Living a million-dollar dream

Golf Course News, Jul 2002 by Poling, Jerry

ST. JAMES, Minn. - In 1992 at age 55, Bob Lewis Jr. had planned to retire early on disability from his job as corporate meeting planner with Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance in St. Paul.

He had a bad back, and after flying up to 150,000 miles a year around the world, he was looking forward to relaxing at his Apple Valley, Minn., home with his wife.

Then came that lunch break at work in April 1992 when he remembered to check his lottery ticket. One by one, all his Powerball numbers matched. He had won $12.5 million, payable in 20 annual installments of $625,000 ($455,000 after taxes). Suddenly he was a millionaire on paper and could laugh at the world: "I tell people I'm on a fixed income: I only get one check a year," Lewis said.

Contrary to what many people might have done, Lewis didn't act like a kid who had just found a $100 bill at an amusement park. He kept working for another year, as planned. Three years later in 1996, after pondering his options he made an informed decision on how to use some of his windfall: He decided to buy a golf course.

Lewis previously did not have visions of owning a course, unlike many golfers. He loved the game and was an average player by his own admission, but had quit years earlier because of his back. Except for organizing corporate golf events, the game had slipped out of his life.

So why did he choose a highly competitive and sometimes frustrating business? Lewis said he made a sound business decision and a good investment - and for the second time - had a little "Luck" on his side.

A close family friend, Mike Luckcraft, had become a golf pro in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and suggested that Lewis look into buying a course. Lewis had been hoping to find a seasonal business that would allow him to work part time.

With Luckcraft as an adviser, Lewis looked at several courses before hearing about a struggling 9-hole course in St. James, Minn. (pop. 5,000) about 75 miles south of the Twin Cities.

They saw many possibilities. The low-- budget Watonwan Country Club in St. James wasn't much to look at, but that didn't bother Lewis. First, he saw a nice piece of land. The Watonwan River ran through the course, which had lovely rolling terrain and a mix of open and wooded tracts.

Second, he analyzed the market. There were 19 nine-hole courses within 30 miles but no other 18-hole faciliies. Third, he made sure more land was available because he wanted - and knew that golfers wanted - an 18-hole course. He found out he could buy 76 adjoining acres from farmers.

In October 1996, Lewis plunked down about half of one annual lottery check- $212,000-- to buy the course. In 1998, $1 million later, he opened the vastly improved St. James Country Club. Architect Joel Goldstrand built 11 new holes, 13 new greens and revamped the remaining old holes. A tee-to-green irrigation system was installed, most of the 62 bunkers, cement cart paths and a driving range.

At 6,832 yards from the back tees and with a slope rating of 136, St. James now is considered one of the best courses in southern Minnesota.

With luck and hard work, Lewis had achieved his first goal: building a quality golf course for south central Minnesota.

He's still working on his second goal, making a profit, but he said he's getting closer and has the financial staying powerto succeed.

Lewis hired Luckcraft as his PGA pro and general manager. They have marketed the course to cities within a 40-mile radius and are beginning to see results. "I can see light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm pretty sure it's not a freight train coming the other way," Lewis said in late May, a few days before collecting his annual Powerball payout, which he refers to as "high holy day."

Life as a millionaire golf course owner hasn't been utopia. In 2001, the Watonwan River flooded his course three times. St. James didn't open until May 9, more than a month behind schedule and after losing potentially thousands of dollars in greens fees.

Lewis, who is on the board of the Midwest Golf Course Owners Association, has no plans to buy another course and tries to keep his avocation as simple as possible. The course and 10,000-- square-foot clubhouse close every year Nov. 1. Lewis then heads to Arizona for the winter.

He has four full-time employees, including course superintendent Bruce Leivermann. "I have two dynamite guys. Hopefully I stay out of their way," Lewis said.

Yet Lewis, now 65, still is the boss, driving the 100 miles from his home to St. James at least once a week. He's enjoying his newfound power, unlike the old days when he was a rung on the corporate ladder. Now he chairs his own company meetings, often at a local coffee shop.

Lewis even got his way when the course was redesigned: He ordered Goldstrand to build a square green as a marketing tool. The 185-yard seventh hole has one big postage-- stamp green - 70 feet wide, 70 feet deep. "I make sure they mow it square," he said. It's the only square green in Minnesota and maybe in the country, he said.

With luck, vision and hard work, Bob Lewis Jr. has put his stamp on golf in southern Minnesota