Local Investor Acquires Historic Barbara Worth Country Club, Launches Restoration Ahead of Centennial

-Editorial 

Imperial Valley native Ray Roben, operating as Roben LLC, announced the close of escrow and the official acquisition of the historic Barbara Worth Country Club and Golf Course.

The transaction comes after a period of financial instability and foreclosure for the 100-acre resort and returns the legacy 1927 property to local stewardship.

“The Barbara Worth Country Club is not just a real estate investment; it is a foundational piece of our community’s history,” Roben said.

“We purchased this property because we believe in its potential. Our immediate focus is on stabilization, cleaning up the years of accumulated neglect, addressing deferred maintenance, and restoring the facilities so that they can once again be used to serve the community.”

Noting that the country club will celebrate its centennial in 2027, he added:

“Our goal is to ensure it reaches that milestone not as a fading landmark, but as a revitalized part of Imperial Valley.”

As a nod to the importance of the community’s use of the facility, Holtville High School will use the Country Club’s event center this spring. The high school’s golf team has also been granted use of the club’s golf course as it is being restored.

Adrian Paz, who joins Roben’s team as the full-time, on-site property manager, brings more than 20 years of experience in large-scale event production, hospitality, and complex facility management to the project.

“We are approaching this restoration with patience and precision,” Paz said.

“Rather than making grand promises, we are focused on the work in front of us — cleaning up the property, repairing infrastructure, and ensuring everything is structurally sound before opening it to full-scale use.”

Earlier in the week, the Country Club event center hosted a Town Hall meeting for neighboring homeowners, called by Imperial County Supervisor John Hawk, to address community questions and infrastructure concerns.

Roben said there are no plans to dismantle the historic 18-hole golf course. Barbara Worth is a historic hospitality and recreation property, and the goal is to restore it as a destination for golf, community events, and local gatherings.

The golf course is currently undergoing a temporary public closure to allow for critical agronomic repairs, restoration of irrigation systems, and extensive tree maintenance before reopening.

The neighborhood meeting also featured infrastructure updates.

Imperial County Public Works Director David Dale confirmed that the Country Club Sewer Maintenance District (CCSMD) is moving into a positive financial position, supported by the payment of outstanding utility obligations recovered during the close of escrow.

That allows the County to pursue outside funding to replace the undersized, 1970s-era 4-inch sewer force main with a modernized 6-inch line, addressing long-standing capacity issues.

Additionally, Hawk announced that Fairway Drive is scheduled for complete repaving in the coming months.

“The country club has gone through a lot, and the era of mismanagement was a nightmare for everyone in this neighborhood,” Hawk said.

“When you let local businesspeople, with a proven track record, run things, it is not going to be run down.”

He added that Barbara Worth is one of just two 18-hole golf courses in the Valley.

“We need to keep both of them.”

Paz said Roben LLC will spend the coming months restoring the course through irrigation, turf work, and ongoing maintenance.

The new ownership is also actively seeking a qualified, locally based restaurant operator to partner in reopening the facility’s commercial kitchen and bar.