Group Delays Ellis (Kan.) CC Purchase

Ellis Golf Club LLC was formed days before the June 1 deadline to purchase the property for $104,600.

A group planning to buy Ellis (Kan.) Country Club will not be able to make the purchase as soon as expected, the Hays Daily News reported.

The Ellis City Council was prepared to complete the sale of the club on May 24 until the group, named Ellis Golf Club LLC, revealed it would not be ready until the following week. The deadline for the purchase is June 1.

The clubhouse property’s purchase price, which includes equipment, is set at $104,600. The plan is for the city to purchase the property from Equity Bank and then sell it to Ellis Golf Club LLC. As it stands, the city owns most of the land at the course and the 99-year lease would be changed to a 25-year lease at $100 a year.

Ellis Golf Club LLC is made up of 40 members, most of whom are Ellis residents. They have not yet elected officers. Group member Don Younger said they formed out of necessity.

“They were going to close the course if we didn’t” purchase it, Younger said. “We kind of look at it as a thing for Ellis; we need the golf course over here.”

Equity Bank pushed for a May 15 sale of the foreclosed property in the original contract, but amended it after a special council meeting.

“I’m very, very hopeful that [the sale goes through],” Ellis City Attorney Olavee Raub said. “I think at this point everything looks like we’re going to be able to get it done.”

Younger acknowledges that owning the club will be a challenge, due to a loss of memberships.

“The first year is probably going to be pretty rough,” Younger said. “But after that, I think we’ll be all right.”

Tags: Don Younger Ellis Country Club Ellis Golf Club LLC Ellis Kan. Equity Bank Olavee Raub