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Records show Wells College sold the golf course to Aurora Route 90 Group II LLC for $165,500. A similarly named LLC, Aurora Route 90 Group III, acquired ancillary lands near the course for $84,500. 

Both properties were assessed at $351,500. 

Kevin Fitzgerald, the new co-owner of the Wells College Golf Club, told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» Friday that he and his partner, Brian Dugan, exercised their option to buy the golf course before Wells announced its closure in April. They took over management of the club in 2021. 

"We had always intended, I think, to purchase and it was just time to do it," Fitzgerald said. 

According to the club's history, the golf course was part of the Aurora Country Club until it was acquired by former Wells College President Kerr Duncan Macmillan in 1923. It expanded from six to nine holes later that decade and was redesigned by famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones in the 1960s. 

Jones' wife, Ione Davis Jones, was a Wells College alumna and a trustee.

Dugan and Fitzgerald have improved the golf course, including the sand traps and turf maintenance, and renovated the clubhouse. 

"We've stepped in there and really created a viable small business," Fitzgerald said. "I'm over the moon that we can continue to move forward as owners. We can continue to invest. We've invested a lot of money there and now know that we control our destiny." 

The sale of the golf course wasn't subject to the state attorney general's approval. Wells is in the process of disposing of its assets and selling its campus, which must be reviewed by the attorney general's office. But Fitzgerald said the transaction did not need the attorney general's approval because the option was exercised before the closure. 

There are no plans to change the club's name, Fitzgerald said. 

With the campus on the market, one potential issue in the future is access to the club. The club's guests enter through the college. There is an easement, according to Fitzgerald, allowing the club to use the campus road. They hope that will continue when the campus changes ownership. 

Fitzgerald is excited about the future club. They will make more improvements to the golf course and redecorate the clubhouse this year. They also plan to expand their food and restaurant operations. 

"It will be absolutely supported and looked upon very fondly by the community as a whole," he said.