Privatizing the Lawrence country club?

First of two parts.

The possible privatization of the village-owned and operated Lawrence Yacht & Country Club was the focus of two meetings held in the upstairs room of the country club on Aug. 17. Two more meetings were scheduled for this week.

Billy Casper Golf made the first presentation to the Village of Lawrence board of trustees, proposing to take over the daily operation of the club from the village. The Virginia-based company manages more than 150 golf courses in 29 states.

Troon Privé, which manages the Woodmere Club, made a similar presentation roughly two hours later. Troon, which has five offices in the U.S. and one in Dubai, manages more than 300 clubs around the world. Its Signature division oversees the private clubs.

The Woodmere Club was purchased by two firms, 2020 Acquisitions and Robert Weiss Properties, last year. It is expected to close in 2021, and its 118 acres will likely be developed into residential housing.

On Wednesday, after the Herald went to press, Arcis Golf was scheduled to make a presentation to Lawrence village officials, followed by KemperSports on Thursday.

The idea of privatizing the Lawrence club’s operations has been kicked around by several village administrations. It gained more steam during the Great Recession of 2008, coupled with the changing demographics of the Five Towns, now home to more Orthodox Jewish families, who are less likely to join country clubs. The primary objective is to make the club more financially sustainable, so the village doesn’t have to subsidize its operation, Lawrence officials said.

Fewer Americans have been playing golf in recent years, and golf courses are closing. According to the National Golf Foundation, 190 facilities closed nationwide in 2016. More than 800 golf courses have closed in the U.S. in the last 11 years, Bloomberg LP has reported. The trend is to redevelop the land into housing or parkland.

In 2012, the village privatized the maintenance of the golf course, after laying off several employees in December 2011. With Valley Crest Maintenance taking care of the course, the village saved more than $300,000 in the first several months, officials said. After the club was severely damaged in Hurricane Sandy that October, the clubhouse and marina were rebuilt and the grounds repaired with funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

More-aggressive membership campaigns have helped to attract and retain members, and tennis has had a renaissance at the club, with lights installed last year over the nine courts. The club has also built two pickleball courts in the past year.

At the first of last Friday’s special village board meetings, five representatives from Billy Casper Golf spoke, and the meeting lasted roughly 90 minutes. Later, Troon Privé’s sole representative was the aptly named Archie Cart, who oversees golf courses in New England and New York. Four of the five village trustees attended; Trustee Daniel Goldstein was not at either meeting.

“We first made contact with [former] general manager Leo McMahon, and we knew that the club outsourced its maintenance to Valley Crest,” said Casper Vice President Michael Cutler. “There is an opportunity here for [privatization] to be a win-win situation.” Cutler added that Casper offered to pay an annual fee to Lawrence village, create a profit-sharing plan and make a capital investment in the club.

Cart, who has worked for Troon for 21 years, noted that the company is the largest operator of golf courses in the world, and with that comes expertise in hospitality, substantial purchasing power and experience working with existing staff to enhance their skills. “What we try to do is analyze what is going on here and contribute in a positive way to make them better,” Cart said, referring to both the club’s employees and overall business operations.

Both companies emphasized their experience in managing not only golf courses, but also clubs that include tennis, catering halls and marinas.

Billy Casper Signature Regional Director Matt Wilson said that the company’s goal is to understand the makeup of the club, maintain its current membership and attract new members. Casper Signature oversees private clubs. The company just completed revamping the website of the Seawane Country Club in Hewlett Harbor.

Troon has programs for members in which they can play golf at other Troon-run clubs up to six times a year, Cart said.

Village officials said there is no definitive timetable to make a decision on whether they will chose a company to privatize the country club or maintain the status quo.

Have an opinion about Lawrence considering privatizing the country club? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.