Council Fire Club is being sold by Jon Kinsey to the club’s membership
photo by Tennessee Golf Association
The downhill par 5 11th hole at Council Fire Club
Jon Kinsey, right, enjoys a round of golf in 1993 at Council Fire with Jack Lupton, left, and Arnold Palmer
photo by Contributed
The picturesque par 4 16th hole that borders Chickamauga Creek
photo by Contributed
The recently remodeled clubhouse at Council Fire Club
photo by Contributed
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Jon Kinsey has enjoyed remarkable success over the course of his career as a developer, his fingerprints found in many notable projects throughout the Chattanooga area such as breathing life back into the historic Choo Choo complex.
But one particular endeavor has resonated with Kinsey more than all of the others, forging an emotional tie that continues today. That’s what makes saying goodbye even more bittersweet for the 71-year-old Kinsey.
There is a special bond that exists between Kinsey and Council Fire Club, the residential golf community located in East Brainerd nestled along Chickamauga Creek. But the time has now come for Kinsey to turn over the ownership of the club to those who will steward its future growth.
Kinsey has reached an agreement to sell the club at an undisclosed price to the membership at Council Fire who have organized a spirited campaign to raise the funds through offering shares of equity ownership.
At a meeting of equity members last Thursday at Council Fire, Kinsey shared his sentiments among many of his long-time friends.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Kinsey said. “You all know this is my baby. Over the last couple of years, I arranged to invest another $6 million into this place. And I realized it was time to get Council Fire into a next life. We’ve had a lot of interested people, but to see it go to the members is so great that it makes me want to cry. Instead of me always being the one to have to decide where we are going to spend, y’all are going to be doing it.
“I’ve always said Council Fire is what it is because of the members, and now y’all are in charge, and I think it’s great. I’m so excited to continue to be a part of it.”
As the managing general partner of the ownership group, Kinsey entertained offers from several golf course management companies and private equity firms. However, when approached by a group of members who expressed their desire to purchase the club, Kinsey pumped the brakes to allow the group time to raise the funds.
“We had a lot of interest in buying this great golf course,” Kinsey said. “For the members to be able to buy it is the greatest thing. The fact I’m selling it to them at a discount is going to cause me a little bit of grief with some of my investors, but that’s okay. I know it will be in good hands.”
Kinsey originally had a potential buyer for the club earlier this fall, but that deal was never consummated. That’s when long-time member Frank Proctor reached out to Kinsey to see if he would entertain the idea of selling it to the membership.
“Rumors were there that Jon had sold it, and I told him I wish he had given us a chance to buy it,” Proctor said. “When that other group dropped out, Jon called and said, ‘Frank, are you interested still?’ I said, ‘Sure, let’s see what we can do.’ And so I started talking to a lot of the members, and it just sort of blossomed.”
With a concentrated campaign to inform the membership through educational meetings, emails and phone calls, Proctor and his cohorts determined that there was the needed consensus among the members to move forward with the purchase under a new corporate structure complete with updated by-laws.
“Jon and I had been friends for a long time since I’ve been a member here,” said Proctor, who will serve as president of the newly formed nine-member board. “We played golf together, and I live out here, and I just didn’t like the idea of somebody coming in buying our golf course.”
Given the fact that all current members have yet to commit to the new equity structure, the club is extending an invitation to non-members to join until there is a full subscription of equity members.
Council Fire General Manager Chris DeBusk, who has worked closely with Kinsey since arriving at the club five years ago, is equally thrilled about the next chapter.
“I could not be more excited and prouder for the entire membership at Council Fire Club,” DeBusk said. “It is certainly a special moment and great to see how a group of people can get together to make this occur. The greatest asset a club will ever have is the members and associates. Council Fire Club stands alone for a number of reasons, at the top of the list is the people who have chosen to call the club home.
“For over 35 years, Jon Kinsey has overseen the club and believes this is the best direction for Council Fire to move forward. He has been a tremendous owner to work for. I am excited to work alongside the members as their adventure takes flight.
“Within the Chattanooga golf community, this changeover has taken center stage. The number of texts, emails, and phone calls I have received in the last two months has been tremendous. In the last few weeks, I have been sending membership packets out constantly to interested parties. This most certainly changes the trajectory of Council Fire Club.”
Lupton Part of Early History
The original plans for the property where Council Fire resides did not feature a golf course back in the 1980s. Kinsey and his business partner, Jeff Leonard, had secured 303 acres of rolling land in East Brainerd with the intention of constructing apartments. But after opting to develop the apartments across from the new Hamilton Place Mall, the pristine land surrounded by natural wetlands soon garnered interest from another suitor.
