Hillendale Golf Course

What Hillendale Golf Course does

Hillendale Golf Course is a privately held, single-location 18-hole public golf facility at 218 N. Applegate Road in Ithaca, New York, serving golfers and event hosters in the Finger Lakes region. Founded in 1979 by Mary Novickas — an LPGA Class A Member who remains owner and General Manager — the course was expanded from a 9-hole to an 18-hole layout in 1991 and has since been voted the #1 ranked 18-hole golf course in Tompkins County by Ithaca Journal readers in every year of the post-expansion era. The company generates revenue from a diversified mix of streams: green fees (9- and 18-hole, weekday and weekend), annual memberships across family, couple, individual, senior, student, and first-responder tiers, pro shop retail and authorized club fitting for Ping, Titleist, Cobra, Nike, Adams, and Tour Edge, individual golf lessons, an on-site restaurant and banquet facility accommodating 50–200 guests, tee-sign advertising reaching over 30,000 annual rounds, and golf-and-lodging packages with area hotel partners. Supporting infrastructure includes the largest practice facility in Tompkins County (2,500 sq ft putting green, 350-yard driving range, and free practice bunker), a web-based tee time booking system operated through Prophet Services, and reciprocal play agreements with 28+ courses across New York and Pennsylvania. Operating geographies are limited to the Finger Lakes region with no multi-site footprint, and the business carries no parent company, no outside investors, and no disclosed external funding.

Name

Hillendale Golf Course

Legal name

Hillendale Golf Course

Website

https://hillendale.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hillendale Golf Course is a privately held, single-location 18-hole public golf facility in Ithaca, New York, offering green fees, memberships, lessons, a pro shop, an on-site restaurant and banquet facility, and hotel partnership packages to Finger Lakes region golfers and event hosters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Golf Course Operations

NAICS

Golf Courses and Country Clubs (713910)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Courses & Golf Facilities (MPAKAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Athletic Field & Golf Course Groundskeeping (IMAIAIAH)

Keywords

• Public golf course
• Golf instruction
• Golf memberships
• Banquet facility
• Golf pro shop

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Green Fees: Revenue from public play at the 18-hole golf course, with different rates for 9 or 18 holes, weekdays and weekends
2. Golf Memberships: Annual memberships offering unlimited green fees, discounts, member-only tournaments and events. Various tiers for family, couple, individual, senior, and college student categories
3. Pro Shop Sales: Retail sales of golf equipment, clubs, apparel, and accessories. Authorized club fitting services for Ping, Titleist, Cobra, Nike, Adams, and Tour Edge brands
4. Golf Lessons: Individual lessons taught by the Golf Professional covering swing technique, rules, etiquette, and beginner guidance
5. Restaurant and Banquet Services: On-site restaurant serving lunch and dinner, plus banquet facility hosting events for 50-200 guests with customized catering options
6. Tee Advertising: Marble tee sign advertising program allowing local businesses to display ads on the course, reaching over 30,000 annual rounds
7. Golf and Lodging Packages: Partnership with hotels offering free cart with purchase of two green fees, creating referral revenue from lodging partners

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hillendale Golf Course is an 18-hole public golf facility in Ithaca, New York, offering public green-fee play, annual memberships, golf instruction, an on-site pro shop with club fitting, a restaurant and banquet facility for events of 50-200 guests, golf leagues and tournaments, and tee advertising. The facility generates revenue through green fees, memberships, pro shop retail, lessons, banquet catering, advertising, and hotel-lodging package referrals, all under single-facility ownership.

Product overview

Hillendale Golf Course operates as a single-location 18-hole public golf facility offering a comprehensive portfolio of golf and hospitality services. The core product is the 18-hole golf course, supported by golf instruction, club fitting services, practice facilities, tournament organization, league play, and reciprocal golf access. Hospitality services include an on-site restaurant and banquet facility for events of 50-200 guests, plus golf and lodging packages with partner hotels. The facility also offers golf memberships, gift cards, and a tee advertising program for local businesses. All services are unified under one facility without a multi-product platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hillendale Restaurant and Banquet Facility: On-site restaurant and banquet facility offering lunch, dinner, and event hosting services with catering options.

