The par-5 16th hole at Williamsburg Golf Club . |
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VSGA ARCHIVES ; JOHN SHEALLY |
grounds and facilities . “ That was a hard deal ,” says former PGA Tour pro Glenn “ Skeeter ” Heath , a longtime Schaubach lieutenant who first lobbied his boss to save the course . “ Dwight wanted to kill me the first couple of years .”
Yet some 10 years later , Heath and others again convinced Schaubach to step in to save Elizabeth Manor . Since 2019 , he has put $ 5 million-plus toward bringing the club , which is tucked into a Portsmouth neighborhood , and the Eastern Amateur , its signature event since 1957 , back to health .
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The money and effort appear well spent . Both courses have enjoyed a remarkable renaissance in membership , vitality and reputation , Heath says . That isn ’ t surprising to anyone familiar with Schaubach ’ s prodigious resume and exacting standards .
“ I don ’ t know why I have two golf courses , I ’ ll be honest ,” Schaubach says with a smile . “ I blame it on Skeeter .”
Longtime golf friends , Schaubach and Heath teamed up in business in the mid- ‘ 90s , well after Heath ’ s playing days and
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well into Schaubach ’ s career as a selfmade entrepreneur .
Schaubach built his fortune through a smorgasbord of South Hampton Roads businesses after moving from Chesterfield in the ‘ 60s — Feather and Fin restaurants , trash hauler Bay Disposal , Bay Builders construction , medical-waste collector Incendere , among many others . He also has owned Johns Brothers , the HVAC and security company founded in 1892 , for more than 30 years .
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