Dr. Henry Seemann
Restaurant, cafe, snack shop — the food concession at the Ridgefield Golf Course has a new owner, Dr. Henry Seemann, a local dentist who grew up in town and plays regularly at the town course.
“Hopefully, what I do will contribute to the improvement and betterment of the course as a whole,” Dr. Seemann said Thursday.
“I’m really interested, because of my passion for the game of golf, to make sure that the facility lends itself a little bit more to the golfer.”
Dr. Seemann bought the golf course concession from Robert Wool of Ridgefield, who had operated the business for eight years.
Mr. Wool, who has another job in the restaurant business, told the selectmen last Wednesday night that he was selling the concession because he no longer had the time to devote to it.
“Recently, my other job has changed. It’s as simple as that,” he said.
“We’ve made a lot of strides over the years. We’ve gotten some good feedback, and it’s time to pass the baton.”
The business leases space in the clubhouse from the town, which owns the golf course.
“They have a small dining area, a little lounge area off to one side, and there’s 20- by 40-foot deck that extends off the building,” Dr. Seemann said.
The restaurant’s hours are closely tied to the operation of the golf course: April to November, seven days a week, starting a half-hour before the course opens and the day’s first golfers tee off — 7 a.m. during the week and 6:30 on weekends.
“Per the lease agreement, the snack bar would open at the time the course would open and would remain open until the closing of the course,” Dr. Seemann said.
Dr. Seemann, a regular golfer — he said he plays 80 or 90 rounds of golf a year — has some ideas for improving the food operation.
“I want to streamline it. I want to make it very efficient and very accommodating,” he said.
“Right now, I think the menu is a little heavy on things I don’t really think, in my mind, are what most golfers look for.”
The food concession serves “two types of golfers” in different circumstances, he said.
Some golfers just want something quick between the front nine and the back nine.
“Those that are making the turn that need something that’s very quick and easy to pick up — pre-made sandwiches, items that are readily available, and bottled drinks,” he said.
Then there are golfers who want to sit down, order some food, a pitcher of beer maybe, and socialize — gossip, talk about the round they just played.
“They’ll want something a little more like BLTs, grilled sandwiches, panini,” he said.
Today, golfers having a sit-down lunch have to get their own food, but Dr. Seemann may change that.
“I’d like to see people come in, be seated, and have somebody come over and take their order and come over to provide the food,” he said.
The new owner has a new name in mind.
“My license plate is ‘SND TRP,’ which is short, without the vowels, for ‘sand trap.’ That’s what we’re going to call it,” Dr. Seemann said.
The sale was a private transaction between Mr. Wool and Dr. Seemann. But the town as owner of the golf course and landlord to the food concession needed to approve the transfer of the lease.
The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the change Wednesday night, March 5, after a brief discussion.
“What does this mean?” Selectwoman Di Masters asked.
“It means that Mr. Wool will no longer be owner of the concession business. It will be Dr. Seemann,” First Selectman Rudy Marconi replied. “Dr. Seemann will be responsible for every aspect of that contract.”
There are two years left on the initial contract, with a five-year extension clause — so it’s a seven-year commitment.
Golf course head pro Frank Sergiovanni is supportive.
“I have spoken with Frank about this and he said he’s comfortable,” Mr. Marconi said,
Ms. Masters asked Dr. Seemann if he understood it was likely the town would not be undertaking any major upgrade of the facilities.
“It’s as-is. We all know this is a fragile clubhouse,” Ms. Masters said.
Selectman Andy Bodner said the town’s interest was simply to make sure there was a good food operation at the golf course, which generates more than $1.2 million a year in revenue for the town.
“The food concession is critical to the success of the golf course, which provides seven figures,” Mr. Bodner said.