This article originally appeared in the January issue of NCGA Golf Magazine
By Ted Johnson
The winter of 2023 had a particular and expansive impact in east Tulare County, especially in the “citrus belt” surrounding the Porterville and Springville communities. A heavy mid-January storm elevated the Tule River into a flood stage, damaging local property and even washing over a bridge on the River Island Country Club course.
But that was nothing compared to what came two months later.
Heavy rain began to fall on the southern Sierra, which already had been packed with snow. The Tule surged with snowmelt into an incredible rage towards the Valley floor. On March 10, debris from the previous storm as well as leftover tree trunks from a 2019 wildfire east of Springville stormed westward in a devastating flow, flooding homes, knocking over more large trees and, once on course property, knocking out two bridges that were at least 35 feet above the normal water level. It was so high the river rediscovered an old channel that wrapped around the 16th, 17th and 2ndholes, destroying the greens. The fairways on No.1 and No.2 were flooded and more than half of the 18th green, at least 40 feet above normal water level, was covered by the Tule.
It was not the best time for River Island CC to undergo such a calamity.
Old Membership, New Owner
Founded in the 1960s and then sold to noted oilman Robert Montgomery of Bakersfield in the early ‘70s, River Island CC sits in a bucolic setting marked on one side by oaks, sequoias and sycamores. Tee or approach shots over the Tule take place on the 1st,10th , 12th , 16th and 18th holes. On the west end, expansive fairways and rolling terrain offer views of the nearby mountains.
Montgomery sold the club to equity members in the late1970s, but as members aged, membership decreased and not enough new members filled in. The resulting drop in revenue over time forced such things as course maintenance to be reduced and the restaurant to close. Outside play was allowed, and though some equity members remained, RICC evolved into a public facility.
Then the March 2023 storm hit. Not only was the club bankrupt, but the course was littered with tons of dead material. Greens were eviscerated or covered in sand; fairways were either covered in detritus or reduced to dirt, and even cart paths had been turned into concrete chunks.
This is what awaited Raj Dillon, who had started his career as a CPA and then became the owner of the Red Barn gas station chain that now has 12 locations. His son played golf often at River Island, and his wife, Minty, who grew up in Porterville and attended Monache High School, had a special love of the club. She didn’t play golf, but the clubhouse views overlooking the Tule River made it a special place for dinner, weddings and special occasions.
After an event at the club, a member interested in reviving RICC approached Raj, who then on the ride home told his son that someone mentioned buying the club. And in reciting this, Raj Dillon dropped his head and said, “That’s where I made my first mistake.”
His son told his mother, who then pushed her husband to a decision. “She’s the one who made me buy it,” Raj said.
One realizes quickly that there’s a sheepish quality to Raj Dillon that belies sharp business acumen. And reviving RICC would require a lot of business smarts – and money.
Cleanup
Massive piles lay on the 12th,17th and 1st fairways. Over here was dead flora, including6-foot-wide tree trunks and root balls as well as large branches. Piles of destroyed concrete were over there. Cleanup was an arduous task.
“The first thing we had to do was clean the river,” Dillon said. That meant clawing out the dead tree trunks and branches that were wedged into banks and among rocks. It also meant cutting down trees near the river’s edge. The trees prevented large objects from flowing through, and thus the stoppage would grow and grow, forcing the river to rise around and over it, which caused the flooding.
Dillon had help from Josh Pearson, along-time member of the club who lives overlooking the 12th green and is a general contractor. “We just hit it off,” Dillon said about meeting him. Another friend, Larry Mitchell, knew Dillon from the gas station business. When Dillon wasn’t onsite Mitchell kept an eye on all the work. Restoration started with 160 semi-pulled truckloads to clear the course. “And trucking is expensive,” Pearson said. Indeed.
As they cleared, it became obvious that the course needed more work than just removing dead material. The irrigation system operated off hydraulics, one of the last in the country to do so. It had to be replaced. Fairways were reseeded for the first time in years. Since many greens had to be rebuilt, all greens were re-grassed with a more resilient Bermuda strain. All the bunkers were relined with porous concrete and then refilled with a mixture of river sand left from the flood and other sand from Southern California. “That saved us a lot,” Pearson said.
More expense: A new bridge was constructed in South Carolina and trucked across the country. It arrived in three pieces, was assembled and then required two cranes to lift it into place. Another bridge went in on the 10th hole.
A new course superintendent, Juan Vanda, oversees the course conditions, which no doubt is easier with a new automated irrigation system he can control from a smartphone. And one thing RICC needs is irrigation. Come July through October 1, daytime temperatures average well into the 90s, and long streaks of 100-plus are common. That’s one reason why Varda had lights installed on the driving range. Customers could beat the heat by beating balls into the night.
Overall, though, Dillon shook his head at the irrigation. “That was expensive,” he said.
There was more to be done. The entrance way to the pro shop and restaurant were remodeled, as were the bathrooms. The reception and bar and eating area acquired new tile, and a new bar was installed, as was anew chef. The restaurant that once had been closed is now open two nights a week and all seven days for breakfast and lunch. It recently hosted very successful Christmas and New Year’s Eve events.
“If you’re going to do something, you have to do it right,” Dillon said.
A visitor will notice that Raj Dillon is onsite a lot. As is Minty. She and Raj will work a wedding, him serving and she greeting and making sure everything goes as planned.
“It takes a lot,” Raj said about this commitment. “And rounds are up, which is good, but there’s always more.” His goal in 2026 is to average over 100 rounds a day, seven days a week. A weekend round costs $70 and includes a cart. Among other amenities is a menu that includes a killer club sandwich and a Happy Hour draft costs $3.
Revived
Looking back, from the days of finding a debris-covered golf course in March 2023 and then into cleanup and then restoration, one has to wonder about cost before it opened for play in October 2024. When Raj Dillon first inquired, an estimate was given, but like most remodeling estimates the original number turns out to be much too low when all the needed work becomes known. So, from the first estimate to final cost, what was the difference – two times greater, three? Four?
“It was a lot more,” Raj said.
Time will tell if it will be worth the investment, but right now members and long-time visitors are noticing. “People say it all the time,” Mitchell pointed out, “ ‘The course has never looked better’.”
There’s a bright future looming.