Golf groups hope to save Calumet Country Club’s golf

Two golf organizations, the Chicago District Golf Association and the Donald Ross Society, have proposed plans to acquire and relaunch the Calumet Country Club as a golf destination.

The Calumet Country Club has been at the center of a years-long struggle over how the land should be used, with the owner’s multiple attempts to develop the property for industrial use met with resistance from communities and local governments.

Property owner W&E Ventures announced last month that golf would be permanently closed on the course and all infrastructure would be demolished.

Much of the golf course’s appeal to golf enthusiasts lies in its pedigree. It was designed by Donald Ross, a famous Scottish golf course designer.

“It’s like a Frank Lloyd Wright house. You hate to lose one, and you try to take the time, you make the effort to try to preserve it,” said Vaughn Halyard, president of the Donald Ross Society. “And what’s more, it’s a fantastic opportunity to offer the public a perfectly architected and perfectly conditioned, almost private, club-quality golf course.”

For Michael Grandinetti, Halyard’s partner in the project, there is also a sentimental reason to ensure the course is preserved.

“I was a member there for 45 years. We had our wedding reception there in 1970,” Grandinetti said. “I was able to join Calumet at a very young age because my mother and stepfather were members. »

Grandinetti is a past president of the Chicago District Golf Association, the Chicago area affiliate of the United States Golf Association.

Grandinetti has held several leadership positions at Calumet Country Club over the years, including two terms as president, although he was not involved in the sale of the property that launched the ongoing development fight, he said.

“Our desire is to preserve this golf course as a piece of history and as something that people can use and enjoy much longer than I have,” Grandinetti said.

Halyard said he and Grandinetti were prompted to develop a plan focused on saving the golf course when the Village of Hazel Crest issued an open request for proposals for the future of the property.

“It’s no secret that people just don’t want any more industrial development. Communities are tired of industrial development,” Halyard said.

However, to bring this vision to life, the partnership would eventually need to acquire the property.

Property owner Walt Brown Jr. said there is no opportunity for the partnership to purchase the property because it is being sequestered for redevelopment. Brown declined to say who would develop the property.

Brown also said the property cannot be managed sustainably or profitably as a golf course because of property taxes.

“We’ve been running the golf course for five years,” Brown said. “The golf course doesn’t have the revenue to operate as a business because of the tax bill.”

Brown said the industrial redevelopment he envisions would benefit Hazel Crest the most, both in terms of jobs and increased tax revenue.

“Redevelopment generates jobs for the city and revenue for the police department, fire department and school district,” Brown said.

However, to be developed for industrial purposes, the property would first have to be rezoned, a process controlled by the village. Village approval is also required to grant demolition permits necessary for the destruction of existing infrastructure on the property.

Halyard said the partnership has had positive communications with Hazel Crest officials regarding their proposal.

Having a Donald Ross golf course is a valuable asset to the community that should be capitalized on, Halyard said.

“Donald Ross designed courses so that as many people as possible could enjoy golf,” Halyard said. “To put it simply, a Donald Ross course is designed not to be difficult. It’s designed to be enjoyable for most people. But if you really want to score and really want to win a tournament, or really want to be a great golfer, the shots you make on the way out and onto the green are more difficult than they would be for a layman.”

Halyard and Grandinetti’s proposal for a revitalized course builds on a model that puts local residents first and emphasizes golf courses as public spaces with varied uses.

“Everyone has to learn how to handle themselves when golf is on the line, but if it’s winter, I’ll have the cross-country ski and hiking trails ready right up to our front door because I want you to come buy some hot buttered rum and hang out in front of the fireplace while people hit in the simulator bay,” Halyard said. “Essentially, that’s what golf is looking to do for the future.”

The quality of the course is such that Halyard believes it can become a destination for golf enthusiasts.

“If we do it right, which we intend to do, we will have a waiting list for tee times,” Halyard said.

Grandinetti said that as someone who lives in the area, he hopes to see the course not only preserved, but opened for more public use.

“I live in Flossmoor. It would be very comforting for me to walk down 175th Street and see the Calumet Country Club maintained as it was and still a viable entity within the community, and actually more accessible to more people in the community,” Grandinetti said.

elewis@chicagotribune.com