New owners have made slate of improvements
As Ridgemark investor Alex Kehriotis put it:
”
It’s back.
”
A destination point in the 1970s and 1980s, Ridgemark Golf
&
amp; Country Club had lost much of its gusto in more recent
years due to poor finances and growing competition in the industry.
It had become a proverbial
”
has been
”
in the community.
New owners have made slate of improvements
As Ridgemark investor Alex Kehriotis put it: “It’s back.”
A destination point in the 1970s and 1980s, Ridgemark Golf & Country Club had lost much of its gusto in more recent years due to poor finances and growing competition in the industry. It had become a proverbial “has been” in the community.
Since Kehriotis and his father, John, and their company JMK Investments acquired Ridgemark Golf & Country Club in June, the place has experienced a refurbished look, an array of capital improvements and a rebirth of sorts for the courses that had been seriously neglected for years.
There’s more to come, club officials say, and at a time when few others nationwide are investing in golf courses – there were just a handful purchased in the past year, noted Joe Dahlstrom with Paradigm Golf Group, which worked with club officials on how to “reintroduce” the San Benito County mainstay.
In other words, the new owners who obtained the property from a faltering Ridgemark Corp. are following through so far on their commitment to hit the ground sprinting. They’ve invested what Alex Kehriotis estimated as $1.5 million on the entire course, which he said had been “in shambles,” to this point.
Some of the more basic, maintenance-related improvements included immediately aerating and seeding the grounds, and adding sand to all the bunkers, which he described as being “almost like cement” before doing so.
In recent weeks, Kehriotis noted how members had complained some tee boxes were in poor shape. In response, he said they invested an additional $75,000 to reshape four of the five most problematic boxes.
“Our members are really important to us and we’re listening to their feedback,” he said.
Even if the prior corporation wanted to listen or make such investments – which have led to a spike in play, partially due to a more aggressive marketing effort to residents outside the county – it had no choice toward that end because the money had dried up. Having the necessary capital, and owners willing and wanting to invest, has made all the difference.
Sandy Weis has been with Ridgemark since 2006 and can attest to that first-hand. It’s her job as the food and beverage director, as well as head of catering sales, to implement many of the improvements requested by the investors. The transition has been “fun,” Weis said, because she now can make changes she thought of doing, but couldn’t, before the ownership change.
Among them has been the revival of Saturday night entertainment and such social events as Bingo night, an upcoming comedy night likely in March or April, a 50s and 60s sock hop, and a murder mystery theater gathering.
In the restaurant, the wine list has been updated and menu changes are occurring as well. Dinner also is available nightly now, and until 9 p.m. instead of closing at 7:30 p.m., Weis noted.
Weis also touted the new baker, Kim Brandon, formerly of Elegant Touch, as a “big plus” for Ridgemark.
Overall, Ridgemark exudes what Weis called a classier feel, with a host of relatively subtle changes made throughout the property to complement the bigger ones.
Kehriotis pointed out such work as redoing the insides of the men’s and women’s clubhouses, revamping the pro shop and its outside patio area, repaving the parking lot, and repainting and recarpeting the lodging facility.
“We really wanted to bring the place up a bit, upscale it to some degree,” Kehriotis said.
That included upscaling the technology, too, with a truckload of 15 flat-screen TVs from Costco.
“Many of which I personally sweated and did myself and put them in,” he said.
Apparently, it’s just a start for the investors – there’s talk of a shopping center, a spa and “maybe a couple more houses or condos – whose experience largely has been with real estate.
This actually is their first time delving into the world of golf, with their most recognizable investment as minority owners of the Sacramento Kings. Kehriotis described the two owners as big sports fans and casual golfers.
“We saw it as a great opportunity,” Kehriotis said.
Said Dahlstrom, from Paradigm: “It’s really become kind of a community place to come and enjoy a night with your girlfriend or wife or family.”
