Working Up Appetites

Thanks to an upgraded food and beverage program that is intricately tied to golf classes for youngsters, Bull’s Bridge GC is serving more meals than rounds played.

by Laura Taxel (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
December 2009
 

Bull’s Bridge Golf Club, in South Kent, Conn., features an 18-hole course designed by Tom Fazio that opened in 2003 (View photo gallery here). Members, most of whom are 45 and younger with school-age children, are primarily second-home owners from Manhattan. In the past, they rarely lingered at the club to dine or socialize after coming in off the greens. But thanks to an upgraded food and beverage program that is intricately tied to golf classes for youngsters, the equation has changed.

Hour-long junior golf clinics are scheduled during Bull’s Bridge season (April 1 to October 31) for every Saturday and Sunday at 11 AM. Often, one parent comes early to play. The spouse brings the kids, has coffee and reads the paper until everyone meets up for a meal at noon. “We have 40 seats, but we could fill 60,” reports Club Manager and Director of Golf Paul Ramee Jr.

Once a month, in conjunction with five week-long junior golf camps, the club holds a Saturday dinner buffet. During the cocktail hour, kids are out on the driving range while parents are inside socializing. These events have become so popular, there is now a waiting list to participate.

“Rounds were up 16 percent this year,” says Ramee. “But for the first time in our history, more meals were served than rounds played.”

The kitchen at Bull’s Bridge prepares breakfast, lunch and five special dinners throughout the season. Offerings are standard fare, but the quality of ingredients is anything but ordinary. “We’re buying organic beef from a member who raises cattle on his property,” Ramee says, “and get farm-fresh produce from a community-supported agricultural co-op that we belong to.”

“The family-friendly approach has been really successful for us,” Ramee says. “In 2010, we’re going to add informal family cookouts on Sunday afternoons.”