Massachusetts club will remain golf course after new owner's purchase

“His answer was ‘without question, people miss the community aspect,’ and that’s what we’re looking forward to bringing back,” Barnes said.

Barnes decided to keep Leblanc on at Westminster GC.

“He loves the golf course,” Barnes said. “He’s very qualified and he’s excited about the opportunity to work with us. So it was an obvious choice.”

From left, general manager and director of golf Mike Leblanc, clubhouse manager Angela DiSalle and director of agronomy Nick West in the new pro shop at Westminster Golf Club. West’s dog Hank is in front.

A combined offer to purchase the course was made in which the town of Westminster would have received the six holes across the street from the clubhouse to construct a public safety building and ball fields, and a disc golfer operator would have bought the 12 holes on the clubhouse side. That bid was not accepted.

The Concord Golf Properties bid was accepted. Barnes said he paid $1,765,000 for the real estate and an undisclosed additional sum for the assets and the business.

Over the past decade, Leicester CC, Clearview CC in Millbury, Twin Springs GC in Bolton, Bay Path GC in East Brookfield, Edgewood CC in Uxbridge and Winchendon GC have closed. But Westminster remains open.

Barnes owns Concord Equity Group, a real estate development firm, as well as Concord Golf Properties.

“I’m not a great golfer, but I love to play,” Barnes said.

Barnes said he enjoys the peaceful time of playing early in the morning.

Barnes splits his time between Florida and Massachusetts. He attended Cushing Academy, only a 10-15 minute drive from Westminster Golf Club, and he graduated from WPI with a degree in management with computer applications.

Leblanc said about 100 people attended the club’s open house on Saturday, April 11. The club opened for play two days later. Opening day was only three and a half weeks after the sale closed so there wasn’t a lot of time to make changes, but improvements have begun.

“Everybody likes the changes,” Leblanc said, “and they see a future here now.”

The pro shop has been moved into the clubhouse and the banquet room has been transformed into a grill room with leather couches, leather chairs, tables and three 70-inch televisions. The old pro shop will eventually be torn down, probably in the fall, to make room for golf carts.

With the pro shop moved into the clubhouse, Westminster will use a starter on the first tee, Leblanc said.

Leblanc said the course conditions had slipped after the club was put up for sale.

“Nobody knew if it was going to be a golf course,” Leblanc said. “So nobody was really putting in the effort, I don’t feel.”

To attract business, Leblanc said the club lowered its prices to “rock bottom” last year. Riding 18 holes on weekday mornings cost only $35.

“It’s a downward spiral when you drop the pricing so low,” Leblanc said.

Denny Halligan checks in golfers in the new Westminster Golf Club pro shop.

This year, it will cost $37 to walk 18 holes on weekday mornings and $61 to ride, which is more in line with other clubs. The expectation is that improved course conditions will make the price hike worth it.

Barnes said new equipment will upgrade the course conditions. Leblanc said when he arrived at the club last Wednesday morning he saw five pieces of equipment on the same fairway.

“That was more than we had in our garage in previous years,” he said.

One of the pieces of equipment was a greens roller and Leblanc said he had never seen one of them in use in his more than three decades at the club.

Leblanc said the club last year was down to one rough mower and only three of the mower’s five blades still worked. This year, Westminster has a new rough mower, fairway mower, greens mower and a blower.

Barnes said the course will be overseeded and the greens, tees and cart paths will be improved.

“We’re the type of company that does consistent improvement over time,” he said. “So you’ll notice right away some improvement, but a year from now, two years from now, there will be a night and day difference.”

Concord Golf Properties purchased the first of its four golf courses, Twin Hills CC in Coventry, Conn., in 2018. The company bought Tallwood CC in Hebron, Conn., in 2021 and Willow Pond Golf Club in Rantoul, Ill., in 2024.

Barnes said CGP improved the conditions at those three courses as well.

“The key to success,” Barnes said, “is having a motivated and competent management team and being committed to spending money on the golf course so people want to come back.”

Nick West has worked for CGP since 2018 at Twin Hills and Tallwood and he will add the title of director of agronomy at Westminster. Former Gardner High golfer Klark Johnson is the new superintendent after serving as the first assistant at Wayland CC the past three years. Johnson has also worked on the grounds crew at Gardner Municipal Golf Course.

Angela DiSalle is the new clubhouse manager.

Don Leblanc’s father Albert designed and built the golf course, which opened six holes in the early 1950s and the remaining 12 in 1957. Sharon Leblanc’s children still work at the course. In addition to Mike serving as director of golf, Bob Leblanc works on the grounds part-time after serving as the long-time superintendent and Tom Leblanc will continue as equipment manager and work on the grounds as well.

Leblanc plans to resume holding club championships, in-house tournaments and junior events after not having any in recent years.

—Contact Bill Doyle at bcdoyle15@charter.net.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Massachusetts golf club saved by new owner