Wolf Creek golf course has new local owners

Due to the importance of the issue, this article from the Salt Lake Tribune is being posted in its entirety.

Acquisitions » Lewis Homes leads group trying to revive troubled Eden resort.

By Mike Gorrell

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Sep 25 2014 05:10 pm • Last Updated Sep 25 2014 05:10 pm

Local owners have purchased Wolf Creek Golf Course in Eden for an undisclosed price.

John Lewis, managing partner of a group calling itself Wolf Creek Utah, said the golf course was purchased earlier this month from KRK Wolf Creek, which had acquired the Ogden Valley course in September 2012 from Zions Bank.

The renowned course was the site of the 2005 State Amateur tournament, is certified by the Audubon Society and boasts one of the state’s hardest holes, the 579-yard No. 9 with a slanting fairway and a pond that extends almost the width of the green.

The bank took title to the property in 2010 when Wolf Creek Resort filed for bankruptcy. Its holdings were divided among several creditors, with Zions Bank getting the golf course.

Wolf Creek Utah includes Lewis, owner of Lewis Homes Inc., along with Capon Capital andDestination Properties, he said.

"The resort works much better if all the pre-bankruptcy pieces are owned by one entity," said Lewis, noting that in recent years, the Wolf Creek Utah group purchased several other parts of the former resort.

"With the acquisition of the golf course, we can now integrate resident and commercial development with semi-private golf and other community-based activities," he said. "We now have a way to bring back the resort, a sense of community that essentially vanished with the recession and bankruptcy."

Lewis said the new ownership team intends to invest resources into upgrading the golf course. He also wants to build a community center that will be open to everyone in the Ogden Valley. "We also plan to add a gym and other exercise and health amenities in the near future," he added.

The purchase does not include Pineview Lodge or what’s known as the Harley and Bucks building, Lewis said. Those structures were bought recently by Summit Holding Co., which owns Powder Mountain ski area above the Ogden Valley.