Black Diamond History
Stan Olsen: The man and his dream
The first time he saw her he knew she would be his. He closed his eyes and began to dream. And the vision began to grow. Others saw an ugly hole in the ground. But not Stan Olsen.
He envisioned 80-foot cliffs. Dramatic elevation changes. Classic bunkering. Pristine fairways. A golf course framed with thousands of beautiful live oaks, dogwoods, myrtles, and magnolias.
Those in the “know” called him crazy. They laughed at the very idea.
Maybe a housing development and a low-cost one at that. But a private country club that would attract the envy of golfers from around the world. Ludicrous.
But no one is laughing now.
Instead these days Black Diamond’s stunning Quarry Course, transformed from an old limestone quarry, is consistently rated among the world’s best. Her stunning natural setting, used to highlight the artistry of course designer Tom Fazio, earned the high praise of Golfweek Magazine, which in its list of “Best Residential Courses” ranked it sixth in the country and No. 1 in the entire state of Florida.
First-time visitors to the course can often be overheard raving about the remarkably awe-inspiring views. It was therefore no surprise that Kevin Kwak, the director of golf at the five-star Crow Valley Golf Club in Davenport, Iowa was left near-speechless by the experience.
“I’ve been in this business for 20 years and I’ve touched a lot of corners of the world and Black Diamond Ranch is very, very extraordinary,” said Kwak after playing the Quarry Course during this year’s Pro/Am charity fundraiser in late January.
But this course didn’t just happen. It didn’t just all come to be on its own.
It was the brain-child of one man’s genius. Stan Olsen saw what no one else could and the result is what many have called “the five most spectacular holes in all of golf.”
For Olsen it all started for him in the early 80s when he was beckoned to Citrus County by his friend and future business partner Sam Tamposi.
The developer from New England had already relocated his family to the area and begun work on the Citrus Hills subdivisions where Terra Vista would eventually serve as its eloquent centerpiece.
What, however, was the thought process that festered itself inside the recesses of the mind of Olsen, a system’s engineer now turned golf course developer.
“The one thing I concentrated on was to take the built environment which we needed and push that into the background and pull the natural environment to the foreground,” stated Black Diamond Ranch’s president and developer. “I had a vision of what some of the things would look like when they were done but they look even better than I could have imagined. The way the trees hang over the entrance way on your way into the club, for example. I had a vision but God and nature took care of the rest. Isn’t it amazing how much greater he works.”
Recently Black Diamond Ranch contracted Troon Golf, the world’s largest golf management company, to oversee the day-to-day operations of Black Diamond Ranch’s 45-hole country club that includes the 18-hole Ranch Course and the 9-hole Highlands Course.
“Black Diamond is an exceptional private golf community,” explained Hud Hinton, president and COO of Troon Golf. “We are honored to have been selected by them and are confident that our management practices will contribute positively to the experience of the members and guests.”
Evidence that the community was originally developed with golf, rather than real estate as its priority, can be appreciated at every turn. From the way the home sites have been masterfully planned to blend into the landscape without interrupting the design of the golf course to the way the residential villages and the course layout take advantage of the stunning scenery.
“Out there right now you can only see one or two houses but in reality there are about 200 out there. It’s all very natural. Everything is natural and I think it helps the mind also. You’re not totally conscious about it when you’re playing golf because you concentrate on the game. But that’s what allows you to concentrate so much on the game,” explained Olsen. “On most courses the rough is somebody’s pool enclosure. They really cut down on the nature. They disturb your vision. It’s almost as much a nature experience as it is a sporting experience so that’s what I concentrated on. The closest thing I can compare it to is cross-country skiing.”
But Olsen wasn’t through building just yet.
Motivated by the fact that he felt “we owe something to the community” Olsen allowed his course to be the vehicle to do just that.
A giving tree is planted
Six years ago Jay Joines and several other members, spurred on by their desire to help out some of their less fortunate neighbors, started what is now known as the Black Diamond Foundation. The charitable organization that donated a modest $13,000 back to the community in 2003 has grown into one of the most influential charities in Citrus County. In fact, last year $158,000 was dispensed to more than 30 charities here in the county thanks to the Foundation that has given more than $500,000 back to Citrus County in the last five years.
