May 16. By Dave Vieser. Romspen, the Canadian company that owns Birkdale Golf Club, will invest $45 million into the aging complex. Plans include replacing the clubhouse, the addition of up to 225 apartments and a 155 room hotel. The application for the project was filed within the past week, and faces a lengthy review and approval process including a community meeting, as well as public hearings before the town planning board and commissioners.

Sources said the plan is ultimately to create a corporate retreat

Located on 200 acres just south of Sam Furr Road, Birkdale is a 7,013 yard, 18-hole, par 72 Arnold Palmer designed golf course. In addition to the course itself, Birkdale has several meeting and reception spaces including two conference rooms, as well as the Palmer Pavilion, which has been the scene of numerous wedding receptions and other large events in the Lake Norman region over the years. The project would include the rebuilding of most of these Birkdale amenities, which were originally built in 1996.

Based in Toronto, Romspen, the owner of Birkdale since 2015, is one of the largest non-bank commercial mortgage lenders in Canada. In order for the project to proceed, they will need to obtain a change of zoning from General Residential (GR) to Highway Commercial (HC).

According to Mecklenburg County records, the golf club is currently assessed at $5.2 million, and Romspen pays approximately $55,000 in taxes annually.

Prior to the 2015 ownership change, Birkdale had suffered the same financial problems which had plagued many golf clubs as the recession dramatically cut individual and corporate memberships, while also reducing leisure time for many golf enthusiasts.