Photo courtesy of Cable Hollow Golf Course Cable Hollow Golf Course’s new owner Arthur Stewart poses with former owners Marge and John Bortz Sr. on the day the ownership was transferred.

After 50 years, the family-owned Cable Hollow Golf Course has passed to a new, and very familiar, family.

The owners were ready to move on, but they wanted to make sure their club was in the proper hands.

John Sr. and Marge Bortz sold the club to Arthur Stewart and family late last year.

“After 50 years of wonderful memories, it is time for us to retire,” they said in a January letter to members. “We want to retire, leaving you in good hands, and our family has had many discussions about what is best for Cable Hollow and its members.”

“Arthur Stewart was a young golfer here when we began operations in 1972 and we have been friends ever since,” according to the Bortz letter. “We sold the course to Arthur and his family in December.”

“We’ve had a sneak peek at their plans and we know that under their leadership, the course and clubhouse conditions will continue their long trajectory of improvement,” they said.

“Our family is humbled by this opportunity,” Stewart wrote in a letter to members. “John and Marge have been my dear friends for 50 years. Our family’s intention is to carry on the fine legacy that John, Marge, and their children established.”

The purchase has been a trip down memory lane for the Stewarts.

“From Cable’s dining room you can look across the Akeley valley and see the farm where I grew up,” Stewart said. “To get to the course I drive past the local garage and store where, 50 years ago, those business owners taught me some of the skills I use in my own businesses today.”

“My first acquaintance with Cable Hollow was in the late 1960s — I was 8 or 9, riding with my dad from our tree farm in Scandia to our house in Akeley,” Stewart said. “Cable was under construction. Dad saw the owner/builder, Tom Leathers, working on what we now know as # 11 green. Dad pulled out his clubs and said to Tom he’d like to hit the first ball on Tom’s new course — which he did!”

“The most emotional moment came from a scrapbook we found at the clubhouse, just a few days after we closed the purchase in December,” Stewart said. “The Cable Hollow Ladies’ League of 40 years ago kept a scrapbook, and as we opened it we were stunned to see picture after picture of my mother, who died 15 years ago. There weren’t any dry eyes in our family.”

He said he worked with the Bortz family and plans to carry out several projects that were on their list.

“I love great golf courses,” Stewart said. “I lived in St. Andrews, Scotland, for a year and spent weeks walking the Royal and Ancient. I go to several PGA tournaments a year, where I spend more time studying the courses than watching the play.”

“Cable is a great course — and it has the potential to be even more,” he said. “I have a plan to bring features from St. Andrews, Augusta, and other courses to Cable. We’ve hired Paul Albanese — a golf course architect who teaches in Edinburgh, Scotland — to take our input and his ideas, and merge them into a master plan.”

g our other businesses I’ll have the time to be personally involved with building new tees and greens and with reshaping several holes,” Stewart said. “While not all of my children play golf, they have their own plans for Cable. At their initiative, we are building a timber frame pavilion that will be large enough to seat all the golfers in a tournament. The view from the pavilion will be spectacular, and my children also envision the pavilion as a special spot for weddings, reunions and similar events.”

“My children plan to purchase or build some Airbnb type accommodations so we have stay-and-play options,” he said. “We purchased quite a bit of surrounding property and so we plan to build hiking trails for patrons.”

“I’ve always said that tourism is an incredibly under-developed resource in Warren County,” Stewart said. “We think Cable can be a significant part of our local tourism economy.”

Jerry Martin is the new course superintendent. He brings superintendent of the year credentials from his previous employment at Holiday Valley. His wife, Joanne, is the club manager.

The Martins are family. Their son is Tyler Martin — Stewart’s son-in-law — who is the new general manager.

Jake McCollough, formerly of Blueberry Hill Golf Club, is the director of golf.

PGA professional Patrick Damore will provide professional instruction.

More information about Cable Hollow may be found at www.cablehollow.com.