Home
News Grid
Local News
- Briefs
- Obituaries
Green Hawk
Business
Politics
School Zone
- Kids Speaking Up
Nonprofits
Missing Pets
Multimedia
- Photo of the Day
- Pictures in the News
Arts
Movies
- Times
- Reviews
Outdoors
Sports
News Releases
Columnists
- Leslie Dinaberg & Zak Klobucher
- Capt. David Bacon
- Paul Burri
- Bill Cirone
- Russell Collins
- Hal Conklin & Denny Wayman
- Karen Dwyer
- Jeff Harding
- Joan Mayer
- Hospice of Santa Barbara
- Karen Telleen-Lawton
- Ken Williams
- Carrie Wilson
Blogs
- Hawks Nest
- Craig Smith
- calbuzz
- The Daily Capitalist
- Miller-McCune News
- City 2.0
- Cliff Redding
Opinions
- Lou Cannon
- Michael Barone
- Debbie Brasket
- Susan Estrich
- Jim Hightower
- Tam Hunt
- Larry Kudlow
- Michelle Malkin
- Robert Scheer
- Harris Sherline
- Mark Shields
Classifieds
Advertise
Donate
Partners
- Presidio Sports
- Santa Barbara Surfer
- SBParent.com
- Partners in Education
- United Way of Santa Barbara County

Good News for Glen Annie Golf Course in Goleta

The course is likely to reopen next week after the bank and management company Touchstone Golf LLC forge a 'cooperative foreclosure' deal

By Laurie Jervis, Noozhawk Staff Writer | Published on 07.02.2009

E-mail
Print
Post | View Comments (8)

Good news, golfers.

Glen Annie Golf Course, 405 Glen Annie Road, which recently announced plans to cease operations this Monday, is likely to reopen next week under a deal between the bank and a new management company, general manager Rich Nahas said Thursday morning.

Under a “cooperative foreclosure” deal, the bank in charge of buying Glen Annie’s bad debts will allow the course to reopen under the leadership of Touchstone Golf LLC, which specializes in running golf courses, Nahas said.

In addition, the 75 Glen Annie employees who would have lost their jobs will be retained, Nahas said.

“All the staff members will be staying on,” he said.

Touchstone officials will visit the course Friday, Nahas said. He called rumors that a buyer had surfaced to purchase the course “absolutely not true.”

Touchstone has offices in Berkeley and Burnet, Texas, according to the company’s Web site. Some of its other course clients listed online are Boulder Creek Golf & Country Club in the Santa Cruz Mountains; Lake Chabot Golf Course in Oakland; Avery Ranch in North Austin, Texas; and Mississippi National Golf Club.

The Glen Annie course has been burdened by financial difficulties since it opened more than a decade ago, and has lost nearly $15 million since its launch.

Glen Annie announced its plan to close June 22, one week after the Goleta City Council voted not to allow studies that would have examined the viability of residential development on the course’s property.

Last July, representatives of the 159-acre course applied for an amendment to Goleta’s General Plan, asking for the city’s permission for the agriculture-zoned property to include a combination of recreational and residential development.

The property is in an unincorporated area, so annexation by Goleta would have been required, as would the General Plan amendment to change portions of the land designated for open space to residential.

ValleyCrest Companies, owner of the golf course, proposed turning the course into an 18-hole executive course, with 185 units of multi- and single-family residential units and townhomes. But on June 16, the council shut down any possibility of exploring that option.

— Noozhawk staff writer Laurie Jervis can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Comments

Noozhawk's comments are moderated, but by posting here you accept your responsibility to follow our rules as part of Noozhawk's shared online community. Please keep your comments civil and helpful. Don't attack other readers personally, and do not use vulgar, abusive or discriminatory language. Use the "Report Abuse" link if a comment violates these standards or our Terms of Use.

» Imrubio on 07.02.09 @ 08:29 PM

Wow! I just learned that ValleyCrest, the previous owners of the course, is a landscape company, not a golf course management company. Well, no wonder the course has been losing money!