A regional operator acquired Melody Hill Country Club in Chepachet, Rhode Island in November, and formed a new management company to oversee the property and two other nearby courses.
Tri-State Golf Company manages Dudley Hill Golf Club in Dudley, Massachusetts and Raceway Golf Club in Thompson, Connecticut in addition to Melody Hill. It plans to acquire more golf courses.
The company, owned by the Hoenig family and run by Jonathan Hoenig, started in golf in the mid-1940s when it built the Raceway Golf Club. The first nine holes were built on the family dairy farm, with the original 1700s family farmhouse still located adjacent to one of the holes. The second nine holes were added in the 1960s.
The course is named after the Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, which the Hoenig family built in 1938. It hosts NASCAR-sanctioned races.
The company sold Dudley Hill Golf Club, a nine-hole facility, to Nichols College in May for $200,000, but continues to operate the course on behalf of the liberal arts college.
The golf team at the 1,000-student college uses the course for practice and the college holds an annual alumni golf event and fundraising tournaments at the club.
While Jonathan Hoenig serves as Tri-State’s CEO, his brother, Donald, is president. The company hired Steve Landi to be regional manager for all three properties. The company offers a membership plan that gives access to all three golf courses. It has approximately 300 members.