined. The newspaper was not given a copy of the signed sublease, so the description of its obligations is attributed to interviews with the parties rather than an independently published contract.
Why the next steps matter
The agreement advances a long-discussed effort to return golf to a site that has been dormant for more than a decade and to keep the land from residential redevelopment. Construction work, approvals and an operational reopening still lie ahead; golfers should not treat the tentative dates as confirmed tee-time availability.
Source: Teresa Sargeant, The Apopka Chief, November 2, 2026; interviews with the HOA and Tamarack Golf Management.
