WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – 7 News has learned that Watertown developer Jake Johnson is buying Ives Hill Country Club from Prime L.L.C., owned by PJ Simao, for $1.9 million.
Meanwhile, crews have been working at the golf course since Johnson began the process of buying the golf club in July.
Workers recently unearthed a bit of history.
Hunter Horton with Golf Services Inc. says while working on landscaping on hole number two, there were depressions near the green and once he and his crews started digging, found bunker sand.
Horton, who worked as the course’s superintendent for 13 years until 2015, says he’s looking to bring the golf course’s historic landscaping back.
“There’s a reason behind everything we’re doing here. We’re not just picking out a hole and saying, ‘Hey, let’s penalize some people here.’ We’re really trying to restore the course to its original design,” he said.
All 9 holes will have three tee boxes.
Work is expected to be finished by the end of October.
Golf will start next season. Pre-season passes will be sold next month.
Ives Hill will run as a nine-hole course. That was part of the deal when the city of Watertown bought what is now called the Thompson Park Golf Course.
In that deal, Simao agreed to a deed restriction limiting Ives to nine holes and was compensated $850,000.
Johnson is acquiring 56 acres of land on two separate lots.
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