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May 7, 2014
75 cents | Volume 49, Issue 16 Tri-Lakes Region, Monument, Gleneagle, Black Forest and Northern El Paso County A publication of
tri-lakestribune.net
Monument Hill Country Club thriving once again Course reopened last June and is profitable By Danny Summers
dsummers@ coloradocommunitymedia.com June 1 will mark one year since Monument Hill Country Club reopened its 6,715-yard golf course. During that time, the course has experienced ups and downs, but according to General Manager Grant Wingate, the course is thriving now. “We have over 800 members and we’re averaging 130 golfers a day,” Wingate said. “It’s a nice change.” The golf course, built in 1969, was closed in late 2012 by previous owners, Tri-lakes Golf LLC, because of pricey water bills and expensive maintenance of the course. In April 2013, Colorado Community Bank, the property’s lien holder, took back the property as part of a bankruptcy agreement. The bank assigned Touchstone Golf as the receiver for the property. Wingate is employed by Touchstone. “There’s a buzz here in Monument,” Wingate said. “We need to make Monument golf the best that it can be.” Steve Harker is president and CEO of Touchstone. One of the first things his company did was fix a leak in the pond, which was the primary source of water for the course. That meant draining the pond and improving the irrigation system. Harker said the project cost about $150,000.
Meanwhile, Woodmoor Water and Monument Hill worked out a deal on rates, reducing the rate from $500,000 annually to about half that, according to Harker. The golf course enjoyed a boon in players earlier this year when King’s Deer closed down. That came on the heels of nearby Gleneagle closing last November. King’s Deer reopened on May 3. King’s Deer resident Doug Almond agreed on a lease agreement with Nebraska-based Exchange Bank and plans on purchasing the course in September after it goes through the foreclosure process. “King’s Deer will be the public course in Monument and we will be the private course,” Wingate said. Both courses have private and public members, though most of Monument Hill’s traffic is private. Monument Hill’s ladies club has gone from 12 members to 75 in less than a year. “Basically by word of mouth,” said Deb Geolat, the ladies club tournament chair and co-captain of the tournament team. “It’s amazing how much it has grown. “We have so many members who have backed the club and never given up. There’s a new positive energy and it’s contagious.” According Geolat and multiple members, the course is in the best shape in years at this point of the season. Public rates range from $20 to $50 depending on the day of the week and time. Carts are an additional cost. Yearly passes for members and nonmembers are $300 and $400, respectively. Family passes are $450 and $550, respectively.
Monument Hill Country Club general manager Grant Wingate is all smiles as he stands above the golf course. Wingate took over operations earlier this year and has helped transform the course into a profitable business. Photos by Danny Summers
Monument Hill Country Club has been reopened for about a year. It closed down for a few months in early 2013.
King’s Deer once again inundated with golfers The course enjoyed a soft reopening on May 3 By Danny Summers
dsummers@coloradocommunitymedia.com All that commotion you see at the King’s Deer Golf Course means that golfers are driving, putting, chipping their way out of the rough and having a good time. Golf returned to the course May 3, thanks to the efforts of King’s Deer resident Doug Almond and a very dedicated team. Almond leased the course in April from the court appointed receiver. He quickly put together a staff to help get the course into playing condition. Starting May 3 and continuing for a week, King’s Deer is having a soft opening for residents of the community and former members. “Before the course went into foreclosure it had a heavy debt burden and we couldn’t service it with the revenue we were generating,” said Jeff Kelly, King’s Deer general manager. “The fore-
King’s Deer golf course reopened on May 3 to the delight of many, including head pro Nathan Vincent, left, and general manager Jeff Kelly. The course closed unexpectedly in February when the bank foreclosed on the property. Photo by Danny Summers closure process is going to wipe away all the bad debt and the new owner is going to get it as a clean property and for a much lower price that it was originally sold for. “With those two factors this becomes a viable property, based on what we know.”
POSTAL ADDRESS
Kelly and King’s Deer pro Nathan Vincent kept the course watered after Nebraska-based Exchange Bank foreclosed on the former owners in February. Signs were put on the front doors of the clubhouse that month that read “closed until further notice.” Further notice came in early
TRI-LAKES TRIBUNE
April when Almond became the receiver of the 197.3-acre course at 19255 Royal Troon Drive. Kelly said the foreclosure will be completed in September and that Almond plans to buy the course at that time. He said the price will be less than $1 million. “The community obviously wants the course here,” Kelly said. “It benefits their home values. Nobody wants an empty field in your backyard when you’ve bought golf course property. “It’s never good to have a golf course closed. It’s a shrinking industry, obviously. But we believe it can work in this area and we’d like to see it work.” Almond has been updating King’s Deer home owners with regular messages on the King’s Deer Homeowners Association web site. John Highhouse, president of the King’s Deer Homeowners Association, states on the web site that the golf course has no affiliation with the Homeowners Association. Almond Golf LLC is a company created by Doug Almond and his father, Larry Almond. Larry Almond heads a real estate development company in the Char-
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lotte, N.C., area, and owns several golf courses. Doug Almond and his wife, Maria, bought a six-bedroom home in King’s Deer six months ago for $850,000, according to El Paso County court records. He is the manager of several call centers. “Work is coming along nicely on our newly designed restaurant and bar area,” Doug Almond said in an email. “Our company, Almond Golf LLC, is a Colorado company that is committed to develop King’s Deer Golf Course into a world-class public course. “Our long term goal is to be the premier public golf course in our state that will attract local and national events that will bring value to our community.” The course opened in 1999 as the centerpiece of the upscale King’s Deer development. There are 338 homes on 531 lots built along the Palmer Divide. Kelly said Almond Golf, LLC, plans to spend $100,000 over the next few weeks. Prior to the soft opening, Kelly and his crew, along
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Golfers continues on Page 10
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