North Adams Country Club Under New Ownership
 Partner Jim Basiliere of East Coast Shaping wants to spruce up the nine-hole course while staying true to the orginal architect's vision. |
After more than a 100 years of being publicly owned, the North Adams Country Club was sold to a private company in recent months. Financial hardships over the past decade eventually forced the NACC shareholders to turn the golf course over to the Hoosac Bank, which in turn sold the note for $305,000 in February to Clocktower Nominee Realty Trust. The amount is the balance of a $330,000 mortgage taken out in 2005.
One of the major concerns of the club's shareholders was to make sure the property in Clarksburg remained a golf course. After speaking with representatives from the new ownership group, the shareholders were happy to know that Clocktower planned on keeping and improving upon the historic 9-hole course located just a few miles north of the North Adams city line.
Clocktower is represented by Dalton natives Jim Basiliere and Trace Fasano, both of whom have important roles in the direction of the country club moving forward. Fasano will be the general manager of the club, while Basiliere is the lead contractor in any and all renovation efforts.
Basiliere brings plenty of experience to Clarksburg when it comes to running and renovating golf courses. His uncle, Bill Basiliere, owns Bas Ridge Country Club in Hinsdale, where he worked and played throughout his childhood. Basiliere has since created his own golf course construction company called East Coast Shaping, which has helped construct courses throughout seven states, particularly in the Northeast.
East Coast Shaping is a member of the Golf Course Builders Association of America. Its most recent projects include Jack Frost National, an 18-hole course tucked away in the heart of Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains.
When it comes to renovating NACC's nine-hole layout, Basiliere seemed eager and excited to spruce the course up while also maintaining most of the work created by the course's original architect, Orrin E. Smith.
"We're planning on rerouting a few holes and building a couple of new ones," he said. "When that is complete, we're going to build a state-of-the-art practice facility, including a driving range and a short-game area.
"This year, we're going to focus on getting the course in shape. We're going to open the course up as-is in a few weeks but in the fall, we're going to plan on building a couple of new holes. Holes No. 1 and 2 will probably go away in an effort to work on the new practice facility."
One of the major issues Basiliere will have to address quickly is the poor condition of the greens at NACC. Several greens at the course have died over the past few summers, leaving burnt spots on the ground and making for some uneven putting surfaces.
"I'm currently working on a master plan with golf course architect Robert McNeil and our first goal will be to get the greens in good, playable condition," Basiliere said. "The problem that North Adams is having is specific to them. Some of the areas need to be opened up because there is not a lot of air circulation and light. They really have an old irrigation system, which doesn't allow the greens to be watered properly.
"The course was built in 1903, so the greens are really the old push-up style greens. When we rebuild them, we plan on building them to USGA specifications. There really hasn't been much renovation to the course after it was built, so we're attempting to give it a fresh makeover."
 The clubhouse will get a facelift and new pub and banquet menu. |
Not all of the improvements will be made on the golf course, however, as the clubhouse will also receive a facelift starting as early as next week. Don't forget about the kitchen either, which will now feature a lively and affordable pub menu as well as an expanded banquet menu.
"We hired an in-house caterer to do all of our events," Fasano said. "We've expanded on our banquet menu and want to work with our guests on tailoring our menu more to their specific tastes and preferences. It just gives people who decide to hold an event here more choices and consistency. I really do think people will enjoy the change."
As far as change goes, Fasano is hoping the one thing that doesn't change is the club's loyal and dedicated membership base. To reward those members who have come back year after year, Fasano said the club will keep the same rates this year as the 2010 membership fees and will also give a 10 percent discount to those golfers who renew their membership by April 15.
"We've had a lot of really positive feedback so far," Fasano said. "We have a Facebook page and we're currently working on a new website. We anticipate all of the members coming back and hope to gain some new members as well. The club really does have a loyal following, so we're trying to be as welcoming to all of the members as they have been to us during this process."
For more information on the North Adams Country Club or if your interested in forming a league this year, go to the club's website or its Facebook page.
