Old York will be open for public play...

[SLUGCC2002]

Old York CC in Chesterfield, New Jersey, a Gary Player design, will be open for public play this year, per the club's membership page: http://www.oldyorkcc.com/membership/categories

 

I caddied there as a teenager and was contemplating a 10-round membership, since I live about 75 minutes away. Looked on the website and saw this - I'll definitely make a trip or two for nostalgia's sake. From what I remember, it's a pretty good course with interesting topography - but it has been about 25 years.

Edited February 11, 2021 by SLUGCC2002

[NYCTUFan]

I was lucky enough to play it a few times back around the same time you did. Like you i'm 70 miles away but will definitely make the trip down there this year. I remember it as a fun course that was in excellent condition back then. It's a shame because i think that was one of the more affordable clubs in the area. I guess like many of the mid tier private clubs in they are struggling for members. 

[Noles]

I walked it during a junior tournament and it didn't seem like a fun place to play.  I remember there being nowhere to miss on most tee shots, even on some blind shots.  Several holes had a strip of rough in the middle of the fairway.  That didn't make much sense to me.

[SLUGCC2002]

... Or not. Apparently an email went out to the membership yesterday saying they are shutting down golf operations. There's a plan under foot by the ownership, Three Putt LLC, to sell the property to a company that will turn it into Amazon warehouses.

 

I'm admittedly partial to the place as it's where I first caddied and played more than casual golf. Too bad it probably won't be saved. I was looking forward to playing there again this year.

[Noles]

7 hours ago, SLUGCC2002 said:

... Or not. Apparently an email went out to the membership yesterday saying they are shutting down golf operations. There's a plan under foot by the ownership, Three Putt LLC, to sell the property to a company that will turn it into Amazon warehouses.

 

I'm admittedly partial to the place as it's where I first caddied and played more than casual golf. Too bad it probably won't be saved. I was looking forward to playing there again this year.

It's always a shame when a course closes.  With the boom that courses are seeing right now, it says a lot if a course cannot sustain itself. 

[SLUGCC2002]

Since it was revived in the mid-90s, it's always been a non-equity club. Non-equity clubs have a much tougher business model these days, and with warehouse developers beating down the owner's door, it's no surprise. 

 

The course is somewhat remotely located from population centers. It didn't have a big membership (maybe 300, if I had to guess) when I caddied there in the 90s, and I'd imagine it wasn't any bigger recently. An upscale public golf option might have worked, but it seemed like the owners never committed to it - they sold "Member for a Day" deals on Groupon last year, but never really opened it up to the greater golf public.

[eagles1]

From my understanding, the closure of the course was not necessitated by an impending sale.  The owners have been in discussion with a warehouse developer to see if it was possible to have a land use variance granted to the property.  The gov't got involved and somehow, during the process, DEP got involved.  Upon inspection, the DEP found that the septic system on site was in such dire need of repair/replacement that they forced the country club to close operations until such time the septic system was remediated.  Owners don't have the cash, so this is where things stand.

 

Shame - it was a great golf course. 

Edited March 22, 2021 by eagles1
spelling

[Ironman_32]

On 3/22/2021 at 12:32 PM, eagles1 said:

From my understanding, the closure of the course was not necessitated by an impending sale.  The owners have been in discussion with a warehouse developer to see if it was possible to have a land use variance granted to the property.  The gov't got involved and somehow, during the process, DEP got involved.  Upon inspection, the DEP found that the septic system on site was in such dire need of repair/replacement that they forced the country club to close operations until such time the septic system was remediated.  Owners don't have the cash, so this is where things stand.

 

Shame - it was a great golf course. 

That is a shame; I remember playing there a couple of times and caddying in some member guests. The venue there was nice, I know some people who got married there. 

 

Tough time for some courses in the area, a lot of courses went from private to public, then ended up closing.