By Danny and Alice Scott
If you google Tripod the bear, you will see Heathrow Legacy Country Club’s informal mascot. His video went viral opening a homeowner’s patio frig door and chomping down a White Claw hard seltzer. The former Legacy Club of Alaqua Lakes was designed by Tom Fazio and is known to be a very tough, challenging course. It is a sanctuary for bears and bobcats, free range chickens and lucky golf members. It is also famed for the Buick commercial filmed with Tiger Woods surprising golfers for a closest to the pin contest. Five of them won new cars for their winning swings on number 12, now dubbed Tiger Trap. The Fazio course is truly an Audubon International Signature Certified Sanctuary golf course.
Legacy as the name implies, has much history tied to its golf as well as tennis with the likes of Agassi, Connors and Billie Jean playing in a small arena that still stands among the many modern courts including of course, pickleball.
Legacy Country Club merged with its neighbor Heathrow Country Club making it one of the most prestigious clubs in Florida, only to be enhanced as part of the Concert Golf Partners’ collection with a $3m investment. Heathrow was the first of Concert Golf’s acquisitions in 2013.
Heathrow is known as the Garl course, designed by Ron Garl and while still challenging, it is a bit easier to play if you miss the waterways that belie 16 of the 18 holes. Host of nine U.S. Open qualifiers, it has numerous winning PGA Tour players on its member roster including Payne Stewart (the first club member), Jim Thorpe, Chris DiMarco, Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson and Sam Ryder. The course is a paradise for Florida’s aquatic winged stars as well. Key to Garl’s design is the island green on number 12’s par 3.
Concert Golf’s clubhouse and course renovations at Heathrow Legacy Country Club have elevated the golf, social and dining experiences. Heathrow is the only private club to install Trackman demonstrating the forward thinking of Concert Golf’s team.
Michael Abramowitz, VP of Public Relations and Communication at Concert Golf provided insight to their acquisition strategy. Their portfolio consists of premier upscale private clubs where people live and work. As a boutique owner/operator, they are disciplined in finding the right clubs where members appreciate the reinvestment.
Recapitalization pays off all debt and eliminates member assessments. Shawn Mc Guigan, the GM at Heathrow Legacy shared Concert Golf’s capital investment strategy when acquiring new clubs. They keep the pros and culture of a new private club while assessing and supplementing the staff as opposed to “cleaning house.” Shawn was previously the head pro at Heathrow.
Concert Golf might invest money in perhaps updating a/c units or wells that are not front facing but necessary. They listen to the members and upgrade what they have been hoping for such as bunkers. And often they put a lot into kitchen enhancements to attract the best chefs. If Heathrow’s Clubhouse is an example, the resulting cuisine is very fine, and we highly recommend the salad with salmon if the opportunity arises.
Concert Golf Partners’ Clubs cover a variety of course designers across the states and members at each enjoy the travel benefit to use any club as if it were their own. The home pro sets up the tee time with the remote pro and member number. The Club at Pasadera is a Jack Nicklaus Signature in Monterey with a 200-yard carry from tees over a canyon. TPC Jasna Polana in Princeton, NJ holds onto the art and heritage of the Johnson and Johnson family with a speakeasy room. The latest acquisitions are Rees Jones’ Golf Club of the Everglades, where members require no tee times, The Georgia Club, Penn Oaks and The Club at SpurWing. Westgate Club sits in Augusta and the list goes on like a harmonic symphony of elite clubs, now totaling 38. www.concertgolfclubs.com
