It’s been three years since the clubhouse at the 108-year-old St. George’s Golf and Country Club on Setauket, Long Island, underwent a major facelift transforming its 1970s feel into a trendy venue.
But the decor was only part of it. A new kitchen restoration highlighted by the hiring of an executive chef breathed new life into the previously more traditional menu that focused on staples like meat and potatoes.
Culinary Institute of America graduate Paolo Fontana started in February 2022, with the goal of creating a Michelin-starred restaurant in the clubhouse that catered to diverse members.
“The club was already riding the positive increase in membership that occurred during the pandemic and my plan was to make St. George’s an exclusive venue where members came to both golf and dine,” said Fontana, who has a master’s degree in food studies from New York University.
Fontana relied heavily on the insights he acquired during his more than six-year tenure as executive chef and owner of the SCGP Café at the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics on The State University of New York at Stony Brook campus.
“At the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, I cooked for some of the world’s most brilliant thinkers,” Fontana said. “Being around those minds taught me to approach food, operations and leadership with the same analytical curiosity and immerse myself fully in the problem and push for creative elegant solutions.
This mindset now drives everything Fontana does at St. George’s.
“We change the menu every week and offer an array of top-of-the-line steaks, fish and produce,” said Fontana, who was promoted to clubhouse manager in 2024. “One of our most requested dishes is our seared sea scallops over corn milk risotto.”
Fontana said he continues to offer favorites such as chicken parmigiana for longtime members.
Starting in August, the club will feature its first al fresco Italian dinner at a cost of $250 a person.
Club President Frank Morgigno said every membership category is either at capacity or on a waiting list, and their bottom line is strong.
“Paolo had a lot of forward-thinking ideas,” Morgigno said. “He introduced European and Mediterranean influences into our meats and fish, added sauces and other items that really challenged people’s palettes and encouraged them to dine on the premises instead of patronizing other high-end restaurants. He also started wine pairing and beer- and bourbon-themed events that drew members to the club for reasons other than golf.”
Profit spurs growth
In June of 2025 — for the first time in more than 20 years — Morgigno said the club made a significant profit.
“Most restaurants at golf clubs generally lose money so this was a nice surprise,” he said. “We have since revitalized other areas of the country club, including an on-going restoration design by Gil Hanse that has restored and reshaped our tee boxes, fairways and green and bunker complexes.”
Morgigno said ideas are being reviewed for the club’s next capital projects, including a new parking lot and golf maintenance facility.
“If we are going to continue to stay competitive, we need to give members a reason to come back, and our golf course and dining experience are making that possible,” he said.
St. George’s is far from the only venue upscaling its dining options to accommodate members’ ever-expanding palettes and dietary needs.
Over at Georgia-based Bobby Jones Links, which manages 40 golf clubs across 13 states, Ray Whitlock has been working with their clients’ chefs and food & beverage managers at private and public venues to develop new and more relevant offerings that cater to local tastes.
Whitlock, director of culinary experiences and a former executive chef at high-end restaurants in Nashville and Chicago, said he is keenly aware that food is not just an amenity at golf clubs; it is an integral part of the business model and the success of a club.
“As a boutique management company, we are not looking to cut corners for golf club owners, but rather to engage their members and create culinary and beverage programs that boost member engagement and satisfaction,” he said.
Prior to making any menu change suggestions, Whitlock said he spends a considerable amount of time at each club, talking to the chefs, servers, customers and members to see what options they would like to have added or subtracted from the culinary lineup to make the choices more fun, different and compelling.
“We love positive feedback, but at times we learn the most from negative feedback,” Whitlock said. “We get an idea of the clients’ and members’ needs, and we look at the demographics, local flavors and vendors to see how we can incorporate items that are unique to the area and try to bring in some new and fresh items.
Although the goal is member satisfaction, the Bobby Jones Links team also works to ensure that the financial end is closely monitored, utilizing systems that track inventory and costs to help price and maintain the consistency of menu items.
Not every suggestion made by a member can be incorporated into the menu exactly as requested, Whitlock said, but Bobby Jones Links finds a way to say yes.
“If a few members are requesting certain wines, for example, it may not make financial sense to add them to the menu,” Whitlock explained.
However, that does not mean their wine wishes are ignored. As an alternative, Whitlock said a monthly wine tasting event will be accompanied by food samples, engaging the members to try and integrate both into their wishes.
“There are also trivia nights, cooking classes, whisky tastings and live music offered at our clubs to truly engage members and allow us to meet face to face with them to gather feedback and create other member experiences that will enhance the social aspect of the clubs,” Whitlock said.
Since every region of the country is unique, as are its members, the goal is to tailor the events and menus to each individual club.
“We recognize that what works for our southern clubs may not work in the Midwest,” Whitlock said. “Cheesy grits are something that we enjoy a lot here in the South. In the Midwest, it may be polenta. The coastal clubs are having oysters and seafood-heavy items, while the inland clubs enjoy steaks. The fun part is introducing something that may be famous in North Carolina to Oklahoma or vice versa.”
Chef-inspired menus
Whitlock said working with the chefs is the best part of the job.
“We like to keep things interesting,” he said. “One of the clubs offers Korean barbeque skewers with a sunny-side-up egg, sticky rice and pickled vegetables. That’s fun and not seen at many country clubs.”
While the redesign efforts at private clubs focus on high-end offerings, Whitlock said the changes at public clubs are more conservative.
A pre-existing menu of chicken tenders, hamburgers and hot dogs might include new items such as smash burgers, jalapeño pimento cheeseburgers or a chicken ciabatta sandwich, which has become a popular choice at many venues.
As tastes have expanded, so have individual dietary restrictions.
Bobby Jones Links clubs all feature gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options, as does St. George’s on Long Island.
“One popular choice is our slow-roasted cauliflower steak with spicy honey drizzle and festive quinoa salad,” Fontana said. “We also have gluten-free bread and macaroons, cashew and other vegan milks, and if we need to, we can always run to the store.”
Service with flair
Fontana said it’s not just the food that is upscale.
“We offer ‘unreasonable hospitality’ that rivals top New York City restaurants,” he said.
Whitlock said all club menus are clearly labeled, identifying products that contain nuts and other items that could trigger allergies.
“In the dessert category, we might have a flourless chocolate cake or a strawberry sabayon for our members on a gluten-free diet,” Whitlock said.
And like St. George’s, redesigning the menu has proven to be a recipe for success, with increased revenue following close behind at many clubs managed by Bobby Jones Links.
At The Frog Golf Club in Villa Rica, Georgia, the restaurant has seen its food & beverage revenue double since the menu was redesigned.
The club recently purchased a pizza oven and now offers pizzas on weekends, which members order regularly.
“That is not only good service,” said Whitlock, adding it’s a part of Bobby Jones Links’ core purpose of “making a difference” for members.
(This story originally ran in the September/October 2025 issue of Golf Inc.)
