Sep. 27—RANTOUL — After 11 years of running a golf course on the former Chanute Air Force Base, Kevin Applebee is looking for someone else to take the reins.
“I’m at an age where I want to retire,” he told The News-Gazette.
Willow Pond Golf Course, located at 808 Golf Course Road, is for sale with an asking price of $1.85 million.
According to a listing by SVN North Star at , the 180-acre property includes not only the 18-hole course, but also the pro shop, bar and grill.
The course remains open, and Applebee said he’s seen a lot of interest in the property.
“The course won’t close,” he said. “All the negotiations I’ve had so far, everybody’s planning on keeping it as a golf course. And we have a very good customer base, very good following. So it’s been a good run, but there’s a lot to run in a golf course.”
According to Willow Pond’s website, the course — originally known as the Chanute Air Force Base Golf Course — was designed by architect E. Lawrence Packard. Packard designed over 140 courses across the world, including Brookhill in Rantoul and the Lincolnshire Fields Country Club course in Champaign. He was also involved with remodeling the Champaign Country Club course.
The course was renamed in 1993 after the Air Force base closed. It was then purchased by Amerinvest, with the company selling it to Ken Roessler in 1999.
Applebee and his wife, Rhonda, purchased the course from Roessler in May 2013.
He previously reached a tentative agreement with the Rantoul Park District in 2015 to swap golf courses and take on ownership of Brookhill, with the park district planning to convert much of Willow Pond into park land and no longer run a golf course. However, the deal later fell through.
In discussing his plans for the future, Applebee said, “I have sold pretty much out of my other business in the area, so I have a home out of state, and just looking to slow down in life.”
