AUGUSTA – An entrepreneur’s idea of making his golf course the top prize for an essay contest has landed in the rough.

Richard Violette planned to award his 18-hole Capital City Golf to the winner of an essay contest in which the entry fee was $200.

Unfortunately, only about 1,000 people ponied up prose and opened their purses. He originally hoped for 20,000 entries. After extending the deadline once, to March 5, he realized he would never reach the goal and called off the contest. He plans to return the entry fees.

Essays came from people in Canada and nearly all 50 states – even Hawaii.

“It was a fun thing. I don’t have any regrets,” said Violette, who lives down the road from the Augusta golf course.

Violette said he planned to meet with friends who helped organize the contest this weekend. He also planned to change the Web site promoting the contest to reflect the contest’s demise.

He said he originally decided to run a contest in hopes that people without the financial wherewithal but with a love of golf could have a shot at taking over the course he built from scratch.

The winner would have received the golf course, the clubhouse, equipment, four-bedroom home and three other buildings on the 100-acre property.

Now that the contest is over, Violette said he’ll attempt to sell the property privately and plans to ask about $2 million. That’s half the amount he would have received if he reached the goal of 20,000 essays. City tax records show the property has an assessed value of $285,000.

Originally, Violette said he didn’t plan to retire. Instead, the sometimes inventor wanted to focus on other things, like his latest brainstorm, automatic retractable shoe spikes for which he has a patent.

He suffered a stroke Dec. 9, at the midpoint of the contest. But he is almost fully recovered and is able to ride a snowmobile.

“I’m feeling much better,” he said.