Premiere Longshore Golf Club Returns to Glory

THE CHALLENGE

Reduce Escalating Maintenance Costs and Restore Conditions 

In addition to being affordable and accessible to all levels of play, Longshore Golf Club, a well-loved municipal course in Westport, Conn., is also highly visible. So when golf course conditions deteriorated, lots of people in town noticed — including the town selectmen.

Their concern wasn’t just declining rounds and revenue, but they were also aghast that Longshore, a valued community asset, was going rapidly downhill while maintenance costs were escalating. Public outrage was so great that Jim Marpe, in his campaign for First Selectman, filmed a campaign commercial on Longshore’s greens, declaring he would fix the situation.

THE SOLUTION

Rapid Agronomic and Operational Improvements

Members of Longshore’s golf committee knew about our Golf Maintenance’s success with other struggling golf courses and they’d played on courses maintained by us. Their confidence meant a lot, but our ability to work cooperatively with the town officials was what ultimately sealed the partnership.

Our agronomists and operations experts worked closely with Westport’s parks and recreation department, tailoring the approach to meet objectives and budget. The team knew they had to act quickly — and they did. First, our experts addressed turf health. A customized agronomic program was implemented and crew training took place simultaneously. Equipment was assessed and replaced as needed. It was a comprehensive, efficient approach and it worked.

THE OUTCOME

Optimized Operations and Sustainable Savings

Within a few months, the course was showing tremendous improvement. Trust was regained among town officials, a rational maintenance budget was put in place, and operations were streamlined and optimized. The golf operation experienced sustainable maintenance savings of $175,000 per year. Rounds are up at Longshore and revenues have grown 20 percent year-over-year since we started work on the course. Most importantly, Longshore Golf Club regained its status as the heart and soul of Westport’s stellar outdoor recreational facilities.

The course’s remarkable turnaround has gained attention outside of the community as well. In 2014, an article in "Golf Digest" called out the course for its playability and conditions that, as the article stated, had gone from “a rundown track with abominable greens” to “being Longshore again.” In 2015, "Golf Week" magazine named the Longshore Golf Club among the top 10 golf courses in the state of Connecticut.

As for Marpe, he was elected and became the town’s very popular First Selectman. The "Golf Digest' article credited us and First Selectman Marpe’s election video and call action as the impetus for Longshore’s turnaround.

BrightView has been an extraordinary partner in rehabilitating Westport’s Longshore Golf Club and in improving the golf experience for our community. I regularly receive compliments on the way the course looks and plays and we have seen a significant increase in rounds as a result. BrightView has brought a depth of course maintenance expertise that a municipal facility like Longshore could never achieve on its own.

- Jim Marpe, First Selectman