"Guidant didn’t just help us with funding. They helped us believe that someone like me, a digital media guy with zero golf experience, could make this happen."
Andre Liloc, Coos Bay Golf Course
From Dream Job to Dream Fairway
Andre Liloc
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The Craigslist Curveball
Andre Liloc was living what many would call the dream. A seasoned digital ad operations lead at ESPN, Andre had carved out a career that was both fulfilling and exciting. Working for one of the most recognized names in sports media, he found himself immersed in an environment where innovation met energy. He traveled often, collaborated with major players, and tackled big problems with sharp solutions. He loved the buzz of the industry – and he was good at it.
Owning a business, let alone a golf course, was not on his radar.
Then came a text that changed everything.
It was Mother’s Day 2017, and Andre was enjoying lunch with his wife and kids when his brother, a habitual Craigslist browser, sent him a listing. The message was short and somewhat cryptic: “Golf Course for Sale.”
“I thought it was a joke,” Andre recalls with a laugh. Curious, he showed the listing to his wife. “Hey, you wanna buy a golf course?”
They chuckled, brushed it off, and returned to their meal. But by that evening, the tone had shifted.
“We should look into it,” his wife said.
A View Worth the Detour
What followed was a whirlwind of research and curiosity. The listing itself didn’t offer much – no photos, no name, just a location and a price tag that seemed almost too low to be real. But their intrigue only grew. After some digging, they discovered the course was Watson Ranch Golf Course, tucked away in Coos Bay, Oregon. Nearly a century old. Remote. Untouched. And breathtakingly beautiful.
Determined to see it in person, Andre, his wife, and their two young kids packed into the car and made the six-hour drive. They met up with his brother and pulled into the course’s elevated parking lot.
“We parked and looked out and it just took our breath away,” Andre says. “It was spectacular. The valley, the greenery – it looked like something out of a postcard.”
But one thing was clear: something didn’t add up. Why was this hidden gem on the market for so little? Why had it been profitable but still left behind?
Gambling on Themselves
They soon met the owner, a businessman who had bought the property a decade earlier but had no real interest in operating it. The course, once a lively community hub, had grown quiet. The energy was gone. The members had moved on. The seller was overwhelmed and ready to walk away.
Andre and his wife weren’t sitting on vast savings. But they did have one resource that most people overlook: retirement accounts. Andre had contributed to 401(k) plans throughout his career at companies like Gap, Disney, Amazon, and ESPN.
That’s when he remembered a company he had come across during his early research: Guidant Financial.
Through Guidant, Andre learned about ROBS (Rollover as Business Start-up), a program that allows aspiring business owners to use retirement funds to invest in their own ventures, tax- and penalty-free. It was a lightbulb moment.
“We added it all up, and we had just enough – about 22% of what we needed,” Andre says. “It felt like the universe was giving us a sign. Like, ‘Here’s your shot.’”
Still, the decision wasn’t easy. He and his wife were risking their future. But Andre reframed the conversation.
“I told her, we’re either gambling on the stock market or we’re gambling on ourselves.”
And so, they made an offer.
Thirty Days to Tee Time
To their surprise, the seller accepted, but with one condition: they had to close in 30 days. The clock was ticking. If they could take over by early July, they could ride the summer golf season and bring in enough revenue to stay afloat through the slow winter months.
Andre moved fast. He left his job at ESPN. They booked temporary housing near the course. Bank accounts were opened, legal paperwork was filed, and multiple retirement accounts were consolidated and processed. Guidant’s team guided them step-by-step through the ROBS process, ensuring every form and regulation was handled with precision.
On July 7, 2017, they officially took ownership.
That same day, Watson Ranch recorded its highest revenue of the year.
Learning to Mow the Greens
Andre didn’t walk into the clubhouse as a hands-off owner. He rolled up his sleeves. He became a student of the course, shadowing long-time staff members, chatting with members, and absorbing every detail of operations.
He quickly learned that the greens, one of the most critical aspects of a golfer’s experience, were too slow. Regulars noticed. When Andre asked the grounds crew why, they explained that the mower reels needed sharpening, but the mechanic was on medical leave.
Instead of waiting, Andre tracked the mechanic down.
Together, they tested a sharper cut on the practice green. It held. The next morning, they treated the whole course.
Golfers returned from their rounds buzzing.
“What happened out there today?” one asked. “It felt like a whole new course.”
Andre smiled. “We just cut the grass.”
From Golf to Community
But Andre knew it would take more than pristine turf to revive Watson Ranch. During an early dinner with friends – locals who had grown up at the course – they shared a sentiment that stuck with him: “This used to be the place. Everyone came here. It was the heart of Coos Bay.”
That struck a chord.
Andre wanted the course to be more than just 18 holes. He wanted it to feel alive again. So, he and his wife focused on community.
They hosted member events. They brought in food trucks. They listened closely to feedback. They introduced changes that made the space more inviting to families, beginners, and long-time golfers alike.
“We weren’t from the golf industry,” Andre says. “But we brought a fresh perspective. We wanted people to feel like this was their place again.”
Slowly but surely, the buzz returned. The course, once quiet and forgotten, became a gathering place once more.
The Guidant Difference
None of it would’ve been possible without Guidant Financial.
“They didn’t just help us with funding,” Andre says. “They helped us believe that someone like me, a digital media guy with zero golf experience, could make this happen.”
The ROBS program gave them more than capital. It gave them confidence. It gave them a future. It gave them a fairway to a new life.
If you’re considering business ownership but don’t know how you’d fund it, learn more about Guidant’s 401(k) Business Financing: a flexible, IRS-approved path to investing in your own dreams
Watch the full interview with Andre Liloc on the Create the Life You Want podcast and hear the full story of how one Craigslist ad became the gateway to a thriving, family-run golf course here.
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