Golf Course Advisory Committee

On February 20, 2019 Dartmouth announced its plans to undertake a master planning process that will provide a strategic framework to be used as the basis for making decisions about future development of the institution. The Hanover Country Club is a part of that master planning process as we continue to consider our options for the future of the golf course.

The planning process is designed to be completed by the end of 2019. Following the conclusion of the planning process the College will determine the appropriate next steps for the Hanover Country Club with the clear understanding that any future plan will include operation through the 2020 golf season.

The Hanover Country Club is currently accepting memberships for the 2019 season.

The Golf Course Advisory Committee has completed its review and has drafted a report of findings. The report is now available for review on the "reports and documents" page found here. The committee was made up of 12 members representing a wide variety of stakeholders - Hanover Country Club golfers and neighbors, Dartmouth alumni and faculty, the Pine Park Association, runners and other non-golf recreators, the Town of Hanover, and the College administration. Between February 2, 2018 and May 21, 2018, the committee met a total of six times to review relevant information and to discuss and brainstorm future options. The committee reviewed over 50 emails that were submitted and hosted an open forum that was attended by over 150 community members.

A second forum is scheduled for Wednesday, May 30, 2018 allowing for community questions and comments about the report. Details about the event can be found here. The committee will issue a memo to be attached to the report that captures feedback gathered during the session. These findings will be presented to EVP Rick Mills and President Hanlon as a key input in deciding the next steps for the golf course.

Golf Course Advisory Committee Final Report (Posted May 25, 2018)

The Golf Course Advisory Committee (GCAC) has been formed to study the future of the golf course, which is owned and operated by the College and has been losing members and operating at an average annual loss of almost $600,000 for each of the last four years. The committee was appointed by Executive Vice President Rick Mills, who will use the committee’s findings to inform his recommended course of action. Mills will present his recommendation to President Phil Hanlon ’77 and Dartmouth’s board of trustees in June 2018.

The committee will meet regularly starting February 2018 and continue into the spring of 2018. As part of the process the committee will review current operations, solicit feedback from golf course stakeholders, and develop potential options to be considered for the future of the golf course. Progress updates will be posted here throughout the process.

Charge:

The Golf Course Advisory Committee (GCAC) is charged to engage in a review of existing information that pertains to: the role of the golf course in the Dartmouth academic experience, the role of the golf course in the Dartmouth athletic experience, the operational and financial performance of the golf course, the role of the golf course in the relationship between Dartmouth and the surrounding community and the current state of the golf industry in the Upper Valley.

As an integral part of this information review, the GCAC is further charged to broadly solicit input from interested stakeholders including Students, Alumni, Faculty, Staff, representatives from the Town of Hanover, Pine Park Association, members of the Friends of Dartmouth Golf, and past and present members of the Hanover Country Club.

Following the information gathering and review phase the GCAC is charged to develop and evaluate three different scenarios for the future of the HCC that would serve to cap, and preferably reduce, the required operating subsidy from Dartmouth College while minimizing adverse impacts on stakeholders and, where possible, improving stakeholder experience. The three categories of scenario for evaluation are:

1. continued operation of the 18-hole course supported by dues, greens fees and any other current revenue in substantially the same manner as it operates today but with identified steps to reduce costs and limit financial burden on the college,
2. operation of a reconfigured or altered 18-hole course resulting in a reduced financial burden on the college through improved revenue from dues, greens fees and any new sources made possible by alterations to operations with any requisite capital investment understood to be non-college operating investments, and all investments, alterations and risks highlighted, and
3. ending operation of the course as an 18-hole course, construction of an indoor golf practice facility and analysis of options for funding the practice facility and appropriate grounds maintenance.

Membership:

• Charles Wheelan ’88, senior lecturer and a former Dartmouth varsity golfer (Chair of the Committee)
• Dominic Candido, president of the Hanover Country Club Advisory Board, former faculty member of the Geisel School of Medicine
• Kent Dahlberg, campus minister and director of Integrare, a bible study group for athletes, Hanover Country Club member
• Linda Fowler, professor of government emerita and Pine Park commissioner for the town of Hanover
• Barry Harwick ’77, director of men’s and women’s track and cross country
• Rob Houseman, director of planning and zoning for the town of Hanover
• Josh Keniston, chief of staff to Rick Mills
• Jack Kiernan ’78, co-chair of Friends of Dartmouth Golf
• Steve Richardson, Hanover Country Club member
• Tracy Welch ’93, co-chair of Friends of Dartmouth Golf, Dartmouth women’s golf captain in ’91-’92 and ’92-’93
• Richard Whitmore, senior associate athletic director
• Doug Williamson ’85, MED ’93, Hanover Country Club member