Jack Lupton, who had unveiled The Honors Course in 1983 as a testament to amateur golf, was contacted about helping locate a sponsor for the PGA Tour event held at Valleybrook that was known as the Provident Classic from 1984-88.
Lupton was committed to bringing about positive change in Chattanooga, personally spearheading the construction of the Tennessee Aquarium which infused life into the dormant riverfront. When it became apparent that a new golf course would be needed in order to retain the PGA Tour stop, Lupton and Kinsey were connected.
“I was 32 years old when I bought the first farm, and we weren’t thinking about a golf course,” Kinsey said. “And then Jack Lupton and I decided to go do a golf course, and the whole history of that place changed.
“It was important that the world know Jack was behind it because nobody knew who Jon Kinsey was. With Jack’s involvement, people knew it was going to get finished and be a first-class golf course.”
Council Fire hosted the PGA tournament after opening in 1992, but the event never returned despite strong community support. Tour officials had indicated Chattanooga would secure a permanent slot on the annual schedule with the construction of a quality golf course, but never fulfilled that promise. Kinsey wasn’t interested in surrendering six weeks of play for members simply to have a second-tier event played opposite the British Open.
Kinsey eventually bought out Lupton’s interest in Council Fire as the golf course and surrounding development flourished. After serving as a steady guiding force over the club for the past 33 years, Kinsey is thankful for Lupton’s guidance in the early years.
“Council Fire is what it is for a couple of reasons,” said Kinsey, who also served as Chattanooga’s mayor from 1997-2001. “One is Jack Lupton getting Bob Cupp to serve as the designer and architect. But most of all, it is because of the members that are there.
“I never imagined the journey that I’ve been on. It’s been great. I’ve done a lot in real estate and other things, but I’m as proud of Council Fire as anything, including the Choo Choo.”
Host to Premier Tournaments
Council Fire has served as the home to a number of esteemed golf tournaments over the course of its history. In addition to the PGA Tour’s Chattanooga-Hamilton County Classic in ’92, the following year attracted a two-day Senior Tour pro-am thanks to the influence of local golf legend Gibby Gilbert that brought the legendary Arnold Palmer and other senior pros to Council Fire.
“My greatest memory will always be the time I played with Jack Lupton and Arnold Palmer when we had the Senior event,” Kinsey said. “I mean, I got to play with Arnold Palmer. He and Tiger Woods defined golf during my lifetime.”
The club served as host for the 2008 NCAA Men’s Golf Regionals as well as the 1994 Southern Conference men’s championship. Council Fire has also been the site for 11 Tennessee Golf Association championships including the State Open (2022), State Amateur (2021), State Match Play (2018), Women’s Four-Ball (2013), Senior Amateur (2011, 2004), Super Senior Amateur (2011), Junior Amateur (2000), Women’s Amateur (1997) and Men’s Mid-Amateur (1994, 1995).
Council Fire has been a regular host of Tennessee PGA Section championships as well as the 2023 Challenge Cup matches in addition to local qualifiers for both USGA and statewide events.
Another noteworthy contribution of the club has been the partnership with The Honors Course in co-hosting the Tennessee Golf Foundation two-day pro-am for more than 25 years that has gone towards raising millions of dollars to promote junior golf across the state.
Council Fire has also been the only home for the Chattanooga Tournament Players Championship for the past 32 years, a match play season-ending event featuring the top local performers each season.
Moving Forward
With the momentum created by the Council Fire members securing the future of the club, it was essential to retain the current management team such as DeBusk, head PGA professional JD Coccia and long-time superintendent Gary Weller as well as those in-house personnel in accounting, food and beverage and hospitality.
“Without them, we couldn’t do it,” Proctor said. “We don’t know anything about running the golf course, and we wanted the best people available. And that’s what we’re going to have.”
There remains the possibility that some of the present members opt out of becoming equity owners. But that will produce opportunities for others to join to play one of the top-rated golf courses in Tennessee that will unveil a spectacular new 18th hole in 2026.
Kinsey plans on still maintaining an active presence at Council Fire but is eager to embrace his new role.
“I’m actually looking forward to just enjoying the place as a member,” Kinsey said. “I had dinner out there last week, and the food was fabulous. Council Fire is just a wonderful place, and I’m ready to no longer be responsible for making all the decisions.
Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com