In an exclusive interview with SBT, developer Robert Lang says he recently sold 13 of the Williamsburg-style buildings that he built in downtown Delafield because he wants to focus his energy on Erin Hills, the golf course that he built a few miles west of Holy Hill in the Washington County Town of Erin.
"After 20 years of building in Delafield I have decided that at my age and at this stage of my life I want to focus on Erin Hills," Lang said.
The buildings that Lang sold do not include the Delafield Hotel, which Lang says "goes together" with the golf course. Many people coming to play at Erin Hills stay at the Delafield Hotel.
Lang said Erin Hills has been even more successful than he expected. The course received rave reviews in the golf world, including favorable reports in several golf magazines, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. As a result of the widespread positive press, golfers from 40 different states came to Wisconsin and played at the course this year, the course’s first full year in operation.
"I am totally shocked that we had people from 40 states," Lang said.
The undulating landscape of the Kettle Moraine created a unique natural setting for Lang to build the course. He made few changes to that landscape in building the course, keeping it as natural as possible.
Erin Hills is a championship caliber, old-fashioned links style course. Links courses are similar to the old courses found in Ireland and Scotland. They are more natural and tend to be more undulating and have fewer man-made elements. The ball rolls farther on hard, dry sandy soil on links courses like Erin Hills. That gives golfers longer distance on their shots, but can make it harder to control where those shots go.
"We’re not for everybody," Lang said. "This is Irish style golf. It’s golf, good friends and a pint of Guinness."
Lang’s ultimate goal for the course is to attract the U.S. Open, one of the four major tournaments of men’s professional golf.
The United States Golf Association (USGA), which runs the U.S. Open, awarded another tournament to Erin Hills, the U.S. Women’s Amateur Links Championship, about a year before the course even opened. The U.S. Women’s Amateur Links Championship will be held at the course from June 16-21, 2008.
Lang said, "we are under consideration" for the U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur. Typically the USGA will award a U.S. Amateur to a golf course before it gets to host a U.S. Open.
"Things are moving faster than expected," Lang said of his relationship with the USGA. However, he also emphasized, "I assume nothing. I’m just working toward championship golf."
Lang, the former owner of the Lang Cos., which he sold four years ago, said at this stage of his life, he wanted to shift his focus entirely to Erin Hills.
The 13 buildings that Lang sold in downtown Delafield were purchased by Ace Delafield Properties LLC, a subsidiary of Cudahy-based Steinergroup Inc.
The buildings have a total of 150,000 square feet of office and retail space and were sold to Steinergroup for $20.5 million.
The buildings are more than 95-percent occupied, according to Jason Steiner, president of Steinergroup.
"We liked the construction (of Lang’s Delafield buildings)," Steiner said. "It’s unique to the area and southeastern Wisconsin. We like Waukesha County. We see that’s where a lot of the growth is going to be."
Few changes are planned to the buildings, Steiner said, but Steinergroup may pursue more national tenants, while still keeping an emphasis on local tenants.
Steinergroup is the real estate investment arm of Milwaukee-based Ace World Wide Group of Companies. Steinergroup provides real estate advisory services and owns and manages office, industrial and retail buildings in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.
"After 20 years of building in Delafield I have decided that at my age and at this stage of my life I want to focus on Erin Hills," Lang said. "I love Delafield and I’ve put my heart and soul into it. Mr. (Jason) Steiner is going to do a lot of good for Delafield."
Lang also owns about 50 acres of vacant land at the I-94 and Highway 83 interchange. Lang said he plans to eventually sell that land to another developer.
