Managing partner Quintin Lew said last week that the sale of the club in Heritage Hills is being handled by Colliers International. The owners were “exploring all options that may [or may not] include one or more of the partners still involved with the new ownership structure,” Lew said in an email, adding that he’d rather hold off on making a more detailed statement until he’d had a chance to meet with representatives of the condo complex.
Somers National Golf Club’s owners have confirmed that the 18-hole facility in Somers, N.Y. is up for grabs, The Somers Record reported.
Managing partner Quintin Lew said last week that the sale of the club in Heritage Hills is being handled by Colliers International.
The owners were “exploring all options that may [or may not] include one or more of the partners still involved with the new ownership structure,” Lew said in an email, adding that he’d rather hold off on making a more detailed statement until he’d had a chance to meet with representatives of the condo complex.
However, he did tell The Somers Record that there’s been “a lot of interest [in the property], especially within the past few weeks.”
Lew expected things to pick up as the summer winds down.
According to the listing agent’s marketing materials, the golf course is located “only 13 miles from Danbury, Conn.” and is within easy driving distance of New York City.
Pointing out that there are 2.7 million people living within 30 miles of the property, Colliers’ demographics also cite a median household income of $166,008, The Somers Record reported.
The owners have put in $500,000 in capital investments into the “turn-key, family-oriented golf club” over the last three years, the marketing materials said.
Another selling point is that previous owners had been approved to expand the club with tennis court and a swimming pool, Lew said to The Somers Record, adding that any future “redevelopment possibilities” will follow all local zoning codes.
In other words, whatever is built will be used to support the golf club.
Heritage Hills is a Designed Residential District (DRD).
According to one local planning official, when the special use permit for the 18-holer and a nine-holer were issued, the caveat was that the land remain either as a golf course or as open space, The Somers Record reported.
The smaller course was sold a while back to the Heritage Hills Society, which turned it into a park with walking trails and a playground.
Possible seller financing would be available to an “experienced operator,” Colliers said.
The greens were designed by the late Geoffrey Cornish, a famed golf course architect, and the original club was founded in 1988, The Somers Record reported.
The “newly renovated” facility was reborn as Somers National Golf Club in 2019.
Golfers can expect to enjoy “narrow fairways, rolling hills, and sand bunkers” as part of the “skillfully designed, scenic layout,” its website says.
There are six ponds and a creek on eight of the holes.
The course’s “undulating, moderately fast greens are designed to provide a fair test of golf,” Somers National states.
“Nestled within the cozy confines of Heritage Hills,” the club “offers all the amenities of the finest golf membership courses, including dining in its “signature restaurant” – The Grille at Somers Pointe – and a fully stocked pro shop, Somers National states adding: “It’s the perfect setting for making new friends and lasting memories.”
Club owners last year proposed building a miniature golf course adjacent to the main building, The Somers Record reported.
However, they scrapped that part of the project after getting major pushback from Heritage Hills condo owners.
The biggest issues residents had raised were increased traffic, noise, the removal of trees, stormwater management, light pollution, as well as the potential impact on property values and general quality of life, The Somers Record reported.
As of mid-July, club owners had amended the site plan and were still pursuing the construction of a 1,946-square-foot addition to the building where the cigar lounge and four golf simulators were to be housed and a 441-square-foot terrace where patrons could relax outdoors with their stogies.
That also drew some fire, especially from nearby residents who worried that they’d be subjected to cigar smoke and noise, The Somers Record reported.
The town’s building inspector, in conjunction with independent legal counsel, had determined in February that the cigar bar and simulators are “permitted principle uses” in a DRD.
Golfers and other club patrons are already allowed to smoke cigars, and there is a small outdoor area designated for the purpose.
During an appearance before the Planning Board on July 13, Lew noted that a commercial-grade ventilation system would be used to trap smoke before it wafts outside, The Somers Record reported.
Concerned neighbors argued that that won’t work when folks light up on the outside terrace.
Noting that town code allows cigar bars, the club’s lawyer, Linda Whitehead, promised that the club will comply with all existing regulations, The Somers Record reported.
The state does not allow alcohol sales in cigar bars, but booze can be sold elsewhere in the club.
On Aug. 10, the Planning Board granted Somers National conditional site plan approval, The Somers Record reported. The permitting process for steep slopes protection, tree preservation, stormwater management, and erosion and sediment control is ongoing.
Dom Rubino, president of the Heritage Hills Society’s board of directors, said last week that Quintin had informed it that “the golf course is up for sale.”
At this point, however, the society doesn’t “have much other information,” he said, adding: “I am sure Quintin will fill us in when he comes into town from one of his trips. We, of course, wish him luck in finding a buyer.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.