Alabama football coach Nick Saban has joined the ownership group of the Waterfall Club, an exclusive golf club near his lake home in the mountains of northeast Georgia.
Saban is one of five new owners, a group that also includes longtime NFL coach Ken Whisenhunt. Saban, Whisenhunt, and Georgia businessmen Marlan Wilbanks, Lenny Lemoine and Mike Nixon bought into the club after previous owner Terry Stiles died in September.
The club announced the news via its Facebook page:
"We are very excited about the new owners and the passion and commitment to the club that they each bring," says the announcement. "Nick, Ken, Lenny and Marlan have homes on the lake and they have used and enjoyed the club regularly for the last decade ... We believe that our club will thrive and grow in significant ways under this new ownership group."
The Waterfall Club, located near Lake Burton in extreme northeast Georgia, includes an 18-hole golf course, mountain lodge and sports facility. Saban, an avid golfer, has owned a home for many years on Lake Burton, where he spends part of every offseason.
Saban's golf club venture is part of a growing outside business portfolio for the Alabama coach. He also owns an interest in a number of Mercedes Benz dealerships, including two in the Birmingham area and one in Nashville.