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[ GOLF ]

H IS T OR Y

LVCC

HISTORY
preserved

New ownership embraces iconic history
while investing in future

STORY BY BRIAN HURLBURT
AUTHOR, THE LAS VEGAS COUNTRY CLUB: CHRONICLE OF AN ICON

PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY LAS VEGAS COUNTRY CLUB

hose who closely follow Las Vegas news reports understand
that, at some point before too long, there will be a story about
Tsome historic hotel, building or golf course being closed or
imploded in the name of progress. Many times it occurs when a new
owner moves in to take over the property. The list is long and includes
the Dunes Hotel and golf course; the Tropicana golf course; the Desert
Inn hotel and the old golf course. (The course was completely renovat-
ed by Tom Fazio and reopened as the Wynn Golf and Country Club,
but then closed again. However, it is set to reopen in fall 2019.) And so
on …
With that in mind, it is more than refreshing to chronicle an own- Photo: @jrickmartin
ership group that purchased an historic property and chose to not
bulldoze or implode it, but actually do the opposite: both embrace the Country Club: Chronicle of an Icon, a 244-page coffee table book re-
history and invest in the future. leased in 2011 and reprinted by Samick in 2018. “Then a few years later,
Such is the case at the private and historic Las Vegas Country Club. I learned about the membership’s desire to sell the club and we imme-
The Samick Music Corporation bought the place on Dec. 30, 2017. diately put our plan together. For this dream to now actually come true
Since then, they have invested heavily in improvements and modern- is very special. I believe the Las Vegas Country Club is the best private
izations, while also implementing many ways to honor the deep history club in Las Vegas, and I appreciate how important of a social meeting
of the club, which was founded in 1967 by former Boston Celtics owner place it is for Las Vegas.”
Marvin Kratter. “We believe the history of the Las Vegas Country Club Jason Edmiston, the club’s longtime Las Vegas PGA of America head
is an asset,” club president and former Samick CEO Baik Lee says. “We professional (he was also serving as interim GM at the time of this
had two goals when we purchased the club. One was to preserve and writing), has been very pleased with the new ownership group and how
embrace the club’s history, and the other was to modernize the facility they have not only renovated and updated, but also put the member
and operations.” experience first.
Samick is a premier piano and guitar manufacturer from South “The thing that stands out the most to me is how enthusiastically
Korea with United States headquarters in Tennessee. Samick Chairman the new owners have embraced the history of the club,” Edmiston says.
J.S. Kim has been visiting the club for decades and appreciates Las Ve- “From the installation of historical story boards around the golf course
gas in general and The Club’s history. The Club is located in the heart of to the construction of Dean Martin Park, featuring a life-size statue
Las Vegas, seconds away from the Las Vegas Strip resorts and adjacent of the man himself, a concerted effort has been made to preserve and
to the Las Vegas Convention Center. celebrate LVCC’s unique and colorful past. At the same time, it has also
“I was standing in the fairway, inspired by the beautiful course views been a year of renovation and modernization, with upgrades occurring
and distinct clubhouse, and I dreamed one day that I could become the throughout all areas of the clubhouse and surrounding grounds. Own-
new owner,” Kim remembered in an updated chapter of The Las Vegas ership’s willingness to make these improvements has been a breath of

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