Birkdale Club to buy Brandermill Country Club

Page Dowdy/Chesterfield Observer Brandermill golf members tee off on the first tee in front of the club's pro shop and clubhouse. Membership is open to residents outside of Brandermill.

Acumen Golf of Chesterfield County expects to complete the purchase of Brandermill Country Club (BCC) by mid-February at an undisclosed price. Acumen, which owns nearby Birkdale Golf Club, is also a consultancy company (Acumen Golf Management) that works with a number of East Coast golf courses.

Though Birkdale is a semi-private club that allows non-members to play golf there, BCC will remain a private membership club while its members will have full privileges at Birkdale.

BCC's 18-hole golf course was designed by Gary Player and opened in 1974. It also has outdoor clay tennis courts and a pool. Not long ago, BCC sold four-plus acres to Midlothian Tennis Club, a private indoor/outdoor tennis facility, which is unaffected by the pending sale.

In 2002, Commonwealth Golf Properties, LLC, purchased the club from National Golf, a California-based firm. Commonwealth is a local investment group headed by Bob Dewsbury. About 15 years ago, East West Partners, which developed the Brandermill community, sold the club when it had about 1,700 members. In 1994, BCC closed one of its five pools and later sold three pools to a restaurateur who in turn sold them to the Brandermill Community Association. Dewsbury said BCC now has about 400 members.

"We're in an acquisition mode in the mid- Atlantic area with cluster markets," said Mike Hatch, principal and co-owner of Acumen, which purchased Birkdale in March 2006. "We plan some new capital improvements to the course and clubhouse. We practice community golf involving the surrounding area, but it's more than just golf.

"We will professionally manage the club… which is different from how clubs were managed 10-20 years ago," added Hatch. "We are confident that Brandermill members will love our plans for member parties, social functions, a calendar of golf and non-golf events...which will be fun and not too expensive. At Birkdale, we have a very strong social calendar that sells out in a matter of days."

"This transition is a very positive step for the club's future and will greatly benefit our entire membership," said Dewsbury, whose company made a major renovation of the BCC clubhouse and a general upgrade to the golf course. "I'm confident that Acumen Golf will continue to polish and improve it and carry on Brandermill's tradition of excellence…"