SUTTON, Mass., November 16 — John Magill Sr., who owns Highfields Golf and Country Club in Grafton, bought the renowned Pleasant Valley Country Club at auction Tuesday for $5 million.
Magill, a Grafton homebuilder, outbid four others for the 49-year-old facility that, in its heyday, was a must-play venue for the LPGA and PGA tours. Until Magill closes the deal — which he must do within 45 days — long-time owner Ted Mignolla will operate the business, said Justin Manning, president of JJ Manning Auctioneers, which ran the proceedings.
Friendly foreclosure. “This was as friendly a foreclosure as they come,” Manning told New England Golf Monthly.
The sale of the 137-acre property included the 18-hole golf course, practice facility, pro shop, 35,000-square-foot clubhouse, and ballroom and function facilities.
Mired in debt. Mingolla, who has owned the club since the death of his father, Cosmo Mingolla in 1979, fell deeply in debt and put the property up for sale earlier this year. Despite some interest, Mingolla was unable to sell the course for his asking price.
So, on a gloomy and damp morning in central Massachusetts, a few die-hard golfers dotted the historic 18-hole layout as seven registered bidders and more than 100 interested parties crowded into PV’s lounge that overlooks the course. Mignolla did not attend, but many concerned PV members mingled with the mostly male bank presidents in suits and ties and denim-clad golf course owners.
“I would hope [Mignolla] would get to keep it,” 30-year member Bob Recore said before the auction. “It’s a wonderful golf course, it has history, it has heritage, and it has a great owner.”
National acclaim. Pleasant Valley gained fame when it hosted 33 PGA Tour and 14 LPGA Tour events way back when. The LPGA made Sutton a stop on the tour from 1962 through the 1974 LPGA Championship. Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead are just a few of the PGA legends who played the course between 1965 and 1998.
Recore and others were eager to move forward. “There’s been an air of not knowing what was going to happen [for some time],” Recore said.
Another member, who preferred anonymity, concurred. “I’m anxious about what will happen to my membership,” he said after Magill had offered the winning bid.
Recore, et al, will have to wait a bit longer for answers, as Magill and his son John “Jay” Magill Jr. consider their options. They will likely try to keep the club private, but the younger Magill cautioned that the financial climate will determine if that’s a viable option.
“If the members are not there,” Magill said, it would not be feasible for PV to remain private. PV reportedly had 410 members in 2010.
All in the family. The Magills, who built and opened Highfields, belonged to Pleasant Valley for 25 years. That connection should comfort current members, said John’s wife Rachel, who co-manages the Grafton course with her daughter, Beth Shropshire.
“I saw members’ faces [after the bidding] and they were happy,” said Rachel Magill, who conceded she was still “a little bit” in shock that her family now owned two courses. “We didn’t think it would go for $5 million. I’m still reeling.”
Highfields head pro Roger Adams agreed that keeping PV a family affair was a plus for existing members. “It’s an exciting opportunity to marry the two [courses] and try to make as many golfers as happy as we can,” he said.
Reciprocity? One way to do that might be with a reciprocity agreement between the two courses. “That’s the up-and-coming thing,” said Jay Magill, noting that it would be helpful to offer golfers at both courses another place to play during peak times.
Joint membership, staffing, and other issues are open for discussion, which puts the status of long-time PV pro Paul Parajeckas in limbo. Brides-to-be, however, may take heart, as the Magills pledged to honor wedding receptions and other functions already booked.
New clubhouse. One project PV members can look forward to sooner rather than later, Jay Magills said, is a renovation of the outmoded clubhouse. Such an overhaul may well include razing the existing building.
‘We’ll do the renovations ourselves,” said Magill Jr., who in his jeans, wind shirt and black athletic shoes looked as if he could start knocking down walls immediately.
Magill Jr. sought to reassure PV golfers that the sale provided them with owners had the money to operate the club. “The members will be happy that there is financial stability here now,” he said. “They’ll be relieved that someone financially secure is taking over.”
As the room cleared, however, one fellow asked Magill if members should clean out their lockers.
“No,” Magill replied, “I wouldn’t do that.”
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out at the Boston Golf Examiner and National Golf Examiner websites.)
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