Real-estate developer Wilson Gee purchased Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course, located in the middle of a neighborhood near Knox Road and 44th Street, through an ownership group called Bixby.
Bixby closed the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course and stripped the property of anything valuable, like sod and irrigation equipment. Gee said at the time that golf was no longer economically viable on the property.
Atlanta-based PulteGroup, which owns the Pulte Homes brand, confirmed it was in escrow to buy the golf course. Pulte later revealed plans to build single-family homes on the land, about three per acre.
Two neighbors, each with homes adjacent to the now-barren golf course, filed a lawsuit against Bixby, claiming that the governing documents for the golf course require the land must be maintained for golf use.
The neighbors scored their first win when Pulte pulled out of talks to purchase Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course.
The True Life Companies purchased the golf course for $9 million. It paid $750,000 up front, with the rest due to Bixby over time.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge John Hannah ruled that the governing documents require the property to be maintained as a golf course.