Golfers will tee off again at Quail Ridge Golf Course in Bartlett, which is about 25 minutes northeast of Memphis, now that it’s set to reopen later this year.
The Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen, during its Feb. 10 meeting, unanimously approved both the city’s purchase of Quail Ridge Golf Course at 4055 Altruria Road and a new management company agreement with Mallard Pointe Golf Management.
Steve Sones, Bartlett’s chief administrative officer, said the plan is for the Quail Ridge clubhouse and driving range to reopen in April, with the course fully opening Sept. 7 on Labor Day.
The board entered into a 10-year management agreement with Mallard Pointe Management, which will handle operations of the golf course. The contract runs through Jan. 31, 2036, and could be renewed for an additional 10 years.
The golf course — which was owned by the Wilder family — opened in 1994 and closed in November 2024. In July, a proposal was announced to develop housing on the golf course, but the Wilder family scrapped those plans because of high disapproval from city residents.
“I’m very pleased that the Quail Ridge Golf Course will continue to be a public course, as well as a greenspace for the neighborhood,” Bartlett Alderman Kevin Quinn said. “I hope that the golf community will continue to support it long after it reopens.”
According to the agreement, Mallard Pointe Golf Management will lead the day-to-day operations of Quail Ridge. Bartlett native Chris Sparks is the president and owner of Mallard Pointe. Sparks will be in charge of managing, rehabbing and reopening Quail Ridge Golf Course.
For the past three years, Sparks has run Mallard Pointe Golf Course and Villas in Sardis, Mississippi. Sparks’ partner on the Quail Ridge project is Bartlett resident Maurice Hampton.
Sones told The Commercial Appeal that the city selected Mallard Pointe Golf Management because of its proven experience operating and renovating a similar municipal course in Sardis. He said Mallard Pointe was chosen over three other locally based firms that submitted complete proposals.
“During their tenure, they have revitalized the course, built strong partnerships with South Panola High School, and established positive relationships with the surrounding communities of Batesville and Sardis,” Sones said. “In addition, Mallard Pointe demonstrated the financial capacity to fund the necessary improvements to restore Quail Ridge at no cost to the City of Bartlett.”
Sones said Mallard Pointe will assume full responsibility for all repairs necessary to reopen. He indicated that first-year improvement costs are estimated at approximately $1 million.
“Planned upgrades include green renovations, irrigation pump replacement, clubhouse renovations, bridge repairs, bunker repairs, tree trimming, spillway erosion mitigation, and additional improvements to the driving range and irrigation system,” he said.
Bartlett Mayor David Parsons said the plan for the golf course also involves Bartlett City Schools having the opportunity to develop student programs in golf course operations, turf and sports management and sports marketing.
“It goes without saying that this (Quail Ridge Golf Course) will be the home course for the Bartlett High School golf team,” the mayor said.
How a TIF helped Bartlett save the golf course
The City of Bartlett proposed a Public Safety and Greenspace Preservation Tax Increment Financing (TIF) in November that was designed to improve traffic safety, strengthen local economic vitality and protect public greenspace. The proposal also supported the preservation of Quail Ridge Golf Course.
Eventually, the Wilder family expressed interest in exploring possibilities with the city, which had identified using the proposed Public Safety and Greenspace Preservation TIF as a funding mechanism.
The Bartlett Public Safety and Greenspace Preservation 20-year TIF was approved by the Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen in November and the Shelby County Commission in December.
“This approach provides a pathway for the city to preserve the greenspace without using existing taxpayer dollars or taking on new debt,” Parsons said.
In addition to the acquisition and preservation of Quail Ridge Golf Course, Sones said the TIF approval provides the framework for the implementation of safety enhancement within the corridor improvement area along the Stage Road and development of the Union Depot 1st Addition. Under the plan, Sones said Bartlett would receive $3 million upfront from Blue Sky Communities (led and owned by Union Depot developer Keith Grant) funded through future TIF revenue generated by the Union Depot 1st Addition mixed-use development, to acquire the Quail Ridge Golf course property.
Initially, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted 3-2 in August against an economic impact plan amendment for the Union Depot mixed-use development Tax Increment Financing (TIF) application. Grant later posted on social media that the proposed $95 million Union Depot 1st Addition project was paused due to the rejection of the TIF.
Corey Davis is the Collierville and Germantown reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Corey.Davis@commercialappeal.com or 901-293-1610.