Looking forward to the next 100 years

In its centennial year, The Woodmere Club on Meadow Drive has an added reason to celebrate as the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association named it “Club of the Year” on Feb. 7.

The Woodmere Club’s General Manager Donald Mollitor said the club’s first-ever honor from this golf writer’s association is an enormous accomplishment. “It’s a great place and the members are a family,” he said. “To get this award in general is great but to get it during our centennial anniversary adds to the luster and celebration.”

Although The Woodmere Club was founded in 1908, it was officially chartered in 1912 and is currently home to an 18-hole golf course, tennis court, restaurant, swimming pool and fitness center.

Kate Keller, the national awards dinner coordinator for the Golf Writer’s Association, said the group honors clubs in the Long Island, Westchester, Connecticut and New Jersey areas that uphold the spirit and traditions of the game of golf through dedication to area golf associations. “The Woodmere Club gives back to the game of golf through their club and membership,” she said. “They embody everything that’s good about the game and are very charitable and supportive of golf in the metropolitan area.”

The Woodmere Club has hosted a U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open qualifier, as well as several Metropolitan Golf Association and Metropolitan PGA tournaments. Golf legend Robert Trent Jones redesigned its championship 18-hole, par 70 course in 1954.

Steve Rabinoff, a 10-year member and Woodsburgh resident, said it was quite an accomplishment for The Woodmere Club to be honored by the Golf Writer’s Association, and that he enjoys the family friendly nature of the club. “It’s really an extension of everyone’s living room,” Rabinoff said. “It’s a very homey environment and I believe the club is going to maintain that image.”

While being noted for their greens, The Woodmere Club has gone greener by replacing more than 1,000 light bulbs with LED lighting in December. The conversion took nearly three weeks, Mollitor said. “We want to do our part for the good of the world,” Mollitor said. “It was a seamless transition. We haven’t had to sacrifice lighting or quality.”

Rabinoff said he was instrumental in making the switch to LED lights. “I thought since the club was approaching its 100th anniversary it was a good time to be energy conscious,” he said. “The beauty of LED lights is that we’re using less energy.”

Through the Long Island Power Authority’s Commercial Efficiency Program, the club received a rebate of $21,300 and will save more than $10,000 annually, according to Elizabeth Flagler, a LIPA spokeswoman.

The program provides rebates for lighting, air conditioning, cool roofs, refrigeration, air compressors and controls for existing buildings as well as new construction. “An investment in energy efficiency improvements can increase reliability, provide higher quality performance, reduce maintenance costs, and improve employee comfort, safety and productivity,” Flagler said.

Reducing the club’s carbon footprint will continue. “We’re changing our air conditioning from Freon, a toxic chemical, to new refrigeration types that don’t destroy the environment,” Rabinoff said. “This isn’t just for this generation but for the next generation of members too.”

For the next 100 years, Mollitor anticipates the club will flourish. “Despite the changing demographics in the community and the economic challenges the club faces, hopefully the club can continue to thrive and carry on the tradition of providing a quality place to the membership,” he said.

The Woodmere Club will receive the Club of the Year Award at the Metropolitan Golf Writer’s Association 61st national awards dinner on June 19 in Rye Brook.