Joel Jacobs is among seven investors who bought the Mullen, Neb., property this month, and plans to focus on marketing the club properly, building awareness of what it has to offer within the community, and strengthening ties with nearby properties Sand Hills Golf Club, also in Mullen, and The Prairie Club in Valentine, Neb.

Now the owner of an Omaha investment advisory firm, Joel Jacobs is among seven investors who bought Dismal River Golf Club in Mullen, Neb., this month. It’s the third time the private club near his hometown has been sold since 2006, the North Platte, Neb., Telegraph reported.

Jacobs’ parents are ranchers whose land is along the 17-mile drive from Nebraska 97 to the 36-hole complex, the Telegraph reported.

“I’ve always known what the place can be and should be,” Jacobs said. “We’ll build on what’s there and make it special. There’s never been any money spent on marketing and awareness. We’ll do that and bring life and energy to the place.”

Through the years, Jacobs says, more than $40 million has been spent on the club. The first owners, from Denver, hired Jack Nicklaus to design an 18-hole course. The second owners were Lincoln-based and the third group, put together by father and son Richard and Chris Johnston of Jackson Hole, Wyo., included Nicklaus and former LPGA Commissioner Charlie Meacham. They hired Tom Doak to design the club’s second course and had Nicklaus soften some areas of his course, which has improved its playability and image, the Telegraph reported.

With his ties to the region, Jacobs said he was interested in owning Dismal River even before it went on the market about a year ago. He got serious this past fall, the Telegraph reported.

“Chris [Johnston] is a good guy and we were rapping back and forth if it was a good fit,” Jacobs said. “The place is a turnkey operation. Everything is there. Just a few small tweaks and marketing to bring awareness to an incredible place.”

Jacobs wants to strengthen Dismal River’s relationships Sand Hills Golf Club in Mullen and The Prairie Club in Valentine, Neb., which are located along the same stretch of Nebraska 97. Jacobs’ mother, Jodi, worked for Sand Hills in its pro shop and will run the shop at Dismal River, the Telegraph reported.

The new owners want to expand Dismal River’s recreational activities to skeet shooting, mountain biking and hunting tours. They’re working with former NFL defensive back John Howell on the big-game hunting, the Telegraph reported.

“This needs to be something great,” Jacobs said. “All the pieces of the puzzle were there if you put a team together, and I’m a team guy.”