Sept. 11, 2025
The owners who acquired Spring Creek Golf Course earlier this golf season now have taken over management, with plans for upgrades and a new name.
Rounds are up “probably 25 to 30 percent over last year,” said Dann Grevlos, who serves as managing partner for the investment group Fore Score LLC.
“It’s weather-dependent, but our groundskeeper is one of the best, the greens are spectacular, and he keeps the course looking great.”
The 126-acre, 18-hole course southeast of Sioux Falls was built in 1994 and sits along the Big Sioux River adjacent to Good Earth State Park at Blood Run.
Fore Score purchased it from the South Dakota Parks & Wildlife Foundation, which acquired Spring Creek as a contract for deed by the original owners and developers, Spring Creek Country Club, in 2015 and then leased it back to the group with an agreement that it would maintain and run the course. At the time, the thought was that the course eventually could become part of Good Earth State Park.
Now, Grevlos and his team are planning improvements to keep it as a public course that’s privately owned.
“We have started fixing and upgrading a lot,” he said. “We’re going to have all brand-new carts that will be here in the spring, and we’re going to fix hole No. 12. That’s coming to fruition as soon as the ground gets hard enough for equipment. We’ll put in a new bridge and clean up all the brush that has grown around there, and it will be back to a super, fantastic hole.”
Longer term, the owners are working on plans for a new clubhouse and event venue. The hope is to secure bids for design and contracting so work could start potentially even this year.
“Inside, we’re upgrading: painting, fixing, cleaning out,” Grevlos said. “We’re excited about the event center clubhouse. We’re getting bids from a couple architects and have a general idea what it will look like.”
The plan is to accommodate up to 350 people for an event in a clubhouse that will include golf simulators, a bar, kitchen and event venue with its own patio and bar. In the meantime, some limited food service is expected to launch soon for those using the course.
The owners also are restriping the parking lot and adding a new digital sign. The ultimate plan is to rebrand the course, though a new name hasn’t been finalized.
“It’s just been 31 years of Spring Creek, and it’s always good to have a new brand,” Grevlos said. “Being a golf course and changing our name will help us develop our own brand, new designs, new merchandise, all that.”
Most of the team from the prior operator transitioned to the new operator or went back to school.
The prior team “was fantastic to work with,” Grevlos added. “They helped us out tremendously and were nothing but great in the transition.”
The new owners have launched online tee time reservations, and the plan is to start membership sales soon. Members will receive access to premium tee times and other benefits. GreatLIFE Golf & Fitness members still receive a discount when they golf at Spring Creek.
The plan is to add women’s and co-ed leagues next golf season.
“We’re known for doing a lot of events, and events are great, but it does interfere with tee times for the public,” Grevlos said. “We have a lot of tee times open (now). You can just tell the improvement in the rounds. I think people are excited to see what’s happening, the changes and the updates.”
The community has responded positively to the ownership change, he added.
“When I went down to Lincoln County to transfer the license, they couldn’t have been more excited. They were super-nice and congratulated us and said the residents were excited we kept it as a public course and that we’re going to constantly improve,” Grevlos said. “The problem is we have so many things we want to upgrade. We just have to prioritize. But there’s a lot we can do right away. I golfed last year until December, so we might still have two months of golf left. You never know in Sioux Falls.”