Birch Hill Country Club was established in February 2024 after acquiring what was historically Ridgewood Country Club formerly owned and operated by Total Golf Management for the past 20+ years.  The property was originally developed as a 9-hole golf course in the late 90’s and was eventually expanded to a gorgeous scenic and picturesque 18-hole golf course set through hilly terrain while often overlooking the mountains around the northern half of Lake Winnipesaukee.  We offer a variety of play including 9 and 18 hole play, weekly Men’s & Ladies League, 9 and dine Couples League, tournaments for both members and the public, a driving range and practice facility for both clinics and lessons, and much more.  Wrap up your round or swing by (no pun intended) and enjoy lunch, dinner, and a drink at our newly renovated Overlook Tavern.

Management

In 2009, I graduated from UNH with my undergraduate degree in accounting and took a job in Wolfeboro at a CPA firm to start my career.   Over the next decade, I focused on my professional career obtaining a Master’s degree in taxation and a law degree from New England Law | Boston while working full time at firms, mainly Deloitte, in mergers & acquisitions primarily supporting large private equity clients.  I grew up an as an athlete but could probably count on both hands how many rounds of golf I had played at that point in my life.  Months after starting my career in Wolfeboro I strolled up to Ridgewood and purchased my first golf membership.  Humbling.  I learned real quick how frustrating and rewarding the game of golf really was and that it was going to take some time to figure out how to be a respectable player in the community.  Little did I know that over the years I would become so emotionally attached to such a unique and amazing place with a foundation of awesome members, staff, crew, and people. 

Having been a part of this community for the last 15 years it has been amazing to see how the golf course has developed.  The entire facility and infrastructure of land and individuals that are part of Birch Hill are unmatched and will only get better with time.  We have a very strategic plan to execute over the next year, two years, five years, and so on.  Right now, we’re continuing to invest in both the clubhouse, the course, and the people to make Birch Hill the premiere semi-private golf course and facility of the Lakes Region.  I’d love to think our plan can be executed overnight, but good things take time.   I have a lot to learn having never managed a golf course or restaurant before but I’m confident that I have an amazing team here to learn from.

The ownership change took place took place in February and we hit the ground running immediately ripping apart and fully renovating the clubhouse and the Overlook Tavern to get the tavern open and operating at full capacity by March 15th.  The changes are significant and the feedback has been nothing but positive.  My wife, Courtney, is owed the credit for not only coming up with the design, but supporting this entire adventure for us. 

Conveniently, Mother Nature cooperated through winter with mainly mild temperatures and limited snow so we were also able to open the golf course for the first time as Birch Hill on the same day, March 15th.  Unfortunately, she (Mother Nature) decided to show up not once but twice hitting us with a couple snow storms dumping close to two feet both times shutting down the course for play until early April. Fortunately, we rolled our maintenance crew on earlier than ever and they continued to get the course ready for the 2024 season.

As part of the transition, we were able to not only maintain the majority of the staff but also bring in some old faces from years’ past. Kevin Haslam continues as our Superintendent on the course. He studied turf management and built his the foundation of his career down south studying and learning golf course management before migrating back north. Kevin has been part of the crew at our facility for almost seven years and continues to improve the course year over year with the help of his team. The entire grounds crew has been working hard since day 1 of the ownership change and the course is showing it being only mid April. See our April current updates below for current conditions and expectations.

In our Pro Shop we have an old but new familiar face leading golf operations as our Head Golf Professional. After being away from our facility for over a decade, Mike Uhlman has returned an has picked up right where he left off greeting members and public alike, scheduling leagues and tournaments, and reintroducing the structure and formality of the daily schedule and managing the overall golf experience to ensure smooth check-ins, timely tee-offs, and controlling pace of play.

With over 12 years experience behind the bar at the 19th hole Barbara McClay continues to oversee operations at the Overlook Tavern with assistance from Todd Durland as our Head Chef. Collectively, these two and their staff have not only picked up where they left off from prior seasons but have implemented some welcome changes to both drink and food menus.

Overall Updates & Expectations

In the short period of our new ownership we prioritized opening both the golf course and the tavern.  On the course, we opened up and cleared the tee box on hole 6, tee box on 8, overgrowth of trees between 5’s tee box and 6’s fairway.  We’ve cleared a significant amount of overgrowth in the tree lines to expose the gorgeous birch trees, notably behind hole 1 green, between hole 11’s approach/green and 14’s tee box, and between 16’s fairway and 17’s tee box.  Kevin and the maintenance crew have been doing an amazing job and the course condition is showing it with greens in the best condition they’ve been in coming out of winter and carts already off the path. As warm weather continues, the course will only get better and greener in time.

The Overlook Tavern is operating with a full selection of beers (both domestic and craft), spirits, and wines while serving some of the best tavern fare around Lake Winnipesaukee.  Come in and check out the vibe after the recently completed renovation.

We’re just getting warmed up at Birch Hill.  We’re going to make some mistakes along the way and as much as I wish we could promise perfection, we’ll work on correcting any issues that come up.  Although this place is awesome, it can be better.  Some things we’ll be able to address in due course and others will have to be budgeted for and taken care of during the offseason.  One notable item and concern is our bridges and cart paths.  Directionally, the cart paths are in very reasonable condition but we’re working on a plan to address rebuilding/reinforcing some of the bridges around the course to make the experience much better.  With the timing of the ownership change and limitations of getting open on a tight budget, it wasn’t realistically in the deck of cards going into the 2024 season but we’re building a plan and budget now to address any notable concerns after the season. 

We’ll work to convey more real time updates on our website here as we continue to progress into this season and venture.  In the meantime, the course and tavern are in amazing shape and we look forward to seeing you this year.  I can’t express enough how excited we are to have the opportunity to continuing growing what was already an amazing place.  Cheers and here’s to hoping for a great season of golf! 

Eddy