Country Club sale a done deal

Gardiner’s Bay Country Club and the owners of the land on which it operates closed on a deal Wednesday, December 19 that gives the club ownership of its own property.

Club President Jack Regan confirmed on Friday that the deal had successfully closed at a law office in Bridgehampton. He declined to identify the lawyer who represented the sellers, or any details of the deal, except to say there were four leaders of the group .

“I think shifting ownership to the membership opens up a lot more opportunity to do things we’ve refrained from doing because it wasn’t our property.” Mr. Egan said in a phone interview. He said he and others had reached out to the owners to seek a deal. “I don’t know,” he answered when asked why they succeeded this time while past efforts to buy the land, dating back decades, had always stalled.

He said the purchase will make for a “culture change” at the club “in what we can do to expand” the facilities.

The membership of Gardiner’s Bay Country Club voted this fall to pursue the purchase of the land, which the club rents from heirs of the Kessler  family.

Located on the site of a course that was laid out in the 1890s by the Manhanset House hotel, the course and clubhouse closed during World War II and fell into disrepair. The Shelter Island Lions Club raised funds to restore the course and the building under a lease arrangement with the Hay Beach Point Corporation, which owned the property as well as all of the Hay Beach area.

Until a new deed is filed showing the new ownership, the property is listed in the town assessor’s office as 139.6 acres owned by Neroni et al, with an assessed value not including the clubhouse of $5.17 million.