GreatLife Golf & Fitness has purchased Drumm Farm Golf Course in Independence, Missouri for an undisclosed amount from the previous owner, Nebraska-based Landscapes Unlimited. GreatLife Golf, a Kansas-based company, plans to add a state-of-the-art fitness center to the 280-acre, semi-private Michael Hurdzan-designed club by February 2015.
GreatLife runs courses that offer low membership fees, combining gym membership with golf. It has grown quickly during the past few years and now manages 38 courses. It is offering monthly membership fees for as low as $29.99.
Rick Farrant, president of GreatLife Golf & Fitness, has had his eye on Drumm Farm, a semi-private club, since 2008, when his company first entered the Kansas City market. But Landscapes Unlimited purchased the Missouri club, and transitioned it into a semi-private club in 2013.
“Acquiring it was in our original plan but we didn’t pull it off,” Farrant said. “Michael Jenkins [president of Landscapes Unlimited] contacted us in the summer and wanted to know if we still had an interest in the property. I told him we’d be happy to and we started a dialogue.”
The sale of the club, which currently has 220 members, closed on Oct. 31 though details emerged just last week. The club has a par-72 course and a par-30, nine-hole Executive Course. Drumm Farm Golf Club employees will retain their jobs.
Greatlife Golf & Fitness is known for ramping up fitness centers at all new properties and Farrant hasn’t wasted any time. Construction on the fitness center has already begun and Farrant hopes it will be completed by February. The clubhouse will be renovated to create space for a new circuit training center and wiffle ball practice area. Additions to the fitness center include new treadmills, a bench press and machine squat. The sand traps will also be renovated.
“We have a pretty extensive plan to rebuild the sand traps though that’s very weather related,” Farrant said. “We will definitely stay open during that time. We are hoping to get a few done by the end of the year if the weather will cooperate.”
Farrant has expanded his company’s presence in Kansas City by acquiring Staley Farms Golf Club in 2012, and signing on to manage Canyon Farms Golf Club (formerly The Golf Club of Kansas). Members of any GreatLife Golf facility can enjoy a game of golf at any GreatLife location. Farrant hopes to increase membership.
“It’ll definitely be more membership based,” he said. “We now have nine properties that are about 30 minutes from each other. All memberships include reciprocal play. With Staley Farms and now Drumm Farms, that’s a pretty attractive arsenal.”
Farrant and his wife Linda were particularly attracted to Drumm Farms due to their involvement in the foster care system. Located just two miles from the club is the Drumm Farm Center for Children, which provides housing for foster families. Farrant and his wife have a personal connection to the foster care system, having fostered children in their home for 10 years and recently adopting four children of their own.
“This is right in our wheelhouse,” he said. “It’s a unique facility with homes where foster parents live and raise their kids. We’re planning a lot of cooperative efforts to help the kids.”
Farrant and his wife started GreatLife Cares, a foundation that works to involve kids in golf events.
“We have to get kids on the driving range and include them in all our programs,” he said. “We’re having fun doing what we’re doing and want to acquire more courses in Kansas City. We’re right on the verge of a broader scaled growth.
GreatLife Golf owns or manages more than 38 golf courses located throughout Missouri, Kansas and South Dakota. Farrant said GreatLife is closing in on a new deal in South Dakota and details will arise soon.