Breaking news! Ferncroft CC has new owners.
Don’t worry, Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s masterpiece of a golf course is not in jeopardy. There are no plans to tear down paradise and put up a parking lot … or a bunch of Hardie Plank-sided mega-homes. In fact, the new ownership team has ambitious plans to improve the course and facilities.
North Shore Golf magazine learned just before we went to press that Portsmouth, NH-based Carlisle Capital Corp. closed on its purchase of the property on June 20. The seller, Affinity Management, had owned Ferncroft since 2006. Terms of the deal were not available at press time.
The new owners have no plans to develop Ferncroft’s nearly 300 acres in Middleton. A person familiar with the negotiations said Affinty’s leadership went out of its way to ensure that the buyer’s priority would be to keep the golf course.
Carlisle Capital has experience owning a private golf course. It has run Wentworth by the Sea Country Club on the Rye/Newcastle border in New Hampshire for several years. Dylan Binnie, vice president of Carlisle Capital, and his team have a positive vision for Ferncroft with many improvements planned in the next three years and beyond.
In July, work is set to begin on restoring Ferncroft’s par-3 executive golf course to a 9-holer. It shrunk to 7 holes a while back to accommodate other projects.
Also planned is extensive tree and brush clearing and construction of a modern driving range that would include 10 covered stalls, target greens and state-of-the-art technology.
After Labor Day, major improvements are planned for the pool area and tennis courts.
There will be no staff changes. Phil Leiss (Director of Golf), Bill Cunningham (Head PGA Professional) and Michael Cassidy (Course Superintendent) will remain in charge of their departments.
There will be three types of memberships moving forward: Full Golf, Sports (Tennis, the driving range and the par 3 course) and Social (pool and dining).
Ferncroft Country Club has a rich, impressive history. The championship course has hosted scores of top area tournaments, USGA events, and was the home of the LPGA’s Boston Five Classic from 1980-1990.
