The Jantzer family sold the Medford, Ore., golf course in August for $4 million to Cedar Links Investment Group. The group has not commented publicly on how it plans to use the property, but the report noted that equipment was removed from the premises the day before the closure.
On September 22 Cedar Links Golf Course in Medford, Ore., closed its doors, which opened in 1972, the Medford (Ore.) Mail Tribune reported.
“We didn’t really want to stir up too much of a ruckus, and we kind of wanted to give ourselves a little bit of a chance to start moving things without things going crazy,” said Kelly Jantzer, one of three sons of owners Monty and Theresa Jantzer.
Kelly Jantzer, who managed the restaurant, oversaw the equipment removal on September 21, the Mail Tribune reported.
According to county records, the Jantzers sold the property in early August for $4 million to Cedar Links Investment Group. The group is made up of three partners, two of them local businessmen Eric Artner and Wes Norton, who are involved in construction. The third, Jack Keese, is in Los Angeles, the Mail Tribune reported.
Artner confirmed the parties involved but declined to comment further, saying his group would provide details later, the Mail Tribune reported.
In a story on KDRV.com, Kelly Jantzer said golf equipment wasn’t part of the sale, indicating the property would be used for something other than a course. Monty Jantzer and another son, Jason Jantzer, and Norton could not be reached for comment, the Mail Tribune reported.
The course’s days appeared numbered from the time the Jantzers revealed in 2005 their intention to build Cedar Landing, a 118-acre planned unit development. At the time, Cedar Links was 18 holes and had a history of hosting popular tournaments, including a long-running Chapman event and the city championships, the Mail Tribune reported.
In late 2006, crews began digging up what was once the front nine. In 2011, the city acquired 5.5 acres at Cedar Links to use as a park. As recently as 2011, Monty Jantzer said he was committed to moving forward with the original plan. But it was reported in June the Jantzers applied to have the PUD terminated, the Mail Tribune reported.
The announcement of the course’s imminent closure was understated, with small, yellow signs posted on the pro shop door and the counter inside, the Mail Tribune reported.
“I started playing out there when I was 14 or 15,” said Scott Lusk, now the head pro at Stone Ridge Golf Club in Eagle Point, who worked at Cedar Links for 27 years. “I’m a golfer. Any time you lose golf holes, it’s terrible. For so many golfers in this valley, that’s where they became golfers. You can go to any club in town, and a lot of those roots went back to Cedar Links.”
Even though a lot of people saw this coming, Kelly Jantzer said, there are mixed feelings because so many people have such fond memories of “growing up and learning to play here.”
“It’s bittersweet,” Kelly Jantzer said. “I remember when we were building the back nine, my job was to pick the rocks out of the fairway.”
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