Red and green scum covers the boomerang-shaped pond on what used to be hole No. 1 at Skyline Woods Golf Course south of the Elkhorn area.
The course's fairways are brown in spots, brown-green in others. Tracks from a large mower have imprinted long lines in the fairways. Greens such as that on hole No. 1 contain weeds, dirt and a bit of grass.
The appearance of the defunct golf course agitates neighbors who repeatedly have been to court over its disrepair. They expect to return to court Friday. At issue is the degree to which the owner, David Broekemeier, must maintain the property as a genuine golf course.
Broekemeier acquired the golf course and country club out of bankruptcy in 2005. He changed its name to Club Armatura but testified in court last year that he intended to convert it into condominiums or develop it another way.
Douglas County District Judge Peter Bataillon, however, determined that implied covenants required the property, near 217th Street and West Center Road, to be "maintained as a golf course in the future."
It is not clear, however, whether that means it must be used for golf. The order states that documents over time "create a covenant running with the property and ensuring its continued use as a golf course."
Last edited by Brad on Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
David Broekemeier cannot ignore the requirement that the old Skyline Woods Golf Course be maintained as a golf course or at least as an attractive lawn, a judge ruled Monday.
Douglas County District Judge Peter Bataillon's ruling solidified a previous order and dismissed Broekemeier's claim that he cannot afford to keep up the property as a golf course.
I hope for all of our sakes that they never turn that place back into a golf course. It was probably one of the worst golf courses that I have ever played.
Harpoon wrote:I hope for all of our sakes that they never turn that place back into a golf course. It was probably one of the worst golf courses that I have ever played.
A judge may have mixed his metaphors in a case about a golf course, but his message was clear.
David Broekemeier, owner of the former Skyline Woods golf course, is just about out of mulligans. Or, as the judge put it, he's down to his last two strikes. . . .
Diana Vogt, an attorney for the homeowners, asked the judge to order Broekemeier to set up a $150,000 fund that would pay for such maintenance — with a $500-a-day fine for failing to comply.
Batallion declined to do so. Instead, the judge eyeballed Broekemeier Thursday and told him the sanctions will only get worse if he doesn't maintain the course.
Batallion has yet to rule on another contempt action contending that Broekemeier hasn't properly maintained the clubhouse, pool house and other structures. Broekemeier wants to raze those buildings. . . .
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."
RICHARD EGAN WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER wrote:While Skyline Woods homeowners await a legal decision that could decide the fate of the defunct golf course they live on, property owner David A. Broekemeier has put the land in question, and a lot more, up for sale.
Real estate broker Susan Knicely confirmed that a couple of months ago Broekemeier put 250 acres up for sale for $32.8 million. The description mentions that 115 acres of the property is a "former golf course under pending litigation." She also said a 21-acre parcel to the northeast of Skyline Woods is zoned for high-density residential development.
Broekemeier, who bought Skyline Woods Golf Course out of bankruptcy in February 2005, has been fighting to raze the buildings on the course and develop it into housing. The homeowners argue that covenants on the land are binding, requiring the land to remain a golf course.
She said there has been some interest and a couple of proposals, but no sale.
"I'm not sure how buyers are looking at that (the pending litigation)," Knicely said. "The litigation is being appealed. It's not fair to say that it's going to be a golf course because that could change. There have been a couple of attempts to keep it as a golf course, and they have failed."
Kevin Cole
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER wrote:An Omaha neighborhood association on Tuesday asked a judge to award it millions of dollars in damages because of what it describes as a developer’s failure to properly maintain an adjoining property, a former golf course.
Attorney Diana Vogt, representing the Skyline Woods Neighborhood Association, asked Douglas County District Judge Peter Bataillon to order developer David Broekemeier to pay the group between $15 million and $21 million for loss of collective property values.
Vogt introduced three affidavits to establish the amount of damages, including one from real estate agent P.J. Morgan that said the marketability of neighborhood homes has been substantially reduced since Broekemeier quit maintaining the property in 2006.
