"It was offered to me on a Friday afternoon, and we signed the paperwork on Tuesday."
That's Rick Caruso, the developer behind The Grove and The Americana at Brand, describing how he came to own the golf and social club tucked behind the gates at Lake Sherwood. Four days. No drawn-out escrow, no public bidding war, just a phone call from a broker and a signature by the following week. For a property that has anchored this community since the 1960s, that's a strange way to change hands.
If you live anywhere near the lake, you've probably already heard some version of this. What's harder to find is a straight answer on what's actually confirmed, what's still a rumor, and what the club will look like when it reopens. Here's where things stand as of mid-September.
Not Sherwood Country Club. This Is the Lake Club.
Worth clearing up first, because the two get conflated constantly: Lake Sherwood has always had two separate clubs. David Murdock's original development included both Sherwood Country Club and Sherwood Lake Club as distinct facilities within the same gated community. Caruso's deal is with the Lake Club, the one built around the reservoir and the golf course behind the Sherwood gates near Thousand Oaks. If your membership or your routine runs through the country club side, none of this is your building.
How Fast the Deal Actually Moved
The purchase closed earlier this year through an LLC, though it wasn't reported publicly until late April, when The Real Deal and the industry outlet L.A. Material broke the story. The timing traces directly back to the death of Sherwood Lake Club's longtime owner, David H. Murdock, the former Dole Food Company chief executive who developed the entire Lake Sherwood community and passed away in June 2025 at age 102.
Caruso has been candid about how personal the deal felt to him.
"I knew Dave Murdock well, and I knew the quality that he put into everything that he built. The whole development behind the gates out there, it's really one of a kind."
That quote matters more than it might read at first. Caruso isn't just buying real estate here. He's stepping into a piece of property that a well-known local figure spent decades shaping, and the pressure to get the renovation right is baked into how he talks about it.
The Course Everyone Agrees Not to Touch
Whatever else changes, the golf course itself isn't one of them. The 18-hole layout is a Jack Nicklaus "Bear's Best" par-3 design, and according to Caruso's team, it's one of only two courses of its kind anywhere in the world and the only one in the United States. Nicklaus built the format by drawing individual holes from some of his most recognizable designs across the globe, scaled down to a par-3 length that's approachable for newer players while still testing anyone who's spent real time on a course.
Caruso has pointed to broader participation numbers as part of the reasoning behind the purchase, noting that golf participation nationally has climbed more than 50 percent over the past decade. Whether or not that trend holds locally, it's clear the course was the asset he wanted intact. Everything getting rebuilt sits around it, not on top of it.
What's Actually Under Construction
The clubhouse is where the real work is happening. At 18,000 square feet, it's being rebuilt to include:
- A relocated pool, moved to open up more outdoor space than the current layout allows
- A full, refreshed gym and separate fitness and training facilities
- Tennis courts as part of the amenity package
- A wellness center positioned to overlook the golf course
- A more casual poolside grill for lunch service
- A signature restaurant concept as the clubhouse's main dining draw
That last point is worth sitting with for a moment, because it's changed since the story first broke.
The Restaurant Detail That Changed Between April and July
When The Real Deal and Hoodline first reported on the purchase back in April, the restaurant plan was described specifically as an Italian-themed restaurant and bar. By the time Caruso's own team gave Hollywood Reporter a first look at the project in July, the language had shifted. The clubhouse's dining program was described instead as a signature restaurant concept, with the chef still to be announced.
That's not a contradiction so much as a plan still being finalized in public view. Spring reporting captured an early concept. The July unveiling, coming straight from Caruso, reflected where things actually stood a few months later. As of this writing, there's still no chef name attached and no confirmation that the Italian theme survived the transition. If you've seen a post elsewhere stating the restaurant is Italian as settled fact, treat that as the April version of the story, not the current one.
What "Later This Year" Means for Your Fall Calendar
Here's the part that matters most if you're a member or you're used to walking distance to the club. As of the July unveiling, Caruso's team confirmed the property is set to open under its new name, Miramar Lake Club, later this year, but no specific month or date has been formally announced. Permitting and environmental review were flagged as early as April as factors that could still shape the final scope of the renovation, and nothing in the more recent coverage suggests that process has fully wrapped.
One detail that hasn't gotten much attention: the new name isn't arbitrary. Miramar Lake Club shares its name deliberately with Caruso's Rosewood Miramar Beach resort in Montecito, and according to Caruso, membership access is being built to connect the two. Members of the Miramar Club in Montecito will reportedly be able to use the Lake Sherwood property as well, part of what he's called the shared ecosystem between his properties. For anyone who already splits time between the Conejo Valley and the Central Coast, that's a more concrete piece of news than the renovation itself.
For now, the practical guidance is simple. The course you already know isn't changing. The clubhouse, pool, and dining program are, and the specifics are still being finalized in real time rather than locked in months ago. If you're planning around a fall reopening, keep an eye on official channels for the actual date rather than assuming the spring reporting still holds.
Lake Sherwood has absorbed a lot of change quietly over the decades, from a private film backdrop in the 1920s to the gated community it is today. This is one more chapter, and the details are still being written.
If you have questions about how Lake Sherwood's amenities, zoning, or property history factor into a purchase or sale in this community, Karen Sandvig has spent years working this exact pocket of the Conejo Valley and is happy to walk through what you're seeing. Request a complimentary home valuation and marketing plan anytime you're ready to talk specifics.
