Course may shine again

Teller County’s only golf course is expected to reopen next month after a two-year closure, with new owners who plan to spend $1 million renovating the clubhouse and improving the course.

The Shining Mountain Golf Club was purchased Friday by Denver developer Bob Reifsnider and two Southern California partners who own Shining Mountain Enterprises. They declined to disclose the price.

Reifsnider said he plans to reopen the 18-hole public golf course Memorial Day weekend.

The sale of 428 acres includes the course, clubhouse and surrounding land, on which 283 single- and multifamily residences will be built.

“It’s going to be a great boost for the region’s economy,” said Debbie Miller, president of the Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce. “Tourists like to play the course when they come to visit, and it will add another venue for restaurant and banquet facilities. It’s going to be an overall plus to the community to have that available for residents, as well.”

A $1 million renovation that includes expanding the clubhouse and rejuvenating the links, 8,500 feet above sea level, is in the works, Reifsnider said.

While preparing for the purchase last year, Reifsnider hired management company Escalante Golf to water, fertilize and seed the course. It has been closed since July 2005 after Matrix Bank foreclosed on the previous owner. Escalante Golf also manages and owns Pine Creek Golf Course in Colorado Springs.

“The fairways and teeboxes are in great shape, but the greens still need a little help,” said Elcio Silva, course manager.

Some of the holes will be reconfigured, he added, and up to 16 employees will be hired. The course will include a driving range.

“People will see dramatic improvement," Reifsnider said. “It’s a flat mountain course that looks at Pikes Peak and has a challenging 6,600 yards of play around wetlands.”

The clubhouse will grow from 6,000 to 10,000 square feet and will include an expanded dining room, a new kitchen and a covered outdoor patio for banquets, receptions and community events.

Legal entanglements stalled the purchase, said Reifsnider, who started working on buying the property in the fall of 2005. Boundary issues had to be resolved with Woodland Park, he said, and having to deal with two owners — the bank for the course and a private investor for the development land — along with burst pipes in the clubhouse this winter added work and consumed time.

Some residents have criticized the plans, saying they’ve heard a vision before. Reifsnider is the fourth owner of the course.

For skeptics, Reifsnider said he and his partners have “very little debt” on the project and intend to carry their plans to fruition.

Added Silva: “The reputation it’s had in the past is that nobody cares about the property and the development, but new ownership and management are bringing a new energy and feel to the property that people will notice.”

GOLF CLUB DETAILS

18-hole fees: $35 to $45, not including golf cart rental

Annual season pass: $1,600 to $3,000 D

iscounts: For children and active military

Web site under development: www.shiningmountaingolfclub.com

Former phone number to be reinstated: 687-7587

SHINING MOUNTAIN GOLF CLUB

- The new housing development will feature multifamily patio homes on the east side of the course and single-family estate homes on the west side. It will include 100 acres of open space.

- Denver developer Bob Reifsnider said he expects some homes to be finished this fall. Duplexes will start about $350,000, patio homes about $400,000, and single-family estates will range from $500,000 to $1 million.