Joining the Club: A Look at Harrison's Country Clubs

It appears that we are a town that loves politics, Italian food… and our country clubs.

We have five well-known clubs in Harrison: Willow Ridge, Old Oaks, Century, the Golf Club of Purchase and Brae Burn.

I have to say up front that while I love our visits to the clubs as guests of kind friends and attending the fun events the clubs host as a result, I am not the right personality for a lifelong club commitment. I thrive on change and different groups of people coming together in different environments at different times, which is the antithesis of the country club concept.

For others, though, the stability and kinship offered by club life is one of their major attractions.

The country clubs are a small community in themselves. You get to know other club members over many years of membership and interaction at ongoing club events. There is a core stable membership that you see in the dining room and at events regularly, with a small percentage of new members being added into the mix each year. Many calendar events are traditional and repeated each year.

Membership advantages include exposure to the member community, business networking opportunities, a calendar that includes events such as holiday meals and celebrations and a "home away from home" where you can go for a meal, take guests or socialize with other members on the fly.

For many, particularly golfers, one of the prime advantages of membership is the sporting facilities and sporting opportunities the clubs offer. Nearly all of the clubs have not only well-rated golf courses, but also multiple tennis courts, fitness rooms and swimming pools.

For those who don’t subscribe to Groucho Marx’s view of "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member", Harrison has a club for most tastes.

One of the more low-key, relaxed clubs is Willow Ridge on North Street. The club house and grounds offer all the usual club facilities. The club has gone out of its way to be child-friendly with the introduction of a playground and kiddie pool.

Vivianne Rattet became a member at Willow Ridge four years ago. Since joining she has taken up golf and is a regular participant in the club’s weekly mahjong game.

Rattet cites the club’s lack of formality as one of its major attractions.

“It’s a down-to-earth, relaxed, atmosphere. The events, staff and food are fantastic and the people here couldn’t be nicer," she said. "Everyone has been very welcoming and friendly.”

Rattet says the opportunity to meet people is a major club advantage.

“Club membership gives you an opportunity to meet people you wouldn’t normally meet from your community and become close,” Rattet said.

Century Country Club is located on Anderson Hill Road in Purchase. It is probably the town's least known club and the management does everything they can to keep it that way. The club is a private non-equity golf club.

Century offers all the usual facilities including indoor and outdoor dining, tennis courts and pools. The clubhouse and grounds, while pretty and beautifully landscaped, are not as grand as some of the other clubs in the area. It is better known for its golf course, which Golf Digest rated as the 20th best in New York from 1995 to 1998.

The Golf Club of Purchase, established in 1996, is another club primarily known for its golf course. The 18-hole course was designed by PGA Champion, Jack Nicklaus. Accordingly, its primary draw is for golfers or those interested in learning to golf.

Brae Burn is a member-owned club formed in 1964 by a group of friends from neighboring clubs. The clubhouse is a sprawling red brick building with white trim and columns where club members dine and regular club events are held. Its golf course is known to be challenging with several holes having been voted among the 18 best in the area.

The grand-dame of all Harrison’s clubs for me is definitely Old Oaks on Purchase Street. The 80,000sf club house is spectacular, as are the grounds that cover 220 acres. Facilities include a ballroom, member grill room, pool area, dining room, two outdoor terraces, outdoor fountain garden and an arbor garden. The club has an 18-hole golf course that has hosted the USGA's US Open Qualifying Tournament several times, 10 Har Tru tennis courts; an Olympic-size swimming pool; a 10 acre driving range; 16 resident suites; 5 cottages; locker room facilities; massage facilities; and card rooms.

The building that is now the Clubhouse was built as a residential estate for a silk merchant in 1893 and features magnificent frescoed ceilings, wood paneling and breathtaking views. Think of the magnificent historic mansions at Newport and you’re on the right track.

Old Oaks Country Club has more than 300 members and many members are third and fourth generation.

Events at the club include everything from Fourth of July fireworks to New Years Eve dinner dances and their dining room is busy on most weekends the club is open.

Membership rates to the clubs vary according to their facilities and the club’s cache. Some require an initial buy-in that can be substantial, there is an annual fee and most require an annual minimum to be spent in the dining room or on other club fees that can range from a few hundred dollars all the way up to fifteen thousand dollars depending on the club.

Even if you’re ready to ante up the cost of a country club lifestyle, you still have to be approved. Would-be members have to be sponsored for membership by existing members and go before a membership committee, some of whom do an extensive review into character and finances.

The clubs also encourage and actively support charitable giving. Some clubs hold fundraising events for member-supported charities, others require members to show charitable donations of a set amount each year.

If none of that is your cup of tea—or your budget doesn’t extend to a country club membership—you might want to think about the famous quote by Sanford Hansell who said: “The bowling alley is the poor man’s country club.”

The nearest alleys are AMF White Plains on Tarytown Road and New Rock Bowling in New Rochelle.