Photo shows a recent flyover of the old St. Helens Golf Course in Warren. The newly formed Columbia County Sports operation is looking to revamp the course with a wide range of sports options. (Submitted by Columbia County Sports)

It’s set to be everything but an on-par golf course.

With lofty, long-range plans, longtime Columbia County residents and business partners Matt Treat and Riley Baker are looking to turn the St. Helens Golf Course in Warren into a wider sports complex.

Noting a gap in sports facilities and fields “three or four years ago, we sort of dreamed up this vision or mission that we’re on now, which is how can we bring more opportunities for sports-based entertainment, fields and facilities? … Hence, Columbia County Sports was born,” Treat said.

Columbia County Sports, a newly formed business, is ready to take on the task of turning the legacy golf course into an amalgam of sports options for the region. Treat said Columbia County Sports is in the planning and design process for indoor soccer, indoor basketball and volleyball courts, as well as batting cages.

“We want more outdoor soccer fields and an entire baseball and softball operation that would allow us to host travel tournaments for our teams,” he said. “We have envisioned pickleball and even, potentially, swimming.”

Treat said soccer fields could potentially be used for lacrosse, ultimate frisbee and flag football.

What’s first on the list?

As for the golf course itself, Treat said, “We have a number of ideas out there, and it’s going to be a phased development. The core will be the golf course being revived, the field house, which houses those sports I just mentioned.”

But even the use of the course will be different than the standard vision of one of the world’s oldest sports.

“We are planning what we’ll call, sort of, a high-end putting course, not be confused with miniature golf,” Treat said.

And what’s golf without snacks and maybe a drink? Treat and Baker also envision “The Barn,” which would provide food and beverages for the putting course.

“It will also host any events that the community wants to have, up to and including weddings, corporate events, booster programs and private parties,” he said. “Together with a new clubhouse and a new farm-to-table restaurant that will serve all of this, we think we have a really cool idea, landscape and vision out there to accommodate all of this.”

Yet don’t get too excited — Columbia County Sports is not announcing any completion date.

“We plan on these things coming out in phases,” Treat said. “One sort of unlocks the other, but our hope is that the first pieces of this might be available in the fall of 2025, then probably a three to six-year phased timeline from there to build all of it out.”

Holding on to history, looking to the future

When the golf course complex eventually opens, the owners plan to pay homage to the past, even with all the changes. The course was founded in 1959 and had multiple owners through the decades, according to Columbia County Sports. The facility has been closed since 2018.

“You can envision us renaming the golf course,” Treat said. “We have a lot of old memorabilia that we found as part of our transaction. We’re going to integrate a lot of that history into our operations.”

The duo is looking to bring in community partners on the massive endeavor. Currently the project is self-funded by Treat and Baker, but, “We would love for the cities and the county itself to be a part of the funding story,” Treat said.

As the project unfolds, Columbia County Sports would like the public to get involved. A small GoFundMe account will be rolled out, according to Treat.

“It’s not a lot of money,” he said. “It’s $25,000. The real purpose behind that is not to take people’s money, it’s really to just prove to ourselves and, frankly, some of our financial potential partners, that the community wants this.”

Columbia County Sports hopes this venture will transform the county.

“We think that this is going to really create a new destination and an anchor for the community, and really give a lot of options and opportunity for both young and old,” Treat said.

Visit www.columbiacountysports.com