New owner of a Wisconsin golf course plans to rebrand and reach younger clientele

PLYMOUTH, WI — The Sir Lanserlot Golf Course is entering its sixth generation of ownership, after selling for $1.6 million.

Former owner Dale Lanser sold the 18-hole executive golf course to photographer Tyler Luedtke after owning the course for 16 years.

Lanser said the golf course needed some changes and “younger ideas.”

“I wasn’t that computer savvy, and they are,” Lanser said. “They got thousands and thousands of Facebook friends and stuff. I never even had a Facebook page. And I didn’t really do a whole lot of advertising, it was all word of mouth. And these guys will do some good advertising and stuff. They’re running a bunch of specials and they’re doing a great job.”

Luedtke said he and his team are working to rebrand the golf course back to its former name, Crystal Lake Golf Course, as well as draw in a younger clientele.

“We think it’s a really awesome course,” Luedtke said. “We’ve got a tremendous existing clientele with our leagues. We’ve got leagues most nights of the week. And those people are awesome, but also being able to cater to a younger generation. We think the golf game might be switching more towards sort of that younger generation, you’re seeing younger people play on the pro tours and stuff like that. So, sort of getting all age groups back into golf, as providing an area that’s maybe not as scary as or intimidating as some of the bigger courses.”

They are also discussing plans to build a social media presence and possibly stay open during the wintertime.

In addition to being the new owner of the Sir Lanserlot Golf Course, Luedtke also owns a farm under Elkhart Acres LLC, which he said is more of a hobby, and a photography business, which he said has been a way for him to give back to the community where he grew up.

Luedtke has lived in the Plymouth area his whole life and said he went to the golf course a few times when he was a kid.

“I’ve got family that lives here, and I just really enjoy it. So, there’s sort of a neat opportunity that came about and (I) was able to pursue it from that aspect,” he said about his decision to buy the golf course.

Lanser said he first had the idea to own a golf course when he worked at the Quit Qui Oc Golf Club in Elkhart Lake.

“I was 12 years old, cutting greens and stuff like that, and I always told myself that everybody is so friendly on a golf course that when I retire, that would be the work I’d want to do,” Lanser said. “Well, it just so happened that this golf course came up for sale. I thought, well, the joke is that nobody would hire me, so I had to buy my job.”

Lanser said he really liked that Luedtke was going to keep the golf course family oriented.

“Their whole family is involved in this golf course,” Lanser said. “A lot of people we hired were college people that he went to college with. His grandmother is the bookkeeper, and his brothers are helping on the course and bartending and stuff. It was a good fit. That’s what I always wanted to do — keep it a family business. These people will do with that.”

Lanser also said that he sold it to Luedtke because it was “local money, local people” and he would maintain it as a golf course, which he said it’s been since the 1930s.

He said he is still planning to stay on board with the new ownership to help out.