Three years after the public golf course was purchased, the new owners have transformed the property by improving the golf course and incorporating more golf-oriented social events that have ultimately quadrupled the membership.

In 2012, Claud Jacobs, Robby Burdge, Elton Calhoun and Greg Norgard bought The Club at Colony Creek in Victoria, Texas, with a plan to turn their investment into a playable course that is good enough to attract members and one day become a private club—a goal they achieved on July 1, the Victoria Advocate reported.

“When we bought the golf course, we all lived out here, and it was well known it was going into bankruptcy,” Jacobs said. “We decided we’d stick our neck out and believe in Victoria and believe in the economy.”

“We always intended to be the eat, play and laugh loud country club,” Burdge said. “The reason for moving forward was sustainability.”

When Colony Creek changed ownership to the current four owners in 2012, there were around 90 members, the rest of the golfing revenue coming from the public, the Advocate reported.

“It’s easier to sustain your business model when you have a known membership group,” Burdge said. “It’s really hard when you’re growing your club and working partly with members and partly with the general public.”

Burdge said he expects a transition period of roughly a month, where non-members will be invited in the clubhouse to learn about the club and considering joining. After the transition, everything at Colony Creek will be member-driven. Golfers will either need to be members or be guests of members, and events and banquets will be restricted to members, the Advocate reported.

Today’s celebration events, including a musical performance from The Scott Taylor Band, will be for members, or guests of members, the Advocate reported.

“I call it the people’s club,” Jacobs said. “It’s affordable, and it’s fun. It’s family oriented.”

Colony Creek’s junior golf camps, women’s tournaments and couples mixers have increased family-wide participation in golf, Jacobs said. Since 2012, Burdge said the membership has more than quadrupled, the Advocate reported.

“Personally, I never thought it would happen this quick,” Jacobs said. “I thought it would take five years to get the course into shape.”

Jacobs accredited much of the course’s improvement to course superintendent Randy Lynch and General Manager Matt Fawkes, the Advocate reported.

“We went from a low-class goat ranch to a golf course,” Jacobs said. “Victoria is so fortunate to have three golf courses that are totally different.”