Cimarron Country Club acquired by investor group, led by local golf pro Abraham Ancer

The new owners of the shuttered Cimarron Country Club and golf course in Mission have big plans for a massive redevelopment project to revive the course and turn it into an entertainment hub in the Rio Grande Valley. 

The expected investment could be $14 million for renovation, golf course retrofitting of the 40-year-old club, new infrastructure, buildings, and a restaurant, plus millions more for a retail or hotel component. 

The investor group, led by Abraham Ancer, a professional golfer and entrepreneur with ties to both the Valley and Reynosa who plays around the globe, has a new vision for Cimarron, a course he’s played countless times. 

“Cimarron already has a rich history and a strong foundation. Our goal is not simply to preserve the legacy but to elevate it and position it for the future while maintaining the character and traditions that people have always loved,” Ancer said. “Projects like this are never accomplished by one person; they become possible when you surround yourself with individuals who share a common vision and are willing to invest time, resources, and expertise into making that vision a reality.” 

The investor group includes Manuel Heredia and Olimpo Salinas, both financial advisers in McAllen, Pablo Fuentes Villarreal of Grupo Desarrollo Infraestructura, or GDI, of Mexico, which has developed golf courses, retail, commercial, and industrial projects in addition to Salvador Rodriguez, Diamond Golf International Inc., a binational company with offices in California and Puerto Vallarta that has built golf courses in Mexico and the U.S., and in the Caribbean. 

For example, GDI and Diamond Golf International worked on Bosque Real Country Club, which is nestled in the foothills of the mountains surrounding Mexico City. Diamond Golf International has worked on many other clubs across 52 countries, including the cities of Houston and Dallas in Texas, plus Lajitas Golf Resort near Big Bend in West Texas. The company refurbished the famous Pebble Beach course and has worked on dozens of the pro golfer Jack Nicklaus’ course portfolio. 

Diamond Golf International CEO Rodriguez said that he was inspired to participate in the project after a member of the Cimarron homeowners association reached out for help about two years ago. 

“A friend invited me over to look at [Cimarron] and see if we can gather some prospects to invest in it,” he said. “We’d been working with two different groups, and we managed to get the one I’m more familiar with, as we’ve done several projects with them and just found the right fit.” 

Rodriguez said he expects permitting, infrastructure, and construction to take about 14 months, then another 4 months for the landscaping to grow and mature, and that the project will last at least 2 years. 

The goal is to introduce more entertainment aspects from dining to racquetball, paddle ball, and other activities – even a center for children – to make the club enticing to families. 

The country club, built in 1983 and designed by Dave Bennett, was founded by Mike Frost and Adriana LeDuke as a hub for the local business community. 

It has been used to mitigate flooding for the City of Mission, but it will also require significant water to keep the course green. Developers say they plan to use recycled water and incorporate desert xeriscaping into the design to make it more efficient and sustainable. The existing course has too much turf, which is expensive and difficult to maintain, he said. 

The Cimarron County Club and golf course have sat vacant for the past four years, so the redevelopment required is extensive, officials said. 

Mission Economic Development Corporation and the city of Mission sold the golf course to the investor group for $2.5 million and require at least $10 million of improvements as part of the deal. The city will also pay for a water line extension to route treated recycled water for reuse, keeping the course green instead of relying on drinking water for irrigation. 

Mission EDC leader Teclo Garcia expects hundreds of jobs to be created by the redevelopment project. 

“The Cimarron was the facility to go to for quinceañeras and birthdays, and on the weekends. That was part of the fabric [of the community]. So restoring the building and the course that’s a restoration of pride and memories for Mission,” Garcia said. “This is a regional asset, it’s for Reynosa, McAllen, Mission, and all points in between.” 

In 2022, Mission purchased the golf course for $5 million, with $2.5 million split between the city and the EDC because the previous owners, Black Diamond Developers, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2022. Black Diamond Developers, operated by the Kamel family, had purchased the golf course and club from Dallas-based ClubCorp in 2020. 

Investors like Ancer are optimistic about future demand for a golf course, especially given the increase in sports adoption since COVID-19 began six years ago, he said. 

“The game of golf has grown so much. The initial investment is going to be substantial, but we’re definitely not going to cut corners; it deserves to be done the right way. I think the city of Mission and the Valley deserve a venue like this, and it’s very exciting. After I moved here from Reynosa, I played at Cimarron almost every day, and it definitely felt like home,” Ancer said. “So driving by and seeing it in the conditions it’s been in for the last few years has been very sad.”