HILO — A California investment group has purchased the Big Island Country Club for an undisclosed amount.
A joint venture consisting of UNIVA Capital Group and OAK Capital, UNIVA Resort LLC., bought the interest in the company held by Moshe Silagi, president of Silagi Development and Management of Thousand Oaks, California, according to a news release late Wednesday from Clark Realty Corp.
The property is owned by BICC Properties LLC, according to its registration with the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
Selling broker Rick Oliver of Clark Realty will continue as general manager of the country club. He referred questions Thursday to the contents of the news release.
Designed by famed golf architect Perry Dye, the golf course features wide fairways and water in play on nine of the 18 holes, according to the Big Island Country Club website.
“Situated on the lower slopes of Mauna Kea mountain, the course offers Hawaii visitor and resident golfers a cooler climate with refreshing air and sweeping vistas of mountains and the ocean,” the website states.
Silagi worked for five years revitalizing the course. Local golf pros have taken notice of the improvements over the last few years, the news release states. The total number of rounds played increased from 21,500 when Silagi purchased the property to more than 40,000 rounds in 2015.
Golfers on the TripAdvisor website seem to agree the course has improved. Known as one of the bargain courses on the Big Island, the course is also described as fun to play and with beautiful views.
“We last played this course about 8-10 years ago and swore to never come back,” said a TripAdvisor poster known as wodahS1 from Pinon Hills, California, on Dec. 28. “After reading some reviews I decided to give the course another go and we’re glad we did. The layout of this course has always been one of the best on the island. It was the maintenance and customer service that was bad in the past. … When I return to the island in 2 years this course will be on my play list.”
The new owner plans to continue the long-planned development of the property into a family-oriented resort destination, along with developing additional residential properties to bring to market. Planned improvements include building out the roadway and water infrastructure needed to support the new clubhouse and eventually the development and sale of beautiful “Up Country” home sites in Puuanahulu, the news release states.
UNIVA Resort LLC is part of UNIVA Capital Group, which has 50 companies with 80 branches operating in 16 countries and regions.