SMALL EGG NEW JERSEY HARBOR — Under new management, the Sea Oaks Golf Resort will reopen in June with multimillion-dollar upgrades to its guest rooms and eateries.
Following its purchase by Accountable Equity, the owners and operators of the Renault Winery Resort and Vineyard National Golf Course in Egg Harbor, the resort is now known as LBI National Golf & Resort.
The company paid more than $6.5 million for the property, which included a 194-acre 18-hole golf course, an inn, a country club, and restaurants and bars.
After filing for bankruptcy protection, Sea Oaks closed in March 2021. The golf course’s mortgage was held by Atlantic Homes Inc., who bought the golf course’s assets out of bankruptcy. The golf course was then put up for sale.
In a statement, Accountable Equity said it aims to reopen with a new name, LBI National Golf & Resort, in June as a public golf facility. It is expected to reveal plans for a hotel, restaurants, and wedding and event spaces in the near future.
“We’re pleased at the idea of Sea Oaks Golf Resort becoming part of the VIVÂMEE Signature Collection,” said Josh McCallen, Accountable Equity’s founder and chief executive officer, in a statement.
“We believe our unique combination of hospitality culture and development skills positions us in a unique position to generate enormous long-term benefits for Sea Oaks as we grow,” the statement read.
An inn with 31 rooms and suites, a 35,000-square-foot country club, conference space, two restaurants, three bars, an outdoor eating space, an 18-hole championship golf course, and a driving range with views of Atlantic City’s skyline are all part of the property.
Barbara Balongue of Balongue Design in Villanova, Pennsylvania, has been tapped to supervise a $4.5 million resort refurbishment that will begin immediately and include upgrades to guest rooms, entertainment spaces, bars, and restaurants, according to the firm.
According to Accountable Equity, the golf course’s reopening will bring back 25 to 30 employment in Ocean County, with the possibility for an additional 175 jobs by next year.
