Indiana couple turns $5.5M closed golf course into county's largest preserve

For years, Wolf Run Golf Club in Zionsville, Indiana, was known for its challenging fairways, water features, bunkers and rolling landscape. Today, many of those same fairways have disappeared beneath grasses and vegetation, while birds, deer, foxes, turtles and bats have returned to the property.The transformation is taking place at what is now called Carpenter Nature Preserve, named after the couple who purchased the land for $5.5 million in 2021 and helped pave the way for its future as Boone County’s largest nature preserve.From golf course to nature preserveWolf Run opened in 1989 and was founded by dentist and amateur golfer Dr. Jack Leer. Designed by architect Steve Smyers, the course was known for its large water features, greenside bunkers and undulating terrain.But after nearly three decades, the golf course closed in 2017.The property's then-owner, Stan Burton, subsequently submitted plans to rezone the land for a major mixed-use development.