Members of the foundation for the 118-year-old club in Country Club, Mo. voted to approve a purchase agreement with GreatLife Golf & Fitness of Kansas City. The full closing and transition is expected by the end of February.
Members of the St. Joseph Country Club Foundation voted on January 9 to approve a purchase agreement for GreatLife Golf & Fitness of Kansas City to buy the 118-year-old St. Joseph Country Club of Country Club, Mo., the St. Joseph (Mo.) News-Press reported.
Only one member opposed the agreement, the News-Press reported. With the club’s Board of Directors previously giving unanimous support to the sale last November (http://clubandresortbusiness.com/2015/11/18/members-approve-sale-of-st-joseph-mo-cc-to-great-life-golf/), club officials said it is probable that the country club, and all of its assets, could be in the hands of the new owners by the end of February, the News-Press reported
There is always a chance that something will come up between now and the closing date in late February, Board President Tyler Morgan told the News-Press, but GreatLife’s enthusiasm makes the sale very possible.
“They’re very excited,” Morgan said. “They feel as if this will be one of their elite clubs in this Kansas City marketplace.”
St. Joseph CC was founded in 1898 and has been in its current location since 1911 and its current clubhouse since 1922.
Talks with GreatLife officials began last spring, the News-Press reported, when concerns over the declining number of new golfers had club members worried. The idea for a full sale of property and assets didn’t come until the summer, Morgan told the News-Press. Details of the deal have not been released, but Morgan said it would be beneficial for members and owners alike.
“I’ve never been more excited to be a member of this club,” Morgan said. “Our membership came to us and charged us with a duty over a year ago to find a new solution, a viable solution that would take us into the future and help us to exist.”
GreatLife owns clubs around the Kansas City area and specializes in getting people into golf, the News-Press reported. Morgan said the company’s model makes a stable decision for the club.
“We see this as the ultimate step in securing this club’s future,” he said.
Members shouldn’t fear a change in price, Morgan told the News-Press, because many of the classes in membership may see a significant reduction in their dues. Members also will gain access to other GreatLife clubs, and new amenities to the St. Joseph club, such as a fitness center addition.
GreatLife Golf & Fitness would have full power over personnel decisions after assuming ownership, but Morgan told the News-Press that the potential buyer is planning on keeping all employees who currently work at the club.
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