Fast-growing Arcis Golf adds to its Collin County holdings with Prosper country club purchase

Golf course operator Arcis Golf is expanding once again — this time in its own backyard.

The Dallas-based company acquired Gentle Creek Country Club in Prosper in a deal that closed Sept. 20. Arcis assumes ownership and begins operation of the private golf club on Sept. 21.

The addition of Gentle Creek brings the number of Arcis Golf properties in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to 12, including The Golf Club at Twin Creeks in Allen, which the company purchased earlier this month. Arcis manages 21 properties in Texas and 66 facilities nationwide.

Last month, Arcis acquired six golf clubs in Arizona from Mickelson Golf Properties, founded by longtime pro Phil Mickelson and his business partner Steve Loy.

Gentle Creek, located just east of Coit Road in Prosper, features a 235-acre course designed by former PGA Tour professional D.A. Weibring. Arcis plans to invest in updates to both the clubhouse and the course’s infrastructure, adding to the more than $75 million it has invested in its clubs and courses over the last several years.

“Gentle Creek is an exceptional private club, and we are thrilled to be expanding our footprint within the D-FW metroplex,” Arcis founder and CEO Blake Walker said in a statement. “The addition of Gentle Creek to our collection of clubs is consistent with our growth strategy and builds upon our irreplaceable and differentiated club offering within the market.”

Walker, a graduate of Southern Methodist University, founded Arcis in 2013. Since its founding, Arcis has grown into the second-largest golf course operator in the country behind Dallas-based ClubCorp, acquiring a mix of daily-fee properties, resorts and private clubs.

Arcis Golf is backed by Arcis Equity Partners, a private equity firm managed by Walker. Fortress Investment Group, a New York private equity firm with nearly $50 billion in assets, has held a significant ownership stake in the company since 2013. Last fall, Arcis Golf announced that Atairos, another equity firm, had acquired a significant stake in the company.