Earlier this summer, Braemar Country Club was purchased by brothers Steve & Walt Pavlovych of Hilton, NY. After spending most of their lives in the Tool & Die Industry, they were ready for a challenge; and a challenge is what they got.
Braemar Country Club always had the potential to be an elite course, but after many years of neglect, the course became run down and outdated. That didn’t stop Steve and Walt though. They saw something special in this golf course and knew that with some time and hard work they could bring it back to the type of course it should have been all along.
Their first order of business was to make improvements that would present an immediate impact. The brothers started out by fixing the run down sand traps that encompass much of the course. They removed all the old sand, increased the size of the traps, and edged around them. They added over 200 tons of professional grade golf course sand making them more playable and visually appealing. Walt stated that the golfers were very appreciative of the new sand but joked that they now would have to improve their game to hit out of “real” sandtraps. Michael Leahy of Walworth said “I love the new sandtraps. The bright white sand gives the course a totally different look.”
The next order of business was to trim all the low hanging branches on each tree throughout the course. The goal was to help speed up play, eliminate the number of loss balls for their customers, and give the course a more cleanly and maintained appearance. Much of this work was performed by the high school and college students that work for Braemar Country Club each season. The brothers also added flower beds near the tee boxes, filled in the low spots that were present in each fairway, fixed the pot holes on the cart paths, and turned on the irrigation system that many of the seasonal employees didn’t know even existed.
In just under 2 months, Braemar Country Club has experienced more changes than ever before. They are currently in the process of remodeling the inside and outside of both the current pro shop and the restaurant. The outside of each building has been painted and cedar shake siding has been added at the peak of each building. The women’s bathroom was completely remodeled with the men’s bathroom to follow. The inside of the pro shop and restaurant was painted giving it a nice clean appearance. Both Walt and Steve said they want to create a private course atmosphere at a public course price. Joe Pagano of Greece loves the changes so far. He said “I have played here more in the last 2 months than I have in the last 5 years. I love the changes and can’t wait to see what the future holds for this course.”
The restaurant/bar is now open Monday thru Friday, offering a fish fry on Friday’s. With the ability to accommodate 60 -70 people, Walt and Steve are excited to know they have the capabilities to host large gatherings. They also have a hot dog stand that is open throughout the day that offers a quick lunch or snack. On the course, you can grab an ice cold drink from one of the cart girls that drive up and down the fairways.
Some other future improvements include:
– 50 new electric carts arriving in mid August
– Large patio off the 18th green
– New hole signs and ball washers
– More ponds and sandtraps
– Increasing the course length
– New putting green
With the all current improvements made, we recommend that you visit Braemar Country Club. Their weekday rates are $20 for 18 holes with a cart and only $25 on the weekend. They are currently offering an unlimited play membership for the remainder of the season for only $250. Contact the pro shop at 585-352-5360 to schedule your tee time today.
Changes Plentiful At Braemar Country Club & More Too Come
On August - 18 - 2010Local News
Played Braemar last week and the course has a lot of changes. The new owners are doing a great job!!! They are updating the pro-shop and restaurant. The new sand in all the traps is awesome – you can finally get a true shot out of them. I can’t wait to see the course next year when even more changes take place.
Great job for a couple of siblings from the local area that care!
WOW! Great job guys! Hard work really does pay off. Good Luck!
The new sand in the bunkers brings back life to the course. Course is looking good. Any deals coming for the fall?
I love coming here more now that they have changed it.seeing the green makes it look really good great work guys
I played here a couple of weeks ago. It was better than what people “warned.” They definitely need to replace the hole signs. They were made with sheet metal and permanent marker.
Jonathan – thank you for the feedback. Braemar has their new signs on order they just haven’t come in yet. Glad you enjoyed the course.
My grandson and I have played the course several times recently and the changes so far have improved the fun factor by 500%. Keep up the good work and get those greens a little more plush.
The course is really starting to look decent. I would like it if they change the signs and fix some of the holes in the fairway or made some forward bunker’s to help get some life at this course. The new carts are nice but I wish they had nice ball and club washers on them. Overall the place looks good. Landscaping near that patio would add a whole new look to the outside. I can’t wait to play it agian next season, it’s one of my favorite courses!
The fairways need some fixing and the greens need to be faster. A lot more left to do.
Thank you one and all for the positive feedback and the constructive criticism. We appreciate the comments and feedback. We are continuing to improve the course and facilities. Please keep coming back to see our improvements and progress.
I have always liked the layout at braemar and the changes have only added to it. Would hope to see a web site and also member prices as I would definitely like to become a member. Any possibility of taking over the driving range to make it part of the club???
Walter & Steve
Please advise menbership rates for 2011. I am a senoir.
Thanks
Don
Just finished playing at the “new” Braemar. We were a group
of 3women who found the course well-maintained,picturesque and
nicely “playable”. We especially enjoyed lunch on the
new outdoor patio area and look forward to a nice meal
in the new beautiful dining room. Final comment:
we’ll be back again soon (and often) and will encourage
our golfing friends to enjoy the “new” Braemar soon!
Course has really made a 180 turn. Looks great. Can I suggest that you put repair bottles on the carts so people are encouraged to fix divots in the fairways? I think this would help keep the fairways in better shape. Let the golfer’s do the work for you and make them keep the course nice for everyone else.