WESTBROOK – A major renovation of the Sunset Ridge Golf Links course in Westbrook, closed since 2010, is in the works.

David Cummings of Downeast Golf, whose Portland company has been hired to oversee the renovation, said he has submitted a master plan for the 18-hole course to the new owners, Dr. Allen Hayman of Falmouth and golf pro Jack Kelly of South Portland, and is waiting for a decision.

Cummings said the plan is to “finish the golf course, basically.” He said that while the front nine holes of the course were in pretty good shape, the back nine posed a problem. “They were never finished,” he said.

The course got a new lease on life Feb. 29 when it was sold at auction for a reported $610,000 to Hayman and Kelly. The sale included 231 acres of land on Cumberland Street, a driving range, a nine-hole par-3 course, a pool, miniature golf, tennis courts and a clubhouse.

Neither Hayman nor Kelly returned calls seeking comment by American Journal deadline Wednesday.

At the time of the auction, Stef Keenan, an auctioneer at Keenan Auction Co., the South Portland-based company that handled the transaction, said the winning bid of $610,000 was a fraction of what city records say the property is worth. Even with $60,000 tacked on in fees and back taxes, Keenan said the new owner would only have to pay $670,000. According to the city’s assessing records, the 18-hole golf course, clubhouse and associated property is valued at $1.75 million.

While the back nine holes were playable, Cummings said, when they were built, there was not enough topsoil to allow the grass to grow properly. Cummings said the tee boxes and greens were in decent shape, but the lack of soil on the fairways was a problem.

“There was no grass,” he said.

The master plan includes redoing the back nine so it has proper fairways and restore the front nine to its original state. Cummings added that there would be some other changes, including plans to add trees and “several new bunkers” to the course.

Cummings said there is no timetable for the complete reconstruction of the course, but that part of the course could be open for play sometime this summer.

Despite falling into disrepair after two years of neglect due to the closure, Sunset Ridge has the chance to be a very good course, he said.

“It’s an exciting project,” Cummings said. “It’s a beautiful piece of property and it’s got a lot of potential. It will be a great addition to the upscale courses in greater Portland.”

Former Sunset Ridge owner Ron Edgecomb bought the property in 1985, then a par-3, 9-hole course. Intent on expansion, Edgecomb added, among other things, nine more holes in 2007.

An accidental fire that year destroyed the 18th-century farmhouse that served as a clubhouse for the course. Edgecomb rebuilt it even larger than it was before, making it clearly visible from Cumberland Street. The property also offered a mini-golf course, driving range, and other amenities including basketball and tennis courts.

But the recession, coupled with a few rainy summers, made it tough for Edgecomb to stay in business. In February 2011, Edgecomb revealed that the bank was threatening to foreclose on the property.

A few months later, the club didn’t reopen for the season, and Edgecomb said then that the reopening was “on hold” pending a decision from the bank. For nearly a year, the club remained closed and unmaintained, until the bank announced the auction earlier this year.

Westbrook’s Sunset Ridge Golf Links has new owners who plan to begin restoring the course for a summer opening. (Staff photo by John Balentine)