ENFIELD \u2014 Montcalm Golf Club is looking to sell the development rights to more than 100 acres of land it owns in Enfield to enable the creation of a private housing community.<\/p>\n
The idea is to develop 110 acres of land off the left side of the golf course\u2019s driveway, owner Kristen Brenner wrote in a series of emailed statements this week. <\/p>\n
\u201cI envision a charming village of 100 cabin-style homes,\u201d Brenner wrote. \u201cHowever, we would like for our developer partners to share their vision and collaborate with our team to create a neighborhood that the community will be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montcalm Golf Club is an 18-hole, semi-public facility located off Smith Pond Road. The club, which is operated under the name Enfield Land Co., owns four parcels of land totaling about 378 acres around Smith Pond Road and near Interstate 89.<\/p>\n
Brenner and her late husband, Chuck Currier, purchased the property in 2019. Currier died in February.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sales offering pertains solely to residential development rights and does not include the golf club or its operations,\u201d wrote Brenner, who splits her time between Enfield and Florida.<\/p>\n
The future residential community would not be visible from \u201cthe clubhouse, driveway, or golf course \u2014 a commitment that will be protected through formal covenants,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
There is no set purchase price.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would like for a developer to partner with us to create the vision for this property and show us the value based on the cost of construction of the vision,\u201d Brenner wrote. <\/p>\n
Brenner informed club members about her decision to sell the development rights in an email last Saturday.<\/p>\n
The decision to sell the rights is due in part to finances, said Kimberly Lohman Clapp, a member who serves as a club spokesperson.<\/p>\n
The club has more than 150 members. Fees for the 2025 season, which runs from April through mid-October, ranged from $4,039 for a non-resident single to $8,319 for a family membership. There are discounted memberships for youth, juniors and young professionals. <\/p>\n
The club also offers public access, meaning people who do not pay for yearly memberships can pay daily rates ranging from $113 to $155 to play the course.<\/p>\n
Those membership numbers are not enough to cover the golf club\u2019s expenses, Lohman Clapp said.<\/p>\n
Brenner and Currier \u201cinvested millions of their own money into making Montcalm the gem that it is today,\u201d Lohman Clapp, of Hanover, said in a phone interview. \u201cWhile that is doable, it is not sustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lohman Clapp, her husband and their five children have been members for three years. Part of what makes it a great club, she said, is the location and the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an incredible way to get exercise in a beautiful setting,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a really tight knit community of people who know about each other\u2019s kids and grandkids, who enjoy having a beer at the end of a round together.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the seven years Brenner and her late husband have owned Montcalm, they\u2019ve added a driving range, new putting green, a gazebo and an outdoor bar, among other capital projects. The club has around 40 full- and part-time employees, who mostly work seasonally.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith that said, Montcalm is not a financial burden on me,\u201d Brenner wrote. \u201cThere is no debt on this property. I\u2019m just looking at every way to make Montcalm more valuable for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The goal of the sale of the development rights is to allow Montcalm to become fully private, Brenner wrote: \u201cIf we had 150 more members at the current rate, we could go private today and we wouldn\u2019t look at development at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
The additional revenue would also allow the course to be better cared for, Brenner wrote.<\/p>\n
A fully private club would be open only to those who pay yearly membership fees, along with their guests. If a housing development is built, part of the association fees would go toward maintaining the golf club. It would be similar to the Lake Sunapee Country Club and The Quechee Club, where property owners are members of the golf club.<\/p>\n
The response from members about the planned development rights sale has been generally positive, but there was also some concern about the course\u2019s future. <\/p>\n
Jay Boucher, of Enfield, joined Montcalm when it opened in the early 2000s. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so well built and so well maintained,\u201d Boucher said in a phone interview. He described the members and staff as family. Adding on a housing development would help sustain that for the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it makes 100% sense,\u201d Boucher said. \u201cIt would be a real compliment to Montcalm and its membership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Noah Crane, of Lebanon, has been a member since around 2008. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a little uncertainty about what does that mean?\u201d he said in a phone interview. \u201cMy hope is that it remains (as-is).\u201d<\/p>\n
Kelly Mesler, of Woodstock, is a first-year member at Montcalm. She was drawn to the course, in part, because it is mountainous and challenging. She often sees deer and turkeys on the course and can\u2019t hear the interstate in spite of its proximity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of privacy there for sure where it feels like there\u2019s nothing, but golf and woods for acres and acres,\u201d Mesler said in a phone interview. <\/p>\n
She is tentatively supportive of the plans to develop part of the land. \u201cIt seems a little too early for me personally to form an opinion when I don\u2019t know too much about it, but obviously as long as it\u2019s developed intentionally it can be a wonderful opportunity for Montcalm\u2019s future success.\u201d<\/p>\n
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