The Ocean Pines Board announced this week that there will indeed be a change of management at the golf course this year, with Landscapes Unlimited taking over from Billy Casper Golf.
There will certainly be a lot of debate on whether the timing is right to make a change, as Billy Casper Golf supporters have felt they had not been given ample opportunity to turn things around.
Those who favored a change, however, have felt, even taking into consideration the earlier poor conditions of the course and later down-time on half the course under repair, improvement to the bottom line just simply had not come quick enough.
There is no question that the golf course has been a financial drain.  A large drop in membership combined with costly drainage and course repairs has had many in Ocean Pines questioning the long-term viability of course and its real value to property owners.
It’s difficult for anyone to really know whether, if under different management, the course would have performed better the past few years.
The upside is that Landscapes Unlimited comes to Ocean Pines with a stellar resume of work and a strong belief that they can make necessary management changes to bring financial improvement.
Only time will tell if they can. More importantly, by making the change the Ocean Pines board can help put to rest the question of whether financial problems at the course are the result of a changing industry, issues with the course itself or if indeed just a different management approach was needed. Having that answer should help guide future decisions on what to do with the course in the long-term.