By Bill F. Hensley
CONOVER, NC - Don Beaver is a busy man these days. Having just finished promoting a highly successful Greater Hickory Classic, a Champions golf tour event that was played at his great Robert Trent Jones Jr. course, the entrepreneur is reviewing plans for a 60-room lodge that will make his Rock Barn complex here the state’s newest resort.
But being busy is nothing new to the creative developer who is also involved in major and minor league baseball; health care and management; investments and shopping centers. After building his own highly successful business career, fulfilling his many dreams has become a fulltime occupation in recent years.
A Statesville native and Appalachian State graduate who operated a large chain of nursing homes, Beaver branched out in 1997 when he became the sole owner of Rock Barn, a highly successful country club and residential area in the Hickory area. He made major alterations to the existing golf course, created a championship layout designed by Jones; added two clubhouses, golf shop, restaurants, meeting space and a spacious, full-service spa.
“I was anxious to add facilities and improve existing facilities to make Rock Barn a highly-regarded club that would serve its members and the area well,” he said. “The next step is to become one of the state’s most prestigious resorts.”
Last year, a Beaver brainchild—the Greater Hickory Classic—made its debut at Rock Barn and was a tremendous hit. More than 90,000 spectators from throughout the area came to see such renowned senior golfers as Lee Trevino, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Hale Irwin, Gary Player, Fuzzy Zoeller and the many Champions Tour stars play the challenging course. Craig Stadler won the tournament.
“Because of last year’s success,” Beaver said, “this year’s tournament will be bigger and better with even more big names in the field. Evidently, the word of our course and our hospitality spread quickly to players and fans, and ticket sales have shown a dramatic increase.”
Rock Barn was built as a single-course designed by Russell Breeden in 1968. In 1982 it was purchased by a group of local investors led by John Hemmings, who today serves as president of the development company.
By 1995, swimming and tennis had been added along with an additional nine-hole golf course.
Beaver became sole owner of the complex in 1997 and immediately began an aggressive program to enhance all recreational facilities, adding an Olympic swimming pool, more tennis courts, an equestrian center, and a 25,000 square foot clubhouse.
One of his first moves was to hire Robert Trent Jones Jr. and have him create an 18-hole championship course suitable for large tournaments as well as enjoyable membership play. The course opened to rave reviews in the fall of 2002. A spacious 20,000 square foot spa and fitness center was completed in 2004.
The semi-private Rock Barn Golf and Spa now occupies 1300 acres in the scenic, rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Currently there are 350 homes and condos on the property with more, including townhouses and garden homes, in the early construction stage.
“Our carefully-planned growth program has undergone a number of feasibility studies that indicate we are on the right tract,” Hemmings commented. “In addition to the lodge, which will be built on a site near the clubhouse overlooking the 18th hole, we are studying an upscale office and shopping project near the equestrian center which will make Rock Barn a comprehensive, self-contained recreational community.”
Real estate sales in the gated community have been brisk from the beginning, despite an economy that hasn’t been stable in recent years. “Folks like our peaceful, rural locale near the small town of Conover,” Hemmings indicated. “But we are only a short drive to Hickory and other large cities if they need bright lights.”
Homesites at Rock Barn range from around $80,000 to $215,000 while houses vary from $250,000 to more than a million dollars. There are several lakes and streams located on the picturesque property.
“The prospects of becoming a popular and successful resort are intriguing,” Beaver said. “I like the idea of attracting visitors to the area and providing first-rate recreational facilities for them and our members to enjoy. With our fiber optics, textiles and furniture folks having economic problems, we think tourism can fill the void.”
Look out Pinehurst and Southern Pines, Charlotte, Asheville and Greensboro: there’s soon to be a new resort kid on the block, and he packs a big wallop.