Kevin Cole
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER wrote:Neither Broekemeier nor any representative appeared in court to oppose the claim. It was the third consecutive court date Broekemeier has missed. He could not be reached for comment.
Has anyone heard anything new? It would be nice if someone opened the course again. I always thought it provided a nice alternative to Shadow Ridge, especially since Quarry Oaks/Iron Horse are so far away Â
Harpoon wrote:I hope for all of our sakes that they never turn that place back into a golf course. It was probably one of the worst golf courses that I have ever played.
It had a great layout but when that last guy bought it he ran it into the ground. Â It could be a gem if the right guy bought it.
IMO, the layout was feast or famine when it came to individual holes. Some holes were great and i loved 'em. Fairways that felt like they were cut out of a forest, tee shots through hallways of overhanging trees, you were out in the country, etc...and some holes were terrible, i.e. mainly the ones along West Center.
Anyway, for one summer i used to work for Dave Broekemeier when all of this was going on. First of all, Dave gets a bad rap. He's a really good man who believes in hard work, and family. He can be a bit over the top with his religion but i feel that there are a lot worse things that a man could get overinvolved with. All in all, he was a fabulous boss and even better person, although he could be a bit rough around the edges at times. Having said that, I can also understand if you were a homeowner on the course why you wouldn't like him.
With all that being said, here's what i can contribute to the discussion:
Dave owns/owned a lot of land out that way on West Center. When i worked for him at the golf course he had plans to develop that whole area. It was never my understanding that he desired to shut down the golf course. It was my understanding that he wanted to restructure the course by closing some existing holes and adding other proposed holes to the west. I know he wanted to have the course extend out past the Elkhorn River with some holes having you require to actually hit over the river. My pants got really tight when i heard that. I thought it sounded awesome.
I also remember him mentioning that he wanted to develop that area out west with condos and i think he may have mentioned a water park as well. This was like 5 years ago and I have forgotten a lot of stuff so I apologize if it seems like I'm being cryptic or vague. It's just that my memory is foggy.
Last edited by StuMondo on Sat Apr 23, 2011 3:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Word on the street is that Armatura/Skyline Woods is being purchased by someone in Omaha who owns another Country Club in the metro area. Should be interesting to see how soon they open!
wowt.com wrote:The experience of playing some of the most famous golf courses in the world would cost thousands of dollars and could take months.
But soon all it will take is a drive to Elkhorn.
This is an ambitious plan with an aggressive work schedule but the new owners of the Skyline Golf Course want to turn it into a replica course.
When the project is finished you'll be able to play the 18th at Augusta, or the 15th at Spy Glass, even the 17th at the TPC at Sawgrass and never leave the Metro.
A mower is about the only thing that has been on the former Skyline Golf Course for the past few years but soon bull-dozers and earth movers will start to reshape the course into some of the classic golf holes in the sport.
Dan Livingston says, "They are exact replicas."
Dan Livingston is the man with the plan. He is going to take the old Skyline course and rework the holes into the shape of the most famous holes in golf.
Augusta National, Bethpage, Royal Troon they will all be represented in Elkhorn.
Considering how some golf courses have been closed and plowed under, I think most people would be happy that this course is going to be renovated and reopened. Â Better than condos, that's for sure.
The 14th is the legendary hole. Â Water hazard nearly surrounding the green had an 11 foot long alligator in it. Â One of my former patients was waitressing there after school. Â She used to tell us that the golfers who played there were often extremely unpleasant. Â The wait staff and the kitchen staff had discovered that this alligator had a thing for marshmallows.
Can you guess what on a golf course looks like a marshmallow when you have the notoriously crappy eyesight of an 11 foot long alligator? Â Yes you can.
When someone was being a tool to the wait staff prior to their tea time (apparently a common occurrence), they would wait till that special someone left and they gave them enough time to get to the 14th tee box, then they threw several alligator treats onto the grass near the green. Â When the ball came, the alligator just thought it was a new marshmallow. Â When mister butthead golfer tried to grab his ball, he ususally ended up with a scare instead.
