By Joe Barks | September 12, 2014City of South Bend (Ind.) Considers Selling Blackthorn, Elbel Courses Blackthorn GC, which is privately owned and managed, is set to be sold at auction October 16, with a minimum bid of $1.6 million. Elbel, a 300-plus acre property owned and operated by the city, opened in 1963 and is South Bend’s largest park.