A lofty goal in Montecito

The Montecito home of the late Ed Snider, the entertainment magnate and founder of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey franchise, is on the market for $52 million.

Designed by architect David E. Martin, the 21,345-square-foot villa is the centerpiece of an approximately 9.37-acre estate made up of four contiguous parcels. Views take in the ocean and surrounding mountains.

The Italianate-inspired main house, built in 2001, was designed for intimate- and large-scale entertaining and features refined formal areas, a wood-paneled office/ den and bi-folding doors that bring the outdoors inside. A lowerlevel lounge is replete with a game room, a home theater, a wine cellar and an old-fashioned bar.

The master suite, dressed in subdued hues and dark wood paneling, has a sitting room and glass doors that open onto a terrace overlooking the grounds.

There are eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, four powder rooms and four fireplaces in all.

Formal gardens, fountains, a reflecting pond, an outdoor pavilion and a swimming pool fill the manicured grounds designed by landscape architect Robert Truskowski. A tennis court, a two-story tennis pavilion and a two-bedroom guesthouse complete the setting.

Susan Burns of Coldwell Banker Previews International and Jason Siemens of Sotheby’s International Realty hold the listing.

Snider, who died this year at 83, is considered among the most influential executives in Philadelphia sports. He founded the Flyers in 1964, co-owned the Philadelphia Eagles and was chairman of the Philadelphia 76ers.

He acquired the property from Hollywood businessman Milton B. Scott in 1994 for $3.675 million, records show.

Changing course in the desert

LPGA Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak, who retired from the pro golf tour this month, has sold a home in Palm Desert for $1.1 million.

Located within the guardgated Bighorn Golf Club, the contemporary villa has a southfacing view that takes in surrounding mountains and a nearby lake.

The 2,338-square-foot house, built in 1997 and recently renovated, has an updated kitchen, a dining area, a great room with a fireplace, three bedrooms and three bathrooms on a single story. Alofted bonus room opens to a patio.

Outdoors, desert landscaping surrounds a swimming pool and spa with a rock waterfall feature. There’s also an attached two-car garage.

Pak bought the house more than a decade ago for $1.2 million, records show.

Jacquie Burns of Bighorn Properties was the listing agent. Brenda Scott Ryan Pylypow of Bennion Deville homes represented the buyer.

Pak, 38, retired as an LPGA pro earlier this month following the U.S. Women’s Open at San Martin, Calif. The South Korean golfer rose to fame as a rookie in 1998, winning the LPGA Championship and U.S. Open that year.

She has 25 wins on the LPGA Tour, including five majors, and 14 victories on the Korean LPGA circuit for her career.

neal.leitereg@latimes.com Twitter: @NJLeitereg