Skip to content
New ownership has made improvements to The Links at Summerly, which reopened in January after being closed for seven months.
New ownership has made improvements to The Links at Summerly, which reopened in January after being closed for seven months.
Randy Youngman Staff columnist mug for The Orange County Register

Closed for seven months last year, The Links at Summerly has reopened under new ownership and management, with Stanley Wang spending more than $1 million to renovate and upgrade the course in Lake Elsinore.

Wang, a Lake Elsinore resident and former golf pro in China, successfully bid $750,000 last May in a court-ordered auction to acquire the 145-acre golf property and clubhouse. Then he closed the course and opened his wallet to improve conditions and playability.

“We’re continuing to work on the course,” general manager Lee Hanley said in late March, just before the greens were aerated and 30,000 square feet of sod was trucked in to fill in patchy areas on several fairways. “The difference I’ve seen over the last year has been remarkable.”

The Scottish links-style course designed by Orange County-based architect Cal Olson originally opened in 2008 to rave reviews. It was supposed to be the centerpiece of Lake Elsinore’s first master-planned golf community, but that plan was delayed when the housing market crashed, forcing the course to operate in its early years in an undeveloped area near the home ballpark of the Lake Elsinore Storm, now the San Diego Padres’ Class A minor league affiliate.

Because of the prolonged drought in Southern California, the course also had problems with water supply and in recent years it fell into disrepair amid multiple ownership changes. In 2013, a Summerly residential developer sold the course to World Capital Market for $1.65 million, but a year later the Securities and Exchange Commission determined that WCM operated a global Ponzi scheme that defrauded its investors. That’s when the government seized the property and it went into receivership before being acquired by Wang.

Wang’s stated “dream” is to restore and maintain The Links at a “championship level,” which is why he temporarily closed it to the public so the entire course could be reseeded. He also solved the water shortage by striking a deal with the local water district to buy non-drinking water from a nearby well.

Hanley says the course, which reopened to the public in January, was almost bare hardpan before Wang took over, but he has noticed improvement in conditions on a monthly basis.

“The fairways, for the most part, have filled in,” said Hanley, who was head PGA professional at CrossCreek in Temecula before joining Summerly. “The tees and green surrounds are now very nice, and the greens are fantastic. We’re making progress.”

A recent round at The Links confirmed the improvement in course conditions and revealed that it has retained all of its distinguishing features, most notably the three miles of Scottish-style burns (narrow gravel-filled creeks) that wind through the course. After consulting with Olson, Hanley recently marked the burns with 3-foot-high yellow stakes to help golfers decide whether to lay up or carry the hazards as they think their way around the course. All five par-5s require such decisions because of burns meandering across their fairways and/or fronting the greens. There’s also a great risk-reward par-4 (No. 7, 279 yards from the white tees) with a burn in front of the green.

Besides the burns, the 18 stone bridges (reminiscent of the Old Course at St. Andrews) and a double green (shared by Nos. 5 and 14) enhance the Scottish feel. The course is also enjoyable, walkable and scenic, with the Ortega Mountains providing the majestic backdrop.

“There are no houses on the course or freeways running along it, so there are no distractions,” Hanley said. “When you’re out there, you could be in the highlands of Scotland, England or Ireland playing golf.”

Said Olson: “I’m glad the course has reopened; it was one of my favorite designs.”

BY THE NUMBERS

3: Miles of gravel-filled burns (narrow creeks) winding through the course

18: Stone bridges reminiscent of Old Course at St. Andrews

$750,000: Owner Stanley Wang’s winning auction bid for course

$1 million-plus: Money spent on continuing renovation and upgrades

7: Number of months course closed during renovation

$39: Daily and weekend green fees (not including $10 cart fee)