Investors snag Western Golf

Golf Course News, Apr 2003 by Rice, Derek

New owners move company to Southern California, hand reins to longtime exec. Heath

SANTA ANA, Calif. - A group of private investors based in Southern California, including former western operations executive Bobby Heath, acquired Phoenix, Ariz.-based Western Golf Properties Inc., an 18-year-old management and development company, last month. Financial terms were not disclosed.

As a result, the company planned to relocate its headquarters to Santa Ana location.

The new owners selected Heath to become the company's president, effective in March. Heath, who will replace Western Golf founder Joe Black, said he hopes to guide the company through what are rough times for the golf industry.

"We are faced with an increasingly competitive environment at each property, making the focus on driving revenue paramount, while adjusting operating costs as necessary to achieve net operating income," Heath said. "That being said, my vision is to infuse a heightened level of business and marketing savvy into our current management style."

Officials at Western Golf declined to discuss the transaction in detail before Golf Course News went to press. In a statement, the extremely fortunate to be able to add them to our portfolio," Husband said. "Our mission all along has been to associate the Heritage name with the finest golf properties in the country. We continue to fulfill our mission with the addition of Washington National and Trophy Lake to our family of clubs."

Washington National is a John Fought-designed 18-hole daily-- fee course with a University of Washington theme. Trophy Lake, designed by Fought and design partner Tom Lehman, is located near Olympic Range and Mount Ranier and offers both golf and fishing at its location. Both courses opened in 1999.

- Derek Rice