The Stanwich Club | Greenwich, Connecticut
Director of Golf

About the Club
The Stanwich Club (”Stanwich” or the “Club”) opened in 1964 on 200 acres in “Back Country” of Greenwich, Connecticut. Stanwich is a premiere and highly regarded private member-owned club with 555 members, 378 of which have full golfing privileges. Membership is available by invitation only. While the Club offers all the amenities of a full-service country club, it is a golf club at its core rooted in appreciation and reverence for the standards, traditions, and customs of the Game of Golf.

The Stanwich culture celebrates excellent golf, and, as a result, the Club attracts excellent golfers. In fact, discussing an applicant’s handicap is an important part of the admission process. Not surprisingly, Stanwich handicaps are lower than average clubs. For example, all players in the Men’s Club Championship through the Fifth Flight had single-digit handicaps.

Golf Digest has consistently ranked Stanwich as the best golf course in Connecticut. It has also been ranked in Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses; its highest ranking was 69th from 1991 to 1992, and it currently ranks 173rd in Golf Digest’s America’s Second 100 Greatest Courses.

The golf course was originally designed by William Gordon and his son, David. Before joining the Toomey & Flynn organization in 1923, Gordon had built courses for architects such as Donald Ross, Devereux Emmet, and Willie Park, Jr. However, the Stanwich founders may have been more impressed by the fact that Gordon had been a central figure in the revisions at both Shinnecock Hills and The Country Club, carried out by Toomey & Flynn. Construction of the golf course began in September 1963, and the course opened for play on July 11, 1964.

The Tom Fazio group has redesigned the course in three phases over the past 15 years. Currently, two par 3 holes are being extensively renovated by OCM Golf. The Club has hosted the USGA Mid-Am Championship, Palmer Cup, Wyndham Cup, and many other Professional and Amateur Championships. In 2022, Stanwich partnered with the Metropolitan Golf Association to host The Farrell: an annual, high-level invitational for male and female golfers on a national basis to honor the legacy of Billy Farrell, the Club’s first golf professional who served for 36 years.

The Club is proud that it has had only two golf directors in its 60-year history: Billy Farrell was the Club’s first golf professional, and he served for 36 years until his retirement in 2000, and Mike Summa is the second will retire at the end of 2025. Both gentlemen fostered a culture of respect and commitment to the lofty standards and customs of golf to make Stanwich an excellent place for PGA Professionals to further their careers.

Today, the par 72 18-hole golf course measures 7,445 yards from the back tees and hosts approximately 22,000 rounds annually. Ownership of the Club’s retail operation transitioned back to the Club in the fall of 2024. Golf amenities include the 1,250 square foot club-owned pro shop, a grass driving range, a short game practice area, practice putting greens, and two Full Swing Golf Simulators.

Stanwich has recently formed a partnership with OCM, a golf course architectural firm dedicated to designing, building and preserving great golf courses that combine the natural environment with a distinctive aesthetic to make the journey to the hole an unforgettable experience. OCM has rapidly emerged as one of the fastest-growing golf course architecture firms in the industry, with an impressive portfolio that includes both new developments and renovations worldwide, including an upcoming Presidents Cup venue. OCM will serve as the resident architects overseeing the construction of the #8/#16 holes and the 9-hole short course scheduled to open in spring 2025.

The Club is open year-round with modified hours during the winter months. The golf shop is open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in season. The golf course is open year-round, weather permitting. During the winter months, the Golf Shop and Training Center are open on a limited schedule. The two (2) Full Swing golf simulators in the pro shop are open by appointment for lessons, club fitting, and general use by members from Wednesday to Sunday.

About the Position
The Director of Golf is the lead golf ambassador and custodian of the Club’s golf standards, customs, and traditions. He/she handles the golf operations and provides leadership and direction for all elements of Stanwich’s golf experience while ensuring the policies and best interests of the Club are met and protected.

The Director of Golf reports directly to the General Manager/COO and indirectly to the Golf Committer and works closely with other Club committees to ensure members and guests receive premier services and an exceptional 5-star golf experience across all playing levels.

The new Director of Golf is expected to seamlessly transition into the golf leadership role and establish a presence throughout the Club to assure the Membership and staff that they have an engaged Director of Golf who understands and will maintain the culture, standards, and traditions of Stanwich.

The new Director of Golf will be announced in spring 2025 and the start date will be the fall 2025.

The Club will offer a competitive compensation plan and benefits and housing.

About the Ideal Candidate
Candidates should have a minimum of 10 years of professional golf management experience with a minimum of four years as a Director of Golf or Head Professional. This experience should have been achieved largely at respected, full service, country clubs of similar scale to Stanwich. Experience overseeing 27+ holes of golf is a plus. Candidates should also have experience owning or managing a green grass retail operation with sales volume of $1,000,000 or higher. First Assistant Golf Professionals with progressive career paths and proven records of outstanding service at respected, full-service country clubs will also be considered.

Candidates must have demonstrable accomplishments in delivering a premier golf experience and an overriding sense of quality awareness relating to every aspect of golf operations: member services, retail operations, tournaments, events, and golf instruction in a private member-centric club environment. A playing background that shows success and excellent playing ability and performance, ideally at the college level and extending to the PGA Section Level, is highly desired.

A Bachelor’s degree or higher in a business-related field is preferred, and the candidate should be within one of the following golf professional classifications: PGA Class “A”, PGA Certified Professional or a PGA Master Professional.

Ideal candidates will have a personal style and level of congeniality to be accessible and engage with men, women, and junior golfers of varying dispositions and playing skills. An engaging, encouraging, and approachable leader committed to incredible standards and ability to foster a member-focused service culture. He/she must be a sophisticated team builder and manager with excellent communication (written, verbal and presentation) skills and a hospitality service mentality who takes as much satisfaction in seeing subordinates succeed and grow as he/she takes in their own accomplishments.

Apply for This Position
Interested candidates should complete the online golf professional profile form (not the club management form) and submit a compelling cover letter and resume for consideration to newsubmissions@denehyctp.com with the subject line: The Stanwich Club – Director of Golf.

Please contact Barb McAuliffe at 203.319.8228, ext. 349 or by email barbara@denehyctp.com with any questions or candidate recommendations.

Cover letters should be sent to:

Ms. Barbara McAuliffe
Vice President
DENEHY Club Thinking Partners
501 Kings Highway East
Suite 300
Fairfield, CT 06825