Missoulians Colleen and John Powers confirmed this week they recently purchased Phantom Links and plan to transform it into a members-only golf club by the end of next year.
In the meantime, they will launch a number of construction and expansion projects, but otherwise business at the golf course will continue as usual, they said.
He said they do plan to add a tee or two to help bring in the PGA Tour in the fall of 2008. Tour officials have expressed that they would be willing to add the course once it was lengthened, he said.
The clubhouse will also be renovated to accommodate expanded seating for the restaurant and a new bar and lounge area, Colleen Powers said. They currently have a buy-sell agreement pending on a liquor license.
“That, we feel, is going to make a big difference here,” Colleen said. “Golfers like to have a beer, and it will enhance the overall dining experience.”
They want their restaurant - which will remain open to the public - to become both a place for leisurely neighborhood gatherings and a convenient option for busy residents who prefer take-out.
Other plans include a training academy, a fitness facility and an events building that will closely resemble a large barn, Colleen said. Everything will be built with an eye toward the property's ranching past, right down to the open-flame fire pits.
“Let's take this back to really what it was; it was a gathering place,” she said. “What we're trying to create out here is a lifestyle.”
They want the entire community, they said, to maintain the safe and welcoming atmosphere they experienced when they first arrived on the scene and were greeted by well-wishers and housewarming gifts. They have picked out a lot for themselves, Colleen said, and will be building a cabin there shortly.
The current development began to take shape in 2002, when Washington Corp. started building an 18-hole public golf course, complete with clubhouse and restaurant. Two years later, it won county approval to subdivide about 200 acres into more than 300 residential lots.
The Missoula-based Washington Corp. is part of a group of privately held companies in which Montana billionaire Dennis Washington owns a controlling interest. The company has built only a few other subdivisions, the most recent being a 53-lot project at Georgetown Lake that sold out in 2004.
While a golf course was considered integral to Phantom Hill's success as a development, golf-course management is not necessarily Washington Corp.'s area of expertise, said the company's executive vice president and legal counsel, Karl Swanson.
It managed the course for six months before bringing in EB Sports, a professional golf management company, and turning its full attention to the real estate end.
At last count, the development included 44 single-family homes and 28 townhomes, all of which have been sold, Swanson said. With the golf course closing in on 20,000 rounds a year, Washington Corp. considers the overall venture a success, he said.
However, the company ultimately decided it would be best to sell.
“We're always continuing to evaluate our assets, and we think we brought this (Phantom Hills) to the point it was very marketable,” he said. “I think overall, long term, it's going to be a development that we're proud of.”
While Swanson declined to reveal the selling price, he emphasized that the company was happy to keep the business in the hands of a local buyer.
Colleen Powers was born and raised in Helena, and John's parents were raised in Butte, but they were living in Seattle when the opportunity to move to Missoula arose some 14 years ago.
Colleen accepted a position at Terry Payne and Co., where she is currently senior vice president, and John continued running their business from their home out on Big Flat Road.
“When we moved here, we had an urn business,” John explained. “We sold urns throughout North America.”
While Colleen flew 100,000 miles a year on business, John spent a lot of time on the golf course chasing the PGA Tour - until, that is, hand injuries and subsequent surgeries put an end to that dream.
However, he stayed actively involved in the Missoula Country Club, where he and Colleen are members. The Ranch Club isn't meant to compete with the Missoula Country Club, John added. Rather, the aim is to add another option to the mix of Missoula's golfing choices.
“We've talked to, and want to work with, all the golf courses,” he said. “As you can imagine, we're all in this together. We have a short season and a lot of golf options.”
They have not yet started their membership drive, Colleen said, but have already compiled a list of 50 or so people who would like to be members. They expect to sign 350 local members and 50 national members by the fall of '08, she said, “and as soon as we sell enough memberships we'll go private.”
The opportunity to buy Phantom Hills arose about
2 1/2 years ago, they said. Timing problems and other obstacles derailed the deal last year, but all the kinks were eventually smoothed out.
While the two have never run a golf course or real estate development before, the Powerses prefer not to rely on a professional golf management company. Instead, they put together a “dream team” of about a dozen people with ample experience.
That team includes University of Montana women's golf coach Joanne Steele, golf pro Ty Weingart and Mike Barnett, who will run the teaching academy. Tom Koehring is the new golf course superintendent, and former Scotty's Table chef Curtis Stohl will be in charge of the restaurant menu.
“We feel that's what's going to make this work, is the team of people we have with us,” Colleen said.
One of the things that will distinguish The Ranch Club from other developments, they said, is the option to bring in individual builders. As long as they meet architectural guidelines, residents are free to choose their own designs.
However, they do expect to offer a set of pre-designed cabins for their next development phase, Colleen said, but the designs will be flexible, ranging from 1,600 square feet to 5,000 square feet or so.
Colleen and John expect to unveil their renderings and release their prices on March 31, to coincide with opening day of the golf course. But starting next week, they will also host several “promotional evenings” to fill various groups in on their plans.
The first, they noted, will be for the neighborhood.
“We felt out of courtesy and respect for them, we're going to let them know what's going on first,” he said.
Most of the time, people buy just one business at a time - but this particular venture included a golf course, restaurant and real estate development, they pointed out. These are all very different businesses that must mesh if they're going to work.
“This is huge for us,” Colleen said.
“This is a dream come true for Colleen and I,” John added. “To get to come to a golf course every day.”
Reporter Tyler Christensen can be reached at 523-5215 or tyler.christensen@lee.net
Coming soon
The Ranch Club golf course will open for the season on March 31. The restaurant opens April 9 for lunch every day and dinner Thursday through Saturday only.
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