Willow Run Country Club

Willow Run Country Club traces its origins to the late 1960s, when a group of local citizens set out to add recreational facilities to the Denver area. Dr. E.H. Stumme and Paul Buenneke approached farmer Ernest Griese about acquiring his land for a golf course, an idea he initially declined.

Griese later learned the group was considering a 40-acre parcel south of town owned by Charlie and Louie Knief, which opened the door to further talks. Roughly half of the Griese farm was non-tillable at the time and used mainly for grazing cattle, and after his son Loren was drafted into the military in 1967, plans for a family dairy operation fell through. With a 65-acre site needed for a nine-hole layout, Griese had suitable ground available. The sale also required the approval of his sisters Elda, Elnore and Edna, who oversaw the family estate established by their parents John and Caroline in 1959.