Bear Dance owners buy controlling stake in Colorado National Golf Club

ERIE — The owners of Colorado National Golf Club in Erie have sold a controlling interest in the course to SW Greens LLC — which owns Bear Dance Golf Course in Larkspur and Plum Creek Golf Club in Castle Rock — for an undisclosed amount.

The family of former University of Colorado golfer Steve Kerr retains a minority interest, and SW Greens director of marketing Mike Bennett said this week that Kerr will continue to have a role in Colorado National’s operations going forward, along with the course’s current director of golf operations Matt Schalk. SW Greens also plans to maintain the course’s relationship with CU as the official home of the school’s men’s and women’s golf teams.

Kerr, who bought Vista Ridge Golf Club in 2008 and renamed it, was in 2013 sentenced to 10 months in prison for a conviction on federal tax-evasion charges. Those legal troubles, Bennett said, in part led to the need for the Kerrs to seek additional partners in the course.

But Bennett said Kerr’s past legal issues didn’t deter SW Greens in its deal with Colorado National, which lies in the southwest corner of Weld County.

“We’ve gotten to know Steve and certainly his family,” Bennett said. “We’re happy to see how warmly he’s received in the community. That didn’t bother us one bit.

“We think he’s a hell of a guy and look forward to working with him.”

In addition to Bear Dance and Plum Creek, SW Greens also operates the Riverdale Knolls and Riverdale Dunes courses for the city of Brighton. The company touts Bear Dance for being named the top public course in the state for the past three years in a row by Colorado AvidGolfer magazine.

Bennett said SW Greens has no intention of getting involved with The Fox Hill Club in Longmont, which Kerr bought in 2011 with a group of investors that also included Boulder real-estate developer Stephen Tebo.

Colorado National officials couldn’t be reached for comment this week, but Schalk said in a news release that the new partnership “adds rocket fuel to our ability to grow our product offerings, and continue to grow the vision for Colorado National. We are excited — this is fantastic news for our team and our loyal patrons.”

Bennett said there will likely be only minor adjustments to operations at Colorado National, but little that the general public will notice.

“The Bear Dance guys have confidence in both Matt and Steve,” Bennett said.

Opened in 2003 as Vista Ridge, Colorado National can play at more than 7,700 yards. The course is the host site for CU’s Mark Simpson collegiate tournament, and has twice hosted NCAA regional tournaments. Colorado National officials also have put in a proposal to host a 2017 Champions Tour event.

“Frankly, the golf course is situated in a great location with a lot of growth,” Bennett said. “We really like the neighborhood on what is a beautiful golf course. The relationship with the University of Colorado is attractive as well. We’d like to see that continue and expand.”

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