The new owner of a once family-run South Jersey golf course is moving ahead with plans to redevelop part of the property, proposing a townhome community that has sparked opposition from nearby residents.

Frank Ruocco bought the Mays Landing Golf and Country Club in 2024 for $2.24 million and has since invested in upgrades to the clubhouse and cart barn.

But rather than fully renovating the 18‑hole course, he plans to convert it into a 12‑hole layout and use six front‑nine holes for an attached single‑family townhome development by Ryan Homes.

On Monday, the Hamilton Township Zoning Board approved a variance for the project despite vocal opposition from nearby residents, particularly those living on Monet Drive in the Glen Eyre development. Several of their properties border the course.

Ruocco, an executive at Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, has invested in the Cates Road property, giving the course a facelift by updating its clubhouse and cart‑storage barn.

The homes could be finished by 2027, according to a variance application reviewed by NJ Advance Media.

“As evidenced by recent history, a traditional 18‑hole golf course is no longer economically sustainable,” Ruocco said in a statement issued through the club’s attorney, Keith Davis.

Homeowners on Monet Drive, a cul‑de‑sac in the Glen Eyre development, raised concerns about the project at Monday’s meeting.

Michael Baldwin, president of the Glen Eyre homeowners association, said that residents fear the work could depress property values. Several properties border the course’s edge.

“Instead of looking at the golf course, now we’re going to be looking at the backside of the townhomes,” Baldwin added.

Residents also raised concerns over traffic enforcement and potential environmental impacts, particularly with stormwater runoff tied to the new development.

“The majority of the people who bought in my development…bought because it’s on a cul-de-sac, and it’s not a through street,” Baldwin said.

The association president also questioned whether newer homes on the golf course could impact real estate transactions.

“Imagine being a new homeowner coming into a development like mine, and all of a sudden…after you moved in, settled down, closings done [and] you’re in the house, there’s going to be townhomes being built right behind your house,” Baldwin said. “That’s kind of like a slap in the face.”

The course was originally designed and owned by Leo Fraser, a former president of PGA America. After his death, the Fraser family sold the property to Green Valley Destinations and Resorts.

According to a 2014 deed restriction, the property was required to maintain a 12‑hole golf course, allowing part of the land to be redeveloped.

To move forward with construction, the owners challenged a separate 1980s restriction in court. A judge voided that decades‑old mandate, which had required the property to operate only nine holes.

Ruocco is instead following the 12-hole requirement.

The site plan proposes reconfiguring the parking lot to make room for a new driveway into the townhome community, which would include two cul‑de‑sacs extending toward a pond. A study in the application estimates the project would increase traffic by 3%.

“With over 200 modern townhome units in concert with a redesigned and upgraded 12-hole course with [a] clubhouse, we think Mays Landing Golf Club will be a fun recreation destination for everyone in the neighborhood,” Ruocco said, calling the proposal a “win-win” for the community and facility.

Filings in the Atlantic County Clerk’s Office show that a 2002 restriction preserved the course as a golf facility during construction of The Fairways retirement community. That restriction was revised in 2014 to cover only holes 10 through 18, freeing the holes closest to Monet Drive for building.

The course joins Greate Bay Country Club in nearby Somers Point as one of Ruocco’s golfing investments. He was part of a group that bought the facility, which once hosted the ShopRite LPGA Classic.