Mill Quarter is one of several local public golf courses that are set to change ownership. (Images courtesy Mill Quarter social media)
The future of a longtime local golf course is up in the air, as its owners have a deal in the works to sell its acreage to a developer.
Mill Quarter Plantation Golf Course in Powhatan is under contract to be purchased by an unknown local buyer, according to a letter posted at the course and on its website.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share significant news regarding the future of Mill Quarter Golf Course,” owner Diane Daniels wrote in the letter, dated June 9. “After 52 wonderful years, the Daniels family has made the difficult decision to sell the course.”
The letter stated that after the recent deaths of Daniels’ husband, David K. Daniels, who founded the course in 1974, and son David Patrick Daniels, who managed the business in recent decades, the family is no longer able to continue to operate the course.
The letter does not name the prospective buyer, instead referring to them only as “a Powhatan native and land developer who shares a lifelong passion for golf.”
While the public, daily fee course remains open for business for now, the letter shows that the club likely isn’t long for this world, at least in its current state.
“We anticipate that Mill Quarter will cease golf operations at the conclusion of this season, likely in late October,” the letter states. “[T]he future of the course, whether it will continue as a golf facility or be developed for housing, rests with the new owner …”
The Daniels family could not be reached for comment. Mill Quarter manager Mark Chambers declined to comment for this story.
The Mill Quarter property is owned by Mill Quarter Development Corp., which is tied to the Daniels family. Its holdings include the golf course’s 307 acres, as well as an additional 68 acres adjacent to the course and the Links of Mill Quarter residential neighborhood.
The land is all zoned R-2, which allows for single-family residential development, and was most recently assessed by the county at a combined $1.7 million.
Mill Quarter spans more than 300 acres in Powhatan County.
The elder David Daniels died Oct. 14 at the age of 86.
According to an online obituary, the native of Chillicothe, Ohio, was a member of the golf team at Ohio State University, where he was a teammate of Jack Nicklaus.
“A natural risk-taker with a twinkle in his eye, Dave loved the rhythms of the stock market and the rattle of the Atlantic City dice,” the obit reads.
While working in the insurance industry, Daniels purchased the Mill Quarter property at 1525 Mill Quarter Road with friend and longtime business partner, Pat Carey.
“For the next five decades, he nurtured the course as a true family enterprise, employing four generations,” his obituary states.
The elder David Daniels (right) and his son David, passed away within a few months of each other last year.
Among those four generations was the younger David, who grew up working at the course and was general manager there for four decades until his passing from cancer on June 8, 2025, at age 59.
“Not only was he a friend to all, but he was truly the backbone of the Mill Quarter community,” his obituary states. “David was proud to be working as a part of the family business since the young age of 12 years old. Aside from his family, Mill Quarter and golf was everything to him.”
Diane Daniels ends her letter thanking those who have played Mill Quarter over the years.
“We are deeply grateful for the many years of joy, friendship, and community you have brought to our family. It has been an honor to be a part of your lives through this great game.”
The sale comes at a busy time for local golf course deals.
At least three other local courses are either for sale or under contract to be sold.
Independence Golf Club, a semi-private course that straddles the Chesterfield-Powhatan County line, is set to be purchased by Heritage Golf Group, a Northern Virginia-based firm that also owns Dominion Club in northern Henrico.
Also under contract is The Crossings, a Henrico County-owned club that will soon be sold to North Carolina-based McConnell Golf in a deal that will tee up a pro-tournament-caliber renovation for the aging course.
Magnolia Green Golf Club, which sits about 15 miles south of Independence in Chesterfield, was listed for sale in recent months with an asking price of $6.75 million.
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