Mahogany Run Golf Course: Economic Impact on St. Thomas and USVI Tourism

Economic Impact on USVI Tourism  ·  Fifteenand9Main

Golf in St. Thomas Has Been Put on Hold Again

St. Thomas technically has two golf courses. The Herman E. Moore Golf Course at the University of the Virgin Islands never got off the ground — named for a respected local judge credited with reviving golf on the island decades ago, it has no holes or facilities today, just a public practice green for putting and driving. Golf on St. Thomas had gone dormant for about 25 years before Moore's efforts brought it back in 1951. Mahogany Run is now on life support of its own: closed for nine years, with no rebuild in sight.

Indoor simulators like the Topgolf Swing Suite at The Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas are currently the closest thing to real golf on the island. Mahogany Run Golf Course has been closed since Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the property in 2017, despite a $7.6 million insurance payout to the previous owner.

ABC purchased the golf course in 2018 for $2.3 million (96 acres). Within months, the properties were listed for $40 million (237 acres). After removing prime parcels, the asking price was reduced to $22 million (190 acres). (The acreage for sale has changed over time, but purchase prices for these parcels are unavailable.)

A straightforward sale of the golf course to an operator remains uncertain. Restoring golf at Mahogany Run will require more than a willing buyer; it will need active participation from local leaders, community advocates, and government action.

"Having developed 7 golf courses in my career, even if the land was given for free it would be extremely difficult to make the financial work given how much it would cost to resurrect this course."

Who Is ABC Land & Development, Inc.?

ABC Land & Development, Inc. was formed in Nevada on July 29, 2010 (FEI 27-3148355). Its current principal place of business and mailing address is 2010 Valley View Lane, Suite 145, Farmers Branch, Texas 75234.

Pillar Income Asset Management, the Dallas-based company that manages TCI, remained connected to the property after TCI sold the golf course to ABC in 2018. On August 28, 2018, a Pillar in-house paralegal, using Pillar letterhead, filed ABC's registration with the Florida Division of Corporations. Public land and tax records for Mahogany Run also continue to route directly to Pillar's corporate headquarters in Farmers Branch, Texas.

The Port of Mandahl Connection

The golf course was one element of TCI's overall scheme for the North Side. In 2014, the company attempted to build the "Port of Mandahl," a $487 million resort including a Hyatt Regency, a marina, and a convention center connected directly to Mahogany Run. A key part of the project was on Parcel 33, a 24-acre public site leased from the local government. After strong community opposition, the resort plan was abandoned. In late 2015, TCI sold its 88-acre Mandahl property, apparently to a wealthy billionaire's family office, for $33.9 million.

Global Interest in Mahogany Run Golf Course

Public interest remains strong. Nine years after the course closed, Google Search Console data shows this page appeared in search results for 50 distinct terms about Mahogany Run Golf Course over the past year, from visitors and prospective travelers in more than 60 countries. This resulted in nearly 5,000 impressions, which likely underestimates actual interest since it only includes searches where this page appeared.

History, Ownership, and Prior Plans

George and Tom Fazio designed the 18-hole, par-70 course, which opened in 1980. The Ginn Company acquired Mahogany Run in 2004, and the property later became part of the Dun-Run ownership group. In 2014, Transcontinental Realty Investors (TCI) acquired the Mahogany Run golf operation. In 2018, TCI sold the golf course to ABC Land and Development, Inc. for $2.3 million.

Why Mahogany Run Matters Now

Golf draws higher-spend, three-to-four-day visitors, think Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach, who also shop, dine, and stay locally. A reopened Mahogany Run could extend that pattern to the Virgin Islands and give locals and youth a recreational outlet they haven't had in nearly a decade. Getting there is the hard part: restoring an 18-hole course after years of storm damage and neglect, on top of the reverse osmosis plant, clubhouse, and other infrastructure, would take significant capital before any of those benefits materialize.

The closure has a real cost in lost return visits.

"My husband and I got engaged at Mahogany Run and at the time I was a beginner golfer. I just suggested to him to go back to St Thomas for our big anniversary plus I'm a much better golfer now. That's when he told me the golf course was closed."

Road Disputes and Legal Roadblocks

Even if an operator wanted to buy the course today, getting clear title is a major hurdle. In June 2026, the neighboring Fairway Village Condominium Association recorded a formal Lis Pendens (USVI Doc #2026003308) in Superior Court, naming Dun-Run Golf, LLC and adjacent condo associations.

The fight began over entrance gates and road access, and it now legally clouds five key parcels controlling main access routes and boundaries: B-1-4 Consolidated, B-24 REM, B-19, B-25 REM, and B-24-A REM. With the roads tied up in court, title insurers cannot issue clean policies—effectively keeping the property locked in place until the dispute is settled.

Competition, Demand, and Golf's Economic Multiplier

Tourism has rebounded strongly since the pandemic, with air arrivals hitting a record 932,265 passengers in 2024, more than 100,000 above the prior pandemic-era peak. Golf is one segment that hasn't shared in that recovery. A functioning course could potentially reach fly-in visitors that current attractions don't. Tourism, trade, and services already power ~60% of territorial GDP and nearly half of nongovernment employment; whether golf specifically could add meaningfully to that would depend on the cost of restoration weighed against realistic visitor demand.

About Fifteenand9Main

Fifteenand9Main has long rooted for golf and tourism on St. Thomas — and separately, is restoring a historic building on Main Street in Charlotte Amalie. In May 2025, it became the first Virgin Islands project to reach Part 2 approval in the federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit process, a certification decided by the National Park Service.