Products and services

• 18-Hole Public Golf Course 18-hole public golf facility in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York with course tour, varied green fees for 9 or 18 holes and weekday vs. weekend play; serves as the anchor product of the business.
• Golf Instruction and Lessons Individual golf lessons taught by the Golf Professional covering swing technique, game play, rules, etiquette, and beginner guidance; available Monday through Saturday.
• Driving Range and Practice Facilities Largest practice facility in Tompkins County, including a 2,500 sq ft putting green and practice bunker available at no charge, plus a 350-yard driving range open by calling the clubhouse.
• Golf Pro Shop and Club Fitting Full-service pro shop providing golf equipment, clubs, apparel, and accessories alongside authorized club fitting services covering loft angle, lie angle, club length, shaft flex, and grip analysis for Ping, Titleist, Cobra, Nike, Adams, and Tour Edge.
• Annual Golf Memberships Annual memberships offering unlimited green fees, discounts, member-only tournaments and events, available across family, couple, single parent, individual, senior, college student, and first responder/military tiers, with weekday-only and standard pricing options.
• Golf Tournaments Annual tournament program including Club Championship (multi-round format), Men's Member Guest, Ladies Member Guest, Member Member tournament, and various league championships.
• Golf Leagues Recurring league programs including Monday Men's League, Tuesday Ladies League, Wednesday and Thursday Men's Leagues, Friday Night Couples League, and fall leagues for both men and women, using the USGA handicap system.
• Hillendale Restaurant and Banquet Facility Full-service restaurant and banquet facility offering lunch and dinner, plus catering and event hosting for 50-200 guests with customizable menu options, multiple beverage packages including open bar, and a covered outdoor pavilion overlooking the 16th and 18th holes.
• Golf and Lodging Packages Combined golf and lodging packages with 18+ partner hotels including Clarion, Best Western, Hampton Inn, Hilton, Marriott, and Greek Peak Hope Lake Lodge, offering free cart rental with purchase of two 18-hole green fees when hotel guests present their hotel receipt.
• Reciprocal Golf Program Reciprocal play program providing members access to 28+ golf courses throughout New York and Pennsylvania, with booking coordinated through Hillendale's Pro Shop with 48-hour advance notice and reduced player fees at partner clubs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Named #1 ranked 18-hole golf course in Tompkins County (Ithaca Journal reader's poll)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Clarion University HotelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIthaca hotel partner offering golf and lodging special. Hotel guests receive free cart with purchase of two 18-hole green fees ($20 savings) when showing hotel receipt at Hillendale.
• Best Western University InnminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIthaca hotel partner offering golf and lodging special. Hotel guests receive free cart with purchase of two 18-hole green fees when showing hotel receipt at Hillendale.
• Taughannock Farms InnminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrumansburg inn partner offering golf and lodging special with free cart for hotel guests.
• Hampton Inn IthacaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIthaca hotel partner offering golf and lodging special. Hotel guests receive free cart with purchase of two 18-hole green fees.
• Greek Peak Hope Lake LodgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCortland resort partner offering golf and lodging special for guests visiting the Finger Lakes region.
• Batavia Country ClubminorOthersReciprocal golf partner in Batavia, NY allowing Hillendale members to play as guests at reduced rates (approximately $20-$25 player fee). Contact required 48 hours in advance.
• Bath Country ClubminorOthersReciprocal golf partner in Bath, NY allowing Hillendale members to play as guests.
• Drumlins Golf ClubminorOthersReciprocal golf partner in Syracuse, NY allowing Hillendale members to play as guests.
• Mark Twain Golf ClubminorOthersReciprocal golf partner in Elmira, NY offering $30 reciprocal rate for Hillendale members.
• Conesus Country ClubminorOthersReciprocal golf partner in Conesus, NY offering Monday-Thursday reciprocal play for Hillendale members.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• PGA of America: Industry association for golf professionals and a key certifying body (including LPGA/PGA pathways). Relevant to Hillendale as the institutional ecosystem supporting Mary Novickas's LPGA Class A credentials, lesson programming, and tournament operations.

Broad incumbents

• Troon: Largest third-party golf management company in the world, managing hundreds of public, private, and resort courses. Comparable to Hillendale as a potential management operator for similar semi-private 18-hole facilities, with much broader scale and shared F&B/membership economics.
• Heritage Golf Group: Acquires and operates private and semi-private golf clubs with F&B and event components across the U.S. Directly comparable to Hillendale in club operations, memberships, and banquets, and a plausible acquirer or partner profile.
• Arcis Golf: Privately-owned golf and country club operator with a portfolio of member-based clubs featuring F&B and event venues. Shares Hillendale's hybrid club/restaurant operating model at larger scale.
• KemperSports: Golf and hospitality management company operating public and private courses, often with F&B and event components. Operates facilities comparable in scale and service mix to Hillendale and represents a realistic operator benchmark for course-plus-hospitality economics.
• Concert Golf Partners: Owns and operates a portfolio of private and semi-private golf clubs across the U.S., often retaining local brand identity and management. Comparable to Hillendale in operating member-oriented courses with hospitality, events, and reciprocal-style value propositions.
• Eagle Golf: Manages daily-fee and private golf courses with hospitality operations, often retaining local brands. Comparable service mix and target customer base to Hillendale's public/semi-private facility.
• American Golf Corporation: One of the largest operators of public golf courses in the U.S., managing daily-fee and semi-private facilities with memberships and F&B. Closest direct functional comparator to Hillendale's public/semi-private daily-fee model at portfolio scale.
• Invited (formerly ClubCorp): Operates a large portfolio of country clubs with golf, dining, banquets, and member programming — directly mirroring Hillendale's combined golf + restaurant/banquet + memberships offering, but at national scale.

Emerging players

• Topgolf: Technology-enabled golf entertainment operator competing for casual golfer spend. While not a traditional course operator, it represents an emerging alternative format competing for the same leisure-golfer wallet that Hillendale targets through lessons and casual play.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hillendale-golf-course-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hillendale Golf Course