Following lawsuit, Holmes Harbor Golf Course closes

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 2, 2026

The Holmes Harbor Golf Course in Freeland is closed following litigation stemming from a dispute over lease obligations, including responsibility for mowing the rough.

Residents who are concerned about the future of the golf course property may seek answers during a June 11 meeting of the Holmes Harbor Sewer District, which owns the land and won the unlawful detainer lawsuit against Holmes Harbor Golf Course LLC and Paul Lavin, the owner of the company.

Holmes Harbor Sewer District filed the lawsuit in Island County Superior Court last year, seeking to force the company to vacate the property and pay damages; Lavin, in turn, filed a counterclaim against the district, arguing that it breached a mowing-related agreement.

Following a non-jury trial last month, Island County Superior Court Judge Carolyn Cliff ruled in favor of the sewer district.

After the ruling, Bill Hamilton, president of the Holmes Harbor Sewer District Board of Commissioners, provided a short comment to The Record.

“The District is pleased with the ruling of the trial court that upholds the written terms of the contract and protects the interests of the ratepayers,” he wrote.

In a follow-up email this week, Hamilton wrote that no decisions have been made regarding the future of the property and that the district has just started evaluating options.

The team that ran the golf course, however, posted lengthy comments on social media, claiming that the sewer district board members decided not to allow the golf course to remain open through the summer and that the property will be converted into “open space.”

“We understand what this means for the homeowners of this community,” the post states. “The course you can see through your window, the greens that shaped this neighborhood’s identity and its property values, will become a field. We share your frustration. We share your grief.”

The post encourages residents to attend the June 11 meeting to ask questions and comment.

After the golf course’s previous ownership failed, the public sewer district purchased the property in 2013 for effluent disposal associated with wastewater treatment. The district approached Lavin in 2015 about leasing the property and operating the golf course, according to court documents.

In an affidavit filed in the case, Lavin wrote that he didn’t have the equipment to mow the rough, and he understood that the sewer district would continue doing so.

But, as Cliff ruled, the lease states that the tenant is responsible for mowing the grass in the “premises,” which includes the rough.

When the golf course LLC failed to mow the rough, the sewer district sent a bill, which was eventually paid. The sewer district and the tenant later disputed whether the tenant was responsible for attorney fees associated with collecting the bill.

The district argued that the golf course LLC remained in default when the lease came up for renewal because it had not paid the district’s attorney fees. In her ruling, Cliff agreed, finding that the lease was not renewed and that the district is entitled to possession of the property, as well as fees and costs.

On May 28, the golf course LLC and Lavin filed a notice announcing the appointment of a receiver “to take charge over” assets of the company.