Monadnock Country Club in Peterborough, N.H., has seen its membership decrease by half over the past few years, and a subsequent increase in debt. In Jacksonville, Ala., Stoney Brook Golf Course is on the market for $799,000, and will close its doors if a new operator does not purchase the facility.
The Monadnock Country Club in Peterborough, N.H., will close its doors at the end of the month, the Peterborough-based Monadnock Ledger-Transcript reported.
“Finances are saying we shouldn’t reopen” come spring, said Ray Gagnon, a member of the board of directors at the club. “We have a fair amount of debt and membership is going down.”
The golf course traditionally closes on October 31, but this year, the club will also close its banquet hall, essentially shutting down operations. There are no events booked at MCC this winter, Gagnon told the Ledger-Transcript.
The club, which was established in 1901, has a nine-hole golf course and banquet facilities for up to 175 people. It is the 13th-oldest golf course in the state, the Ledger-Transcript reported.
“The sad thing is that [the club] is an institution in the town, but people didn’t utilize the facilities enough,” he said.
Gagnon said finances and a lack of interest in the sport of golf led to the decision to close. The club, which once made $200,000 to $250,000 a year, has made less than $200,000 in the last few, Gagnon said. Membership has dropped over the last few years from 120 to 60, and the club is carrying $55,000 in debt, the Ledger-Transcript reported.
The property is owned by the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough. In a prepared release, MacDowell lauded the club and its directors for their impact on the community, the Ledger-Transcript reported.
“Early this week MacDowell was saddened to learn that the Monadnock Country Club has decided to close its doors at the end of the 2016 golf season. Despite losing the battle with declining membership, the club’s leaders are to be commended for providing more than a century of wholesome family fun and recreation for Peterborough residents and those of neighboring communities,” said David Macy, resident director at MacDowell Colony.
The most recent assessment of the property values it at about $900,000, the Ledger-Transcript reported.
In Jacksonville, Ala., Stoney Brook Golf Course is for sale and set to close next month if a new operator doesn’t buy it before then, the Anniston (Ala.) Star reported.
Keller Williams Realty recently listed the family-owned facility for sale for $799,000. Renda Jaskowski, who operates Stoney Brook with her husband, Bob, said the course would close November 1 if it isn’t bought, the Star reported.
The property includes 132 acres, a clubhouse, multiple buildings, ponds and sidewalks. Amy Angel of Keller Williams said she’s marketing the property to golf course operators and real estate developers, the Star reported.
“We see a lot of people wanting to move over that way,” Angel said, referring to housing developments near the schools. “Certainly we’d love to see the whole course stay, but it would also be a good place for new construction.”
Angel said Keller Williams has been contacted by several people interested in the property, the Star reported.
Jaskowski’s parents, Frank and Merl Wade, have owned the golf course since 1984. Jaskowski said she and her husband have run the facility the last 15 years. The course first went up for sale in March, though that was just by word of mouth, Jaskowski said, adding that several factors led the family to sell the business, the Star reported.
“The golf industry has declined in Calhoun County and is not growing,” Jaskowski said. “Young people are not picking it up and lifestyles are a lot busier now.”
Jaskowski said she believes a new course operator with some fresh ideas could turn Stoney Brook around. And if not, a land developer could use it. “The land is right by the schools and the new public safety complex,” she said. “The land is premium land.”
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