A Tribute to Kelly Woodland
BY KATIE BOATWRIGHT
In 1914 the city of Pleasant View witnessed the construction of a big white barn. Its new occupants were to be dairy cows. The possibility of that building someday housing a restaurant, a lounge, an in-ground pool outside, and an eighteen-hole golf course. This was most likely a thought that had never crossed the farmer’s mind. Yet, in 1963, that is exactly what became of the big white barn and the piece of land that it sat on.
After it was originally built and run as a dairy farm in the eastern part of Pleasant View, the white barn and its accompanying acreages, was eventually sold to new owners, who then took over the day-to-day operations of the expansive property. Then, in 1963, Keith Downs and Abe Sanone became the new owners of the property and reshaped its rich soil into a luscious nine-hole golf course. Roughly seven years later, another nine holes were added onto the course. Seeing the golf course as a place for those who wanted to pay the dues to recreate a replica of the barn it was decided to turn transformed it into a member’s only clubhouse, which included a restaurant and lounge. Outside of the barn, a swimming pool, bathhouse, golf shop, and snack bar were added. It was a place where on the weekend, members could drop off their kids in the morning to swim for the entire day, while they could golf, eat at the restaurant, drink at the lounge, and socialized until late in the afternoon or evening. Once it was late enough, they took their kids home and came back the next day to do it all over again.
In 1972, a 17-year-old protégé golfer by the name of Kelly Woodland became the new pro at The White Barn Country Club. He oversaw the daily operations of the golf course with precision and determination. In 1975, Shon Woodland, Kelly’s younger brother, joined the team and started working in the pro shop with Kelly. In1986, Shon became the head groundskeeper.
By the late 1970s, Downs and Sanone had to give ownership of the golf course to a company from Salt Lake that bought the property with the intention of installing an athletic facility, which would have included indoor racquetball, outdoor tennis courts, and an indoor swimming pool. The company started the process of building, even digging a hole however, the plan was never completed. The Salt Lake company went broke and Keith Downs then reacquired the property. It was then, that he built, and later added onto, the two buildings that now serve as the pro shop and the Links Grill.
On July 1, 1987, Kelly and Shon, along with their mom Coleen and her husband Dean, purchased the golf course and renamed it The Barn Golf Club. Due to maintenance concerns, the pool had to be filled in and has become what is now known as the bowery. From 1987 to 1992, a redesign of The Barn took place, which included adding condos and homes around the perimeter of the golf course. However, on March 20, 2021, Kelly passed away due to complications from an illness. His passing has left some holes at The Barn Golf Club that will never be filled and he will be sorely missed. Ownership of the golf course will remain in the Woodland family.