The Sagebrush Golf Course, which was closed for the entirety of last season before being sold to a new ownership group, has pushed back its reopening date again as the Newmark Golf Group continues to expand the scope of construction at the course.

Originally scheduled to open in May, the once-lauded course which overlooks Nicola Lake now faces the very real possibility that it might not be open in time for the 2016 season either.

But James Cronk, president of the Newmark Golf Group which now owns the Sagebrush property, remains committed to finishing the upgrades to the course and surrounding properties before allowing eager golfers to start booking tee times.

“We’ve got some small groups that are booked for August and the end of July that we’re opening for on a one to one basis, but as far as [being] fully open to the public, we’re going to keep seeing how construction goes,” said Cronk. “We had this plan all along that we wanted to open once everything was finished and people could see it in its entirety.”

But while the Newmark acquired the Sagebrush course in January, the group didn’t fully comprehend the scope of the improvements that would have to be made to the course.

“We’ve got big plans, and we kept adding to our amenities. When we first started, we had just talked about kind of doing a little renovation in the lodge, and then that turned into a new maintenance building and a new parking lot,” said Cronk.

And the scope of the project continued to grow as more work was done on the property, he explained.

“The clubhouse isn’t ready yet. We’re building a parking lot, entrance way, the two clubhouses, renovating the cottages — those things are still under construction.”

Despite the expanded construction, Cronk said the course itself is in great shape — though a firm date for a public opening is still at least a month away, if not more.

“Open to the public — we’re just not sure whether that’s going to happen in August, or we’re going to bump it a little bit later,” Cronk explained. “Every couple weeks we kind of know more.”

“We could open out of a trailer and a [have] temporary barbecue type thing, but it’s just really not the kind of experience that we want to show off,” said Cronk. “At the end of the day, we’re about getting the golf course open, but also promoting our real estate development.”

At the same time, Newmark is doing some upgrades to the course itself as well, as construction on a new fairway for the seventh hole will begin next week, and a new driving range is being added to the course’s facilities.

Still, Cronk admits that the prospect of the course staying closed to the public for another year isn’t the most appealing — to a certain extent.

“Well I mean I am concerned, in the fact that [not opening this season] is disappointing.

“I would like people to see it, but I’m not concerned in the grand scheme of things. I mean, golf courses are amenities to promote real estate and things like that — we’re not going to make any money by being open,” he explained.