Rock Ridge Members To Vote On New Clubhouse

By Steve Bigham

Rock Ridge Country Club members Sunday will vote on a proposed new clubhouse and pro shop estimated to cost between $3-4 million.

The vote will take place at 3 pm in the clubhouse.

“We’re hoping to have a big turnout. This is a very important issue and I feel all members should be there to voice their opinion,” noted club president Isabelle Murray.

Members will be voting on the club’s long-range plan, which calls for the replacement of the existing clubhouse with an 8,000-square-foot facility. The proposed clubhouse would include a pro shop, dining room, kitchen, grill room, men’s and ladies’ locker rooms, and cart storage underneath.

The proposal also calls for the reconfiguration of the golf course, specifically the eighth and ninth holes. The existing ninth hole would become the first hole and the eighth hole would become the ninth .

“We think what is the eighth hole now will be a better finishing hole,” Mrs Murray said.

There would also be improvements to the pool, tennis courts, and golf course and construction of a  new golf maintenance building.

Last year, Rock Ridge hired the McMahon Group, a consulting firm, to work with members to formulate a survey that was circulated to members last November. The results indicated that members supported long-range improvements. A long-range planning committee was then formed and its recommendations will be on the table Sunday afternoon.

The project would be paid for through financing and assessments. While there is significant support for the Rock Ridge proposal, there are reportedly some among the 212 club members who oppose the idea.

Rock Ridge Country Club was once the summer home of a wealthy New York doctor. The estate –boasting a three-hole course – was eventually sold and opened as Pine Tree Country Club in 1953. Soon after, the club went bankrupt and was later sold to a handful of its original members. To help finance the purchase, the new owners sold off 25 of the original 65 acres. This still provided enough room for a nine-hole course. The new club was called “Rock Ridge.”

Among the large number of celebrities who have graced the picturesque golf course over the years: Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees.