The Brockport, N.Y., property was featured in the Rochester-based Democrat & Chronicle for its striking turnaround under owner Paul Moriarty, who renovated and expanded the 24,000-sq. ft. clubhouse for $3 million, and is already seeing a return on that investment, with 60 weddings scheduled for 2016.
Paul Moriarty bought Deerfield Golf and Country Club in Brockport, N.Y., in January 2013, breathing life back into one of the Rochester area’s most challenging courses, the Rochester, N.Y.-based Democrat & Chronicle reported.
From a completely renovated and expanded 24,000-sq. ft. clubhouse, to course upgrades ranging from 900 new trees, better manicured tees, fairways and greens and rebuilt traps all with new sand, Deerfield has the look and feel of a private club. Yet, it’s open to the public with weekday greens fees of $30 (including cart) that jump to only $40 on the weekends, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
“It’s remarkable what they’ve done here,” said John Reisinger, 74, a Greece resident who has played the course since the mid-1960s when it was a private club called Craig Hill CC (it became Deerfield and public in 1980). “The improvements in this course are just unbelievable.”
For those who knew Deerfield for much of the last decade, the transformation is startling, especially the clubhouse, which has gone from spartan to spectacular. It can simultaneously host two banquet or wedding receptions, includes a restaurant and bar, grill room, pro shop, two separate decks and a sprawling, beautifully landscaped patio with an elevated trellis in case any couples want to tie the knot right there, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
The renovation and expansion of the clubhouse structure alone cost nearly $3 million, Moriarty says. But the word is out: Deerfield already has 60 weddings scheduled for 2016. That’s 10 more than the past two years combined, said Courtney Moriarty, Paul’s daughter who handles that side of the business.
“One thing I love is he’s investing back in the community,” General Manager Jon Miner said of Moriarty, who has made a point to use as many local contractors and companies to do work at the course.
The golf community is responding, too. “We’re pulling people from everywhere,” Miner said, including Monroe and Orleans counties and even Buffalo, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
Moriarty bought the 353-acre parcel—the course sits on about 250—for $3.35 million. He’d played the course for years and thought about buying it. When he made a lucrative deal to sell his software company, LunchByte Systems, Inc., in July 2012, that became more of a reality, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
The golf course employs about 90 people during the season and 30 during the offseason but it’s really a family-run business. Moriarty’s wife, Claudia, was “the driving force” behind a lot of the attention to detail in the clubhouse and working with contractors, including the architect, Farmington-based New Energy Home. In addition to Courtney, two of the Moriartys’ three sons—Colin, 30, and Sean, 21—work on the grounds crew. Paul’s brother, David, runs the pro shop and that’s important, Paul says, because he interacts so well with players, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
In the Deerfield clubhouse, brides have plush, tastefully decorated dressing and sitting rooms at their disposal. They feature many wedding-themed messages in script on walls, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
Miner, whose background is in the food-service industry, came on board about 18 months ago. He says the plan is to keep Deerfield’s restaurant, the CenterPost Grille, open at least four days a week in the offseason. The kitchen, which was also completely renovated, can handle serving both banquet rooms at the same time. One can hold up to 260 guests and the other 160, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
Nick Pentz was hired as the new superintendent last spring, replacing a longtime super who departed for a job at a private club. “We’ve upgraded our crew, we’ve upgraded our equipment,” he said. “We’re doing a lot more detail work.”
That includes hand-raking the new white sand in traps. Once they mature, the newly planted trees will better define and create separation in fairways. The North-South layouts are considered the championship course, measuring 7,176 yards from the back tees and 6,755 from the blue tees. The length of Deerfield has always challenged even the longest hitters. Much of the heavy-lifting work so far has been done on the East Course, the Democrat & Chronicle reported
Several mounds have been built to better frame greens. About 10 of the 27 greens have been enlarged, Moriarty said.
Moriarty knows wedding receptions and greens fees won’t make millions like his software company did, but buying Deerfield wasn’t about the dough. It’s his passion, something he always wanted, the Democrat & Chronicle reported.
“It’s such a fantastic family. This is a dream of theirs,” said Ed Benoit, 92, the course’s original superintendent. “This is really a country club now and the golf course is fantastic again.”
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