A Sherwood native who grew up playing golf at High Cliff Golf Course is the new owner of the course.
Jesse Troestler closed on the purchase of the course May 24, taking ownership from a group of 11 investors led by Dan Rippl and Jeff Luniak.
“It’s very much an emotional investment,” Troestler said, but he sees opportunity to succeed. “We truly have some of the best holes in the Fox Valley.”
The course is adjacent to High Cliff State Park, making it a haven for wildlife like deer, turkey and fox.
Troestler grew up in a home on the golf course, played golf in high school and in college at St. Norbert. He was national sales director at West Corp., now Saleslytics, when he began investing in real estate about a decade ago.
He initially invested in condominiums and residential rental properties. When the passive income from his real estate investments started to exceed his salary, he decided to change careers and more actively manage his investments.
The decision in early 2020 proved to be challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he came out the other side with a real estate portfolio more centered on commercial properties. In fall 2022, he learned from his friend Corey Feller, who is High Cliff’s golf pro, that there was an opportunity to purchase the course.
The property includes the course, the banquet hall and a HOA development that has 22 duplexes planned (12 have been built). Troestler, who declined to share the purchase price, said negotiations were complex and lengthy.
He said the course is in excellent shape for the season and credits course superintendent Rodney Lesnick.
“The leadership team is exceptionally strong,” Troestler said which allows him to focus on his areas of strength.
Troestler said he is investing in course maintenance and anticipates further improvements. Built in 1968, the course has been through numerous transitions and improvements. He said in the fall they will look at removing trees, adding ponds and making additional changes to improve playability.
While the upper banquet hall was renovated three years ago, Troestler said renovations are due for the lower banquet hall.
Today, Troestler and his family live in a house on the course that he and his wife built the year they got married (a move he strongly advises against). His proximity and the relationships he’s built though golf and the High Cliff Golf Course means he is invested more than just financially.
“It’s always been and always will be a big part of my life,” he said.
