April 10–THOMSON, Ill. — Two local men are doing what they can to put Thomson back on the map, and are hoping their newest business venture will be a swinging success.
Ryan Eissens and Zac Vandendooren, both natives of Thomson, grew up playing golf on the village’s 18-hole course formerly known as Buck’s Barn. When the establishment shut down in the fall of 2011, both were disappointed to see a Thomson landmark no longer thriving and closing up shop.
Because of that, the two took it upon themselves in March to get the facility back up and running under the name Sandburr Run Hotel and Golf Course.
“I’ve lived in Thomson my whole life and this was the first place I ever golfed,” Eissens said. “Being in construction, I knew what it would take to get it back up and running so we decided to go for it. We’re just looking to get people back in Thomson.”
The two business partners bought the 52-room hotel and the original 9-hole golf course for a negotiated price of $323,000 and are hoping to get everything back in business by this summer. The restaurant that shares a parking lot with the hotel is a separate parcel of land and was not included in the offer but is still for sale and generating interest, according to Eissens.
With the property closing only two weeks behind them, Eissens is anticipating the hotel, bar and an all new pro-shop will be ready for visitors to enjoy by the middle of May. However, the restoration of the golf course will take a little longer to complete.
In order to get the facility ready for the 300 or more members they hope to gain this summer, Eissens, Vandendooren and their live-in hotel manager, Zack Swanson, need to ensure the course’s greens, fairways and tee boxes are fit for the area’s best golfers.
“It will be about three months until the course is ready to go,” Eissens said. “It needed quite a bit of work but we’ve re-seeded the greens, pushed back the tee boxes to their original place and cleaned it up a lot.”
In addition to updating the golf course, the hotel itself needed a few cosmetic improvements as well to accommodate travelers and golfers alike. Eissens has also included a hand-built bar and a state-of-the art pro shop to the list of improvements.
By adding the bar, he will utilize two of the hotel rooms for storage and public restrooms, cutting the total number of available rooms to 50, a number he feels confident in maintaining.
“We’ll have 42 single rooms and eight double rooms with a kitchenette,” Eissens said. “We need to update some stuff and remodel the bathrooms but they’re in much better shape than we expected. It shouldn’t take too long for those to be ready to go.”
Getting the business up and running is the No. 1 goal for the three business partners and is something the people of Thomson are highly anticipating.
Village President Vicky Trager was a long-time Buck’s Barn member and she remembers the devastation she and others like her felt when the establishment closed and the lush fairways were overgrown with weeds.
“The Buck’s Barn Golf Course and Resort had been a favorite local attraction since the 1970s and it was very disappointing to see it close,” Trager said.
Now that it has reopened, and by local residents after so many rumors and failed opportunities, she is feeling confident Thomson is on finally on the rise that so many residents anticipated many years ago.
“I believe having local residents purchase and re-open the golf course and motel is a positive sign that our local economy is improving,” Trager said. “I wish Sandburr Run well and hope that 2014 will be a prosperous year for them.”
Amy Kent can be contacted at amykent@clintonherald.com.
