Page 37 - GBC English Winter 2022

Martin Rydlo (inset), the new owner of Duntroon Highlands Golf Club
has identified an opportunity to offer great value through blended public-
membership configuration to stand out from the local competition.
An Outsider’s Journey to Become a New Golf Course Owner
season. This will give them the information they need to make short term changes, while keeping an eye on long term goals.
For others, success will be known when they sit down to look at the financial statements they’ve been avoiding. ‘How’d we do?’ they may ask accountant. ‘Profits up or profits down? Am I giving out bonuses or canceling the family trip to Florida?’
NEW OWNERSHIP
Just three short years ago, Rydlo and his wife Stacie were making a huge decision. One that would change their lives. They were inking the purchase of Duntroon Highlands Golf Club.
Armed with a business plan, a silent investor, and a whopping amount of bank debt, they would create a lifestyle job that allows them the freedom to enjoy the outdoors, raise a family, build something special, and if all goes right, accumulate enough wealth to ease the stresses of modern life.
Rydlo and Stacie are not passionate golfers. They golfed, but it wasn’t anything either would rank as a passion in their lives. They are however huge outdoor enthusiasts. And Duntroon offered something attractive, a golf course and 100+ acres of forest smack dab in the middle of the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Golf Business Canada 37