What's Next For The Oak Knoll Golf Course Property?

By Jennifer Halley, The West Side Newspaper

Oak Knoll Golf Course has closed after being sold in April to Wandering In Time Productions.

Located off Highway 22, this location has been a staple in the Salem Community for one hundred years. Aside from operating as a golf course, the property also hosted cross-country meets for local high schools and colleges and other athletic events.

In a press release sent out by the new owners, executive producer Tracy Nietupski said, “This is one of those rare places that already has a deep civic footprint; it has been part of people’s lives for generations. Our intent is not to reinvent the property but to support what it already is: a place where the community can come together to connect and have fun.”

The press release went on to say that “the Pacific Northwest-based event production company is committed to maintaining the scenic property as an open, usable space for the public benefit. There are no current plans for any major developments on the land.”

Former owner Karla Hicks, who is an avid golfer, bought the golf course in 2008 as an investment property. During her eighteen-year tenure, she and her husband Scott lived on the property in the caretaker house, and oversaw all the ins and outs of what managing a 129-acre golf course entails.

“We enjoyed living out there and running the golf course, and getting to meet the golfers who’d come in,” Hicks said. “We were the golf course that people brought their kids to to learn how to golf, so we had a lot of families out there.”

Karla said they had the job down to a fine oiled machine, but the enjoyment came with a lot of work. One of the bigger issues they consistently ran into was the water supply. Their choice not to water the fairways was due to the fact that all the water they pulled was from Rickreall Creek, which meant tapping into the surrounding farmers’ water supply.

“So what do the farmers do at that point?” she said. “Because of that water situation, I’m happy to know the property will be used for something different. The whole time we had it up for sale, no one wanted to buy it as a golf course.”

Wandering In Time Productions approached the Hicks in early summer of 2025, and went under contract in July 2025. Papers were signed on April 1, 2026, and by early May, the property and its proverbial keys were handed over to its new owners.

“The people who bought it are a good fit,” Karla said. “They’re going to keep the property the way it is, keep the beauty of it. I’m happy to see them coming in.”

Karla called Oak Knoll “a little sleeping beauty,” and its new owners are on board with that image.

“There is real value in preserving places like this,” Nietupski said. “We see this as an opportunity for land stewardship, not redevelopment. Oregon communities need spaces where people can be together outdoors. Our focus is on making sure Oak Knoll continues to serve that role for the region.”

According to the press release, Nietupski co-founded the company in 2018 with David Day, and it has grown to include popular immersive events such as the Oregon Renaissance Faire, set to take place as usual in Canby in 2026, and the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire in Snohomish. With the spirit of these events in mind, Oak Knoll offers accessible, open space for new and exciting future events.

For the Hicks, selling this property means that they can finally retire.

“Well, semi-retired,” Karla said, laughing. “When we handed over the keys, I turned to Scott and said, ‘are we really retired?’ We’d been in the hotel industry for 30 years prior to buying the golf course, and we own a VRBO in Idaho, but yes, for the most part, we are retired. I wish the new owners the best of luck,” she added, “and that they give the community what they want.”