“We are perceived in Citrus County as the rich people behind the gate and we thought we needed to take advantage of the charitable instincts of our members who had helped charities in their hometowns but now had a new hometown,” explained Joines, the Foundation’s original chairman. “We put together those instincts and showed the people in Citrus County that the people in Black Diamond genuinely care. We’ve been able to successfully find charities that we can be the bridge for. We help them when they don’t have quite enough money to complete their goal and in so doing we can be their bridge that makes that happen.”
One of the organizations that has been on the receiving end of Black Diamond Ranch’s charitable generosity is CASA, an organization for battered women and children.
“The foundation has helped so many battered woman and children here in Citrus County. The Black Diamond Foundation has been so good to us. In the beginning they provided funding so that we could have computers so that we could provide better services to our clients,” said CASA’s executive director Diana McIntosh. “After that they have provided money for food. They have provided food. Most recently they have donated $25,000 to the Black Diamond Foundation playground at our new shelter. They have also helped some of our people go to school and obtain an education.”
One such example of that was a young lady that McIntosh described as “beaten down physically and emotionally.” Thanks to the Foundation this young lady was able to achieve her dream of being a cosmetologist. Her mother had been a cosmetologist but had died. Thanks to the funding from the Foundation however, she has achieved her dream and now works as a cosmetologist and provides a better life for herself and her son.
Another one of the county’s recipients, the Withlacoochee Technical Institute, has seen its enrollment up significantly with the recent economy. And again the Black Diamond Foundation has answered the call providing 11 students with scholarships last year.
“For the most part people that come to our school are not those that would typically go to college,” said Brenda Miley a guidance counselor at WTI. “Black Diamond has been so wonderful to us. They give us money for the Black Diamond scholarships. One man that has benefited from this was until recently homeless. Every day he rides his bicycle to school. He has always maintained perfect attendance and this year he’ll be graduating with his certificate. This will provide him with the opportunity to go out and make a nice living.”
In addition to these organizations last year alone Black Diamond Foundation was responsible for donating $54,000 to the area’s food banks, providing three four-year college scholarships to the county’s public high schools, making sure that every deputies car was equipped with defibrillators and that the Fire and Rescue Department was provided with special cameras to potentially find humans and animals trapped inside of burning buildings.
“One of our goals was to increase our visibility within the community,” said the Foundation’s current chairman Bill Joens. “We hold three different fundraisers throughout the year with 40 percent of all money raised annually coming from the Pro/Am golf tournament timed every year in correlation with the golf show in Orlando. Another big fundraiser is Birdies for Charity that works in conjunction with the four-day PGA golf tournament at Innisbrook Country Club.
Thanks to the Black Diamond Foundation the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization is still operating here in Citrus County. When the organization was recently dropped as a funded agency by the state legislature Black Diamond Foundation stepped in and took it upon itself to support them, allowing Big Brothers/Big Sisters to continue in Citrus County as a private entity.
There are many other resource centers that have been touched by the Foundation’s generosity, including Daystar, Church Without Walls and Habitat for Humanity.
In fact last year the Foundation’s largest single donation of $70,000 went toward building its first Habitat house in Inverness. Thanks to the Foundation CFCC now is able to offer a golf course maintenance program which began in the fall of 2008.
All of this and so much more because of one man’s vision that in 1987 became a reality.
Where others saw just a hole in the ground Stan Olsen saw a future. And now nestled inside the small bedroom community that is Lecanto, Florida, there exists one of the greatest spectacles in all of golf.
There’s no denying the work of head golf professional Lynn Janson, golf superintendent David Court and director Michael Moore’s tireless efforts in making Black Diamond one of the world’s most luxurious courses.
But that’s just the beginning of the story. For behind those steel gates there exists a man with a golden heart. Olsen, along with a large group of his friends, have opened up their pocketbooks and dedicated their resources to helping their less fortunate neighbors. And in so doing they’ve touched the lives of many that otherwise never would have had a chance.
Mark Twain once said that “Golf is a good walk ruined.”
Not at Black Diamond … there it’s a life-changing experience - in more ways than one.
CITRUS COUNTY CHRONICLE SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2009
I specialize in golfing communities in Citrus County, Citrus County Golf Course homes, Black Diamond Ranch golf course homes, Black Diamond golf real estate, Diamond Ranch Real Estate, and I live in a beautiful Florida golf community.
