A northeast Bakersfield country club is shutting down after an emergency plan to save the property from foreclosure failed.
Scarlet & Gray Golf Course, formerly known as Rio Bravo Country Club, announced last Friday that the course has begun winding down all operations.
Driving the news: Jeremy and Kimberly Willer purchased the club in December 2023, taking over a course that has dealt with various financial issues.
Issues continued to mount as the Willers faced marital troubles, culminating in Kimberly Willer filing for divorce last December. That followed an incident in March of last year when Bakersfield police were called to their home for domestic violence. Kimberly Miller told officers that Jeremy Willer punched her in the face. Jeremy Willer claimed he was trying to defend himself.
The big picture: The Willers had planned to renovate the golf course, but the club has instead become embroiled in their divorce proceedings.
The club stated that Jeremy Willer has tried to secure an emergency private sale to pay off outstanding lienholders, but his wife refused to execute the court stipulation during a hearing last week.
The property faces an active multimillion-dollar default and pending foreclosure.
What they’re saying: “We brought a fully funded, viable buyer to the table to save this historic community asset, pay off all pressing debts, and ensure that every party walked away whole,” Jeremy Willer said in a statement. “Unfortunately, when one party chooses personal obstruction over basic fiduciary duty and economic reality, the math simply runs out. I cannot continue to fund a business that is being actively forced into foreclosure.”