The Valley Springs, Calif., property reopened on March 17 for limited play after Gentium Golf stepped forward to purchase it from a shareholder who initiated bankruptcy proceedings last year. Details about the sale are unknown, and no full opening date has been scheduled.
The La Contenta Golf Club in Valley Springs, Calif., reopened for limited play on March 17, after a company stepped forward to purchase the course from a controlling shareholder who initiated bankruptcy proceedings late last year, the San Andreas, Calif., Calaveras Enterprise reported.
The golf course will be purchased by Gentium Golf, a subsidiary of an Amador County company that owns a number of properties in Jackson, said Glen Stubblefield, head professional for the course.
The purchase has not yet been finalized, but Gentium has given La Contenta officials enough confidence in the transaction to open the course that closed when majority interest holder Ryan Voorhees initiated bankruptcy proceedings in December. Details about the terms and pricing are not currently known, the Enterprise reported.
Representatives from Gentium Golf did not respond to the Enterprise’s requests for comment. Attorney Brian Chavez-Ochoa, who represented La Contenta when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, also declined to comment. Voorhees could not be reached for comment.
When the course closed December 21, Voorhees said in a prepared statement that the site lost $1 million in operating revenues throughout the past eight years. Chavez Ochoa said at the time the company lost more in the nine months leading up to the decision to close than it had in the two years prior, the Enterprise reported.
The focus during the reopening will be to build a model that has self-sustaining revenues, said Stubblefield, who was named the head professional after he volunteered to mow greens and preserve the course for some time during its closure as a member of the maintenance crew, the Enterprise reported.
The restaurant at the clubhouse will be leased out, eliminating that expense for the new owners, the Enterprise reported.
Thirty people were employed when the course closed last year. For the reopening, La Contenta only had pro shop staff and a small maintenance crew on hand, the Enterprise reported.
Moving forward, Stubblefield said income would dictate how many people the golf course employs, the Enterprise reported.
The March 17 opening was described as a “soft opening” because course representatives are still adjusting to new a computer software system. Eventually, the course will ease into full operation. No “hard opening” date has been scheduled, the Enterprise reported.
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