Pair has plans for Whitehall Field Club

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The clubhouse at the former Whitehall Field Club sits empty on the club property off Gray Lane in Whitehall. The new owners of the facility have plans to reinvigorate the site’s six-hole golf course and turn the property into a sort of hub for visitors to explore the entire region. (Photo by EJ Conzola II)

The clubhouse at the former Whitehall Field Club sits empty on the club property off Gray Lane in Whitehall. The new owners of the facility have plans to reinvigorate the site’s six-hole golf course and turn the property into a sort of hub for visitors to explore the entire region. (Photo by EJ Conzola II)

The new owners of the former Whitehall Field Club have big plans for the property.

Ian Gilley and David Cronheim, partners in the Sugarloaf Social Club, plan to reinvigorate the six-hole golf course to attract players from across the country. They also plan to erect several “very tasteful . . . Scandinavian minicabins” that those who come to play can use as an “adventure hub” to explore the region’s many attractions and activities – from exploring the Adirondacks to attending the cultural events in Saratoga Springs to tasting the products of Bhakta Spirits on the former Green Mountain College campus in Poultney, Vermont, and of course attending Whitehall’s own Sasquatch Festival, Gilley said.

The area within a short drive from Whitehall is “a fruitful area for activities,” he said.

“It’s a cool concept,” Gilley said, adding his vision for the club is “like summer camp with no counselors.”

Gilley and Cronheim purchased the 66.5-acre property with a plantation-style clubhouse late last year for $460,000. The pair – longtime friends and golf aficionados – had been looking for a golf course they could purchase for some time and jumped at the chance when the “quirky” property became available, Gilley said.

“We thought it was a really, really cool idea,” Gilley said. “We took a flier on it.”

The two were familiar with the area in part through their marketing and consulting work for a golf course in Saratoga Springs and “we just love this area,” Gilley said.

The Sugarloaf Social Club sells golf apparel and accessories, and the companion Sugarloaf Creative Lab provide marketing and consulting services for golf courses across the country. Gilley, a former congressional staffer who lives in northern Virginia, and Cronheim, a New Jersey-based lawyer, started their company several years ago.

The company is “very popular in the golf-nerd scene,” Gilley said.

At present, Gilley and Cronheim are waiting for the weather to break so they can begin work on the golf course, which has not been properly maintained for several years. They plan to sod the greens in the spring and hope for “preview play” in early summer, Gilley said.

The pair has also retained the former superintendent at the Whitehall Field Club to help them get the course in shape. The hiring was the result of a “serendipitous” encounter on a local course, when the two were playing a round and saw a man working on the sprinkler system. They got to talking and learned the man – Dan Nassivera – had worked at the club they wanted to buy, Gilley said. They hired him almost on the spot.

“We’re just so lucky to have him,” Gilley said.

The two are excited to have a chance to bring their plans to life and are glad they are able to do so in Whitehall, Gilley said.

“I think it’s just a huge opportunity,” Gilley said, adding that “everyone was so lovely.”