Losing a member of the extended family

When members approved the agreement intent to sell the 109-year-old Woodmere Club on Super Bowl Sunday, John Wiener, the current club president, was most likely the saddest person in the room.

The 33-acre facility is ingrained in Wiener’s DNA. His grandfather, Joe Wiener, was a founding member, and Wiener grew up at the country club that features an 18-hole, par 70 golf course.

Originally established as a tennis club at different site in 1908 in the Village of Woodsburgh, the club, which is mainly in Woodmere, has six courts for that sport, an elevated swimming pool and a children’s area with a pool, playground, basketball hoop and an arcade. There is also a state-of-the-art fitness center and golf course practice facilities.

Unfortunately, like many clubs, Woodmere is facing the same obstacles: There are too many clubs and not enough members, Wiener said. “Yeah, this not good for anybody, like any club we need members,” he said. “Golf is shrinking around here. It’s supply and demand. There is too much supply and not enough demand. We can’t lower cost so much that we sacrifice service and quality. The club is dues-revenue based.”

Across Long Island, there are less people willing to pay the membership fee for country clubs such as Woodmere. In the Five Towns, the changing demographic — the constantly expanding number of Orthodox Jews — who are less likely to join such clubs — has resulted in a downturn of member.

Wiener said that the club investigated more than a few offers to sell. It is now negotiating with the Weiss Group and 2020 Acquisitions. Woodmere officials brought in Troon Management to run the club for at least the next four years. Then, after the Weiss Group and 2020 Acquisitions have paid all of the club’s debt, they will take over the land, and most likely build homes there.

That would lay waste to a historical golf course. The Woodmere Club’s history includes hosting several PGA, U.S, Open and Junior golf qualifying events as well as many other men and women’s tournaments. It is one of the few clubs in the section to host three Metropolitan Open tournaments. Club caddies were the first in the metropolitan area to carry envelopes full of grass to replace divots.

Famed golf course designer Robert Trent Jones Sr. built an entirely new back nine in 1949. Jones designed or redesigned more than 500 golf courses in 45 states and 35 countries during his career. In 1982, a Metropolitan Golf Association panel of golf experts picked Woodmere’s 16th hole as part of their dream 18. In its centennial year as a golf club, the club was named the MGA Club of the Year in 2012.To go along with all the other amenities, there is also a ballroom with capacity for 350 people and an outdoor patio or garden area.

Last fall, two men used the facilties and gushed about them on Facebook. Great golf, great staff, great food they do it right,” Mark Dounais said. “[The club] is great. Would come back. Thanks for the hospitality,” Sebastian Münkwitz said.

When asked if he had a favorite memory about being part of the club for so long, Wiener said he had many great ones. “We would need hours,” he said. “I grew up there and my children grew up there. It’s a fabulous part of our lives. Like an extended part of our family.”