LA PORTE CITY, Ia. — Recent lottery winner Wally Markham isn't just a member of his local country club — he owns it.
Markham, 65, won the Iowa Lottery Hot Lotto jackpot in November, netting about $3.5 million after taxes. The retiree invested most of his winnings, but first set aside enough to buy the faltering La Porte City Country Club.
Markham was already a member of the country club and even volunteered there, mowing the greens and doing odd jobs.
"It was going downhill, and they were financially in trouble," said Markham, who worked 36 years at the John Deere plant in Waterloo.
The purchase was finalized in April. Markham has been working since then to fix it up, resurfacing the golf paths, adding two new heat pumps and refurbishing the patio. More upgrades and new landscaping are also planned.
Markham declined to say how much money he has put into the country club, which celebrated its reopening Saturday.
"It's just a nice place," Markham said. "The city of La Porte should be happy with what they've got. The only reason I bought it was for them. They have a lot of people that like to play golf."
Nancy Riley, the former assistant manager whom Markham has hired to run the country club, said he's doing a great service for the community.
"Any small country club is struggling because it takes a lot to run a country club, with fertilizer and equipment and all," she said.
Riley said Markham dreams of building a new country club, although he said he's not quite ready for that. "Someday, maybe," he said. "I'm not ready to spend a million dollars yet."
Pasture pool.
Great for Wally Markham....You still have to keep busy with something..Or the mind starts to go....Best OF Luck to WAlly
I like when nice guys like Mr Markham win.
I hope he wins again.
Congrats to Mr. Markham
What fun! Good for him!
Since I love golf, this story sings to me. I was curious about what the course looks like and I found a picture of Wally riding a tractor at his new golf course. It is a 9-hole course. Good on ya, mate!
Congrats to Wally! I love to golf, just don't seem to have the time. Of course, when my numbers come in, I will be golfing more. Don't know if I would buy a course, but definitely golfing more.
Wally looks very happy. One day i will do what he did. I know where there's a little go cart track in need of help that me and the nephews could tear up.
good for him now he can play golf and call it work
Don't know that I'd take up golf, but I'm interested in knowing the model of that vehicle.
Great story.
Wally is a heck of a man to do for his community instead of himself. My hats off to him...!
May be a john deere 7500 fairway mower,
hard to tell from the angle of the pic.