{"id":603806,"date":"2026-04-24T15:00:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T15:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/603806\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T15:00:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T15:00:36","slug":"independence-golf-club-to-be-sold-to-dominion-club-owner-heritage-golf-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/603806\/","title":{"rendered":"Independence Golf Club to be sold to Dominion Club owner Heritage Golf Group"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"independence<\/a><\/p>\n

Independence Golf Club, seen with its clubhouse in the distance, opened in 2001. (Courtesy Independence social media)<\/p>\n

Heritage Golf Group is set to add another local club to its bag.<\/p>\n

The Northern Virginia-based firm, which owns 45 golf courses in 15 states including the Dominion Club in Henrico, is in the process of purchasing Independence Golf Club, a semi-private course that straddles the Chesterfield-Powhatan County line.<\/p>\n

The seller is locally based Pros Inc., run by longtime Richmonder Giff Breed.<\/p>\n

Breed and Pros have owned the 260-acre course since purchasing it for $3 million in 2013.<\/p>\n

Breed has since become known for his willingness to invest in the quality of the club\u2019s grounds and his experimentation with non-golf activities<\/a> as a way to draw visitors, members and revenue. The result has been the creation of a country club-like setting that\u2019s open to the public.<\/p>\n

Breed informed members and employees of the pending deal this week, including in a letter obtained by BizSense.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter 13 incredible years, Pros Inc. is in advanced discussions to sell Independence Golf Club to Heritage Golf Group.\u00a0I felt it was important that you hear this from me directly, and not through the rumor mill,\u201d Breed wrote.<\/p>\n

Breed, who would step down as the club\u2019s leader once the deal closes, expressed in the letter some of the emotions involved in the prospect of letting go of Independence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been sitting with this letter for a while now, trying to find the right words \u2014 because some news deserves more than a form announcement,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThis deserves a conversation, and since I can\u2019t sit down with each of you personally, I hope this comes close.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Giff<\/a><\/p>\n

Giff Breed<\/p>\n

Breed went on to thank members for supporting the golf course, the club\u2019s Tavern 19 restaurant and various event spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for the patience you\u2019ve shown us during our growing pains, and for the loyalty you\u2019ve extended through every season \u2014 the good ones and the hard ones alike. Thirteen years is a long time, and not a single one of them would have meant anything without you,\u201d the letter stated.<\/p>\n

The letter also explained in part why Breed chose to do a deal with Heritage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are operators who understand that a great golf club isn\u2019t just about the course \u2014 it\u2019s about the people who walk it every day. I genuinely believe they will take Independence to a level that requires resources and a platform beyond what a single owner can provide. That is not a failure. It is the natural next step for a course that has outgrown its own ambitions in the best possible way,\u201d Breed wrote.<\/p>\n

Both sides declined to comment at length beyond what\u2019s stated in Breed\u2019s letter or on specifics of the deal, including when it would be finalized. Independence continues to operate as usual.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also unclear whether Independence would remain semi-private \u2013 meaning it\u2019s open to daily-fee players but also offers memberships \u2013 after the deal closes. The bulk of Heritage\u2019s courses are private.<\/p>\n

In a brief interview with BizSense on Thursday, Breed said he and Heritage had casually kept in touch for years before discussions of a deal began to ramp up.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question I\u2019ve been getting the most is \u2018why now?\u2019\u201d said Breed, 67.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn thinking about what the future holds I wanted to be certain that my teammates at Independence were with a group that shared a similar culture with what we worked so hard to put together here,\u201d he said. \u201cI was very interested in finding somebody that was going to keep it a golf course. The folks at Powhatan County have been incredibly helpful and supportive and I didn\u2019t want to see it become homes. I think it needs to be a golf course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Breed also cited Heritage\u2019s stewardship of and investment in Dominion Club<\/a>, which it purchased in 2015 for $5.79 million, as well as the company\u2019s Spring Creek Golf Club in Charlottesville.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted somebody that was community-focused and if you look at Dominion Club and Spring Creek they\u2019ve done a wonderful job with both of those facilities,\u201d Breed said.<\/p>\n

Reached Thursday, Scott McMartin, Heritage Golf\u2019s chief acquisition officer, said, \u201cWe\u2019re very excited about expanding in the Richmond market.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve done very well at Dominion Club and this is just a really good next step in the market,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\"independence<\/a><\/p>\n

The clubhouse at Independence saw regular upgrades during Pros Inc.\u2019s ownership (BizSense file photo)<\/p>\n

Independence opened in 2001 as the centerpiece of the surrounding Founders Bridge residential development. It features an 18-hole course and a nine-hole short course. The club was founded with the help of benefactors such as Richmonders E. Clairborne Robins Jr. and Harry Easterly Jr.<\/p>\n

Should the Heritage deal close as expected, Breed said he\u2019s not exactly sure what he\u2019ll do next but that he\u2019s not simply riding off on a golf cart into the sunset.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m definitely not going to retire,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully there are other opportunities ahead of me in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

The deal for Independence comes at a suddenly busy time for local golf course sales.<\/p>\n

Magnolia Green Golf Club, which sits about 15 miles south of Independence in Chesterfield, was listed for sale in recent weeks with an asking price of $6.75 million.<\/p>\n

The course is owned by New York-based Starfield Cos.,<\/a> which developed the surrounding Magnolia Green residential community.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s listed with Leisure Investment Properties Group out of Florida. The online listing describes the motivation of the sale as a \u201cRepositioning From Developer Amenity to \u2018For Profit\u2019 Club.\u201d<\/p>\n

The listing states that golfers played more than 35,000 rounds at Magnolia Green in 2025, through a mix of 52% daily-fee players and 47% members. The club brought in $4 million in revenue in 2025, according to the listing.<\/p>\n

And up in Henrico, the county-owned Crossings Golf Club<\/a> is set to be sold to North Carolina-based McConnell Golf in a deal that will tee up a pro-tournament-caliber renovation for the aging course.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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