HOLYOKE — Wyckoff Country Club golf course at the base of Mount Tom has a new owner who plans on renovating the 18-hole course and having it complement an overall grand design for a sports complex in Holyoke.

Cesar Ruiz, a local entrepreneur who made his fortune as CEO and founder of Golden Years Home Care Services, Golden Years Behavioral Health Group and Golden Years Staffing, announced Monday he had acquired Wyckoff for $2.8 million, with plans to spend an additional $250,000 to modernize and renovate the property, which includes a restaurant and clubhouse.

“This 120-acre gem will continue its legacy as a premier country club and vibrant social hub,” Ruiz said in the statement. “I look forward to working with the community in Wyckoff’s next growth phase.”

The statement added that all present staff would remain employed, with plans to generate additional jobs for the area.

The purchase aligns with Ruiz’s other ventures into his stated goal of turning Holyoke into the “Sports Capital of New England.” In February 2024, Ruiz and Holyoke Mayor Josh Garcia revealed plans for building a massive sports complex, known as the USA International Sports Complex. The complex would be centered around a new facility hosting the Volleyball Hall of Fame, commemorating the sport invented in Holyoke in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a physical education director at the local YMCA.

Andrew Melendez, the chief operating officer of USA International, said in an interview with the Gazette the renovation plans at Wyckoff included updating the course’s clubhouse as well as the Tee Time Bar and Grill restaurant, along with the acquisition of new golf carts to replace the current fleet. Melendez said the changes would allow the restaurant to be open five to six days a week, whereas presently it is open from Wednesday to Saturday for dinner.

“We want to invest in Holyoke in so many different ways. Cesar believes in Holyoke,” Melendez said. “We’re going to put a lot of money into the clubhouse and the golf course, and really give Holyoke what they deserve.”

Wyckoff had been owned since 2019 by brothers Charlie and William Arment, along with Bob VanZandt and his wife, Elizabeth. Melendez said that Ruiz buying the property from them came about “through a couple of phone calls” following the announcement of the USA International complex last year.

“It wasn’t listed for sale,” Melendez said. “It’s got beautiful scenery. It was designed by Donald Ross, who’s the architect of some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world. You just couldn’t pass it up.”

Melendez said the acquisition was finalized on Friday and that renovations would likely begin very soon, with a demolition team and architect at the ready.

“We’re hoping that in the next 45 days, the community sees the brand-new country club,” he said.

The sports complex project calls for the creation of a new building to host the hall of fame, along with 16 volleyball and basketball courts and the installation of other activities such as an arcade, bowling alley and rock climbing. A new hotel is also included in the plans during a later phase of the project. In total, more than 140,000 square feet of indoor space will be used to host the complex, according to the city.

Though Melendez said the golf course would not be part of the sports complex proper and would not host any non-golf sporting activities, he said that he hoped the course would help draw in further sporting events to the city, expressing the desire to see the course host a junior Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) tournament.

“I think the PGA wants communities like Holyoke to start learning how to golf and be a part of the golf movement,” Melendez said. “We’d be blessed to be a part of it.”

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdocugall@gazettenet.com.