Hartford Business Journal

11 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | FEBRUARY 14, 2022 Connecticut Section of the PGA. But those gains were not evenly distributed across all operators, Hantke pointed out. Municipal golf courses, as well as some private clubs, did well, but some private, member-owned clubs are continuing to struggle with economic factors that first came to a head during the Great Recession. "The challenges for the private member clubs are capital challenges — bunker upgrades, irrigation systems, aging maintenance equipment," Hantke said. "Historically the way they paid for that was a loan from the bank, and assessing higher prices on members, but if the membership is shrinking that's difficult to support." According to the CT PGA, which oversees golf courses in Connecticut and western Massachusetts, its region has lost 17 golf courses since the early 2000s, and many of those fit the profile of member-owned clubs that couldn't support themselves, or family-owned clubs that had no family members willing to take over the reins. "I think right now, there are some private owners who are looking to exit their family business," Hantke said, referring specifically to Tallwood. Hantke said the PGA is aware of the developments at the former Tower Ridge course in Simsbury, but he doesn't see conversions as the way of the future. "I don't see a lot of that repurposing taking place," he said. "That would be the exception, not the rule." In general, Hantke said he's optimistic about golf in Connecticut, because of the pandemic-inspired surge in interest, and private clubs are investing more money into their operations, making clubhouses amenable to weddings and outdoor dining, and setting up ranges and learning centers to help newcomers pick up the sport. Barnes, who also acquired Twin Hills Country Club in Coventry in 2018, also sees the positive. There's no rush to unload golf courses, he said, only "case by case" opportunities that come up as owners, for their own reasons, decide to exit the industry. Barnes said his group, Concord Golf Properties, is currently in "acquisition mode," looking to add more sites in Connecticut, southwestern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. New opportunities Ronald, of the Talcott Mountain Collective, said he wasn't initially concerned with using the golf course at Tower Ridge, as he only planned to gut and remodel the clubhouse and use some of the surrounding outdoor space for games. But business associates made the case for a disc golf course, pointing to the sport's growing popularity and the appeal of an added draw for the Collective. Now, players can golf for a round or two and then retire to the clubhouse for drinks and food. "I knew it was not going to be a big expense," Ronald said. "The truth is, this disc golf helps fulfill my vision. It really rounded out the Collective." So far, the conversion has gone off smoothly. The disc golf course is bringing in a steady stream of returning players, Tolk said, and business is expected to pick up in the spring, as temperatures rise and more people gravitate toward outdoor venues. The plan is to expand the course, with glow-in-the-dark night disc golf, a summer camp for children and opportunities for corporate events and team-building exercises. "We want to be the gold standard for a pay-to-play course," Tolk said. Ron Ronald, founder of the Talcott Mountain Collective, inside the collective's main building on Nod Road in Simsbury, which was formerly the clubhouse of the now defunct Tower Ridge Country Club. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER

• Cover