Lessons for me:
1. Â Always be nice to your waitstaff.
2. Â They don't need to spit in your food when they have access to trained attack gators.
Dumb question though, wouldn't those hole designs have some sort of intellectual property protection on them (trademark, copyright, etc)? Â I highly doubt that a prestigious, world renowned course like the ones they're talking about would give some little unknown company in Omaha rights to reproduce their signature hole...
Some are and some are not. Â They are working with a company from down south that has built these kind of hole before. Â There are some holes that they were told flat out, don't even think about it.
Skyline Woods Country Club  Liquidation and Salvage Auction
Saturday 6-2-12 at 9AM
2410 S 217 St,
Elkhorn, NE
Skyline Woods has Been Sold. A Complete Makeover is planned. Everything on the Grounds will be Sold. The Clubhouse will be Razed. Salvage Rights Will be Auctioned.There are dozens of pieces Of Grounds Maintenance Equip. Tools, Memorabilia, building Salvage and Much More.
More details on the web
auctionsolutionsinc.com
402-571-0393
The clubhouse is worthless, falling apart... Â It was falling apart before it closed, but since it sat empty its gone downhill quick.
I am not sure why they are selling the grounds equipment. Â If I had to guess, they are selling it to raise cash to design/build the course. Â After they get it up and running, I bet they lease equipment as they need it or they hire a separate company to take care of the grounds. Â I hear there are a couple courses in town where the grounds crew is a separate company hired to maintain the golf course.
Jodi Baker, WOWT wrote:Grading has already begun outside on what will be called, "The Majors," the area's first replica-championship golf course. Owner Dan Livingston, who's also behind the Arnold Palmer design at Deer Creek, is behind this latest venture, with a planned opening for May, 2014.
...
But in order to begin construction of the new facility in July, everything from the maintenance shed to the clubhouse must go. "This is a great clubhouse, but we need to get that out so we can start over again," said Livingston.
Fell down a rabbit hole and found a bit more info and both retro and new concept slides on the Circo Enterprises website 'Luxury Properties' section: https://circoenterprises.com/luxury-properties-2/
I’m not a golfer, but I enjoy the aesthetics of a well maintained golf course. I guess I’m a bit surprised that new golf courses are being constructed (or in this case, resurrected), as I thought I had read that golf was decreasing in popularity and courses nationally were being redeveloped for other urban uses. Certainly that has happened already in Omaha.
Let’s hope these people succeed.
nativeomahan wrote: ↑Wed Sep 06, 2023 2:41 pm
I’m not a golfer, but I enjoy the aesthetics of a well maintained golf course. I guess I’m a bit surprised that new golf courses are being constructed (or in this case, resurrected), as I thought I had read that golf was decreasing in popularity and courses nationally were being redeveloped for other urban uses. Certainly that has happened already in Omaha.
Let’s hope these people succeed.
I think golf regained a lot of popularity during Covid,.
As an aside, my walking group was walking through the Rockbrook neighborhood last Sunday, alongside Happy Hollow Country Club, when we (all of us non golfers) were startled to see what appeared to be two motorized golf bags zooming across a fareway unattended by human hands. I had no idea such a concept existed.
Dennis Circo (Circo Enterprises). It's in your pdf link. He lives on the golf course in a million dollar 3300 sq ft house.
My sister worked for him briefly four years ago. He had opened an art gallery in the Poppleton building at 10th & Farnam in 2019. It was only open a couple months, then Dennis closed it with little notice and no explanation. She told me he has a recording studio in that house and an extensive guitar collection.
ELKHORN, Neb. (KMTV) — After closing in 2005, the Skyline Woods Golf Course went through several ownership changes and maintenance lagged. Now, the new owner, Dennis Circo has big plans for a luxury country club. "It's like a huge relief to know that somebody is going to take over and make this like a majestic place where people want to be," said Robyn Vance, the President of the Home Owners Association (HOA).