Shelter Harbor Golf Club

What Shelter Harbor Golf Club does

Shelter Harbor Golf Club is a member-owned, invitation-only private equity golf club operating on approximately 400 acres across Charlestown and Westerly, Rhode Island. The Club was founded in 2008 by seven individuals (H. James A. Atwood, Finn M. W. Caspersen, Frederick C. Maynard III, Robert C. McCormack, Stephen M. Peet, Charles M. Royce, and Frederick B. Whittemore) who acquired land from Narragansett Electric Company and placed it under a permanent conservation easement held by the Weekapaug Foundation for Conservation, prohibiting further development in perpetuity. The Club's core product is an 18-hole par-71, 7,032-yard championship course designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan & Dana Fry of Hurdzan/Fry Environmental Golf Design, supplemented by a par-27 nine-hole Par 3 Course, a 22-acre practice range with six tees and five target greens, and a 2017 indoor teaching facility equipped with launch monitor technology, video analysis, custom club fitting, and a VR golf simulator. Membership is structured across five tiers — Full Golf, Junior (ages 25-40), Legacy, National (non-local), and House — with admission requiring existing-member sponsorship and the Membership & Events Director (April Palmisano) handling intake.

The Club generates revenue from recurring membership dues across the five tiers, on-site food and beverage service in the clubhouse (including lunch, dinner, banquet, and private dining rooms such as the Founders Room), golf shop retail (apparel, equipment, accessories), guest green fees and cottage rentals, and caddie services delivered by independent contractors coordinated by Caddie Coordinator Nick Felicetti. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is exclusively direct: invitation-only membership intake plus on-property delivery of all services at 1 Golf Club Drive, Charlestown, RI. Marketing is minimal and referral-driven — relying on Golfweek (ranked 65th Best Modern Courses in the U.S.) and Golf Digest (ranked 156th America's Top 200 Courses) credibility, plus word-of-mouth and member sponsorship, rather than paid acquisition. Seasonal operating roles are filled across F&B, clubhouse, agronomy, and reception, with caddie recruitment handled as an independent-contractor track.

Name

Shelter Harbor Golf Club

Legal name

Shelter Harbor Golf Club

Website

https://shgcri.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Shelter Harbor Golf Club is a member-owned, invitation-only private equity golf club in Charlestown and Westerly, Rhode Island, serving affluent New England golf enthusiasts with a Hurdzan/Fry-designed par-71 championship course, practice facilities, indoor teaching studio, and five-tier membership on 400 acres held under a permanent conservation easement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Golf Club

NAICS

Golf Courses and Country Clubs (713910)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Clubs & Tournament-Host Clubs (Professional/Elite Golf Clubs) (MPAKABAE)

Keywords

• Private golf club
• Championship golf course
• Golf membership services
• Clubhouse dining services
• Golf practice facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlestown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Private club membership fees from Full Golf, Junior, Legacy, National, and House membership categories. Membership is by invitation only and serves as the primary revenue stream.
2. Food & Beverage Services: On-site dining and beverage services at the clubhouse, including lunch, dinner, and banquet services.
3. Golf Shop Retail: Retail sales at the golf shop including equipment, apparel, and accessories. Guests may use credit cards and cash for purchases.
4. Green Fees and Guest Fees: Revenue from guest green fees and cottage rentals as noted in the clubhouse policies regarding guest charges.
5. Caddie Services: Caddie services provided by independent contractors. Caddies are the only tipping-permitted category besides massage therapist and fitness instructor.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Shelter Harbor Golf Club is a member-owned private equity golf club operating an 18-hole championship course, a par 3 course, practice facilities, and clubhouse dining/social services on approximately 400 acres in Charlestown, Rhode Island. Membership is by invitation only and is offered across five tiers (Full Golf, Junior, Legacy, National, and House). The club supplements membership dues with on-site food and beverage service, a golf shop, and guest fees.

Product overview

Shelter Harbor Golf Club is a member-owned private equity golf club offering a unified suite of golf and social services. The core offerings include The Main Course (an 18-hole par 71 championship course designed by Hurdzan/Fry), a Par 3 Course (par 27 layout), and comprehensive Practice Facilities including an Indoor Teaching Facility and Golf Simulator. The club provides five membership tiers (Full Golf, Junior, Legacy, National, and House) and clubhouse dining/social services. The practice facilities feature a 22-acre range with multiple tees and target greens, while the indoor facility offers video analysis, launch monitor technology, and custom club fitting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Main Course An 18-hole par 71, 7032-yard championship golf course designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry. Features wide generous fairways, velvet bentgrass greens, rustic bunkers with native fescues, glacial boulders, and dramatic topographical changes from 102 feet to 187 feet elevation. Available to Full Golf, Junior, Legacy, and National members.
• Par 3 Course A par 27, 1206-yard nine-hole par 3 course located on the southern edge of the property, featuring elevation changes, rock walls, and trees. Designed for golfers of all abilities.
• Practice Facilities
• Full Golf Membership
• Junior Membership
• Legacy Membership
• National Membership
• House Membership
• Clubhouse Dining and Social Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked 65th on Golfweek's Best Modern Courses in the U.S.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hurdzan / Fry Environmental Golf DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenowned golf architecture firm led by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry, responsible for designing the Shelter Harbor Golf Club course. The firm has designed notable courses including Erin Hills (Home of the 2017 U.S. Open), Devil's Pulpit, Calendon Pines Golf Club, and Hamilton Farm. Their assessment of the land was 'one of the top sites that we have seen in 30 years.'
• Weekapaug Foundation for ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation organization instrumental in the founding of Shelter Harbor Golf Club. The effort began with the creation of the Weekapaug Foundation for Conservation, which expanded its focus to include the whole watershed around Quonochontaug and Winnapaug Ponds. The founders granted a forever green conservation to the Foundation.
• Narragansett Electric CompanyminorOthersThe original owner of the land where Shelter Harbor Golf Club now sits. The company had intended to construct a nuclear power plant on the property. Deregulation of the power company and rising home values led to the land being sold for development, and the founders acquired it to prevent high-density development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Misquamicut Club: Member-owned private club located in Watch Hill, RI, near Shelter Harbor in the same Washington County market. Offers golf, beach, and dining amenities, making it the closest geographic and business-model peer in southern Rhode Island.
• Winnapaug Golf & Country Club: Private golf and country club in Westerly, RI, sharing the same regional catchment as Shelter Harbor. Competes for the same affluent New England golfer persona and operates a similar membership-based golf and F&B model.
• Rhode Island Country Club: Historic private member-owned country club in Barrington, RI, offering golf, tennis, and dining. Direct competitor for Full Golf memberships among affluent families in the greater Providence/southern New England market.
• Point Judith Country Club: Private member-owned country club in Narragansett, RI, along the southern Rhode Island coast. Closely comparable to Shelter Harbor in geography, membership model, and golf-and-dining offering.
• Newport Country Club: Private golf club in Newport, RI, serving the same affluent coastal New England demographic. Comparable in operating model (member-owned, golf-centric) and overlapping with Shelter Harbor in the southern New England catchment.
• Carnegie Abbey Club: Private, member-owned club in Portsmouth, RI, offering golf, dining, fitness, and social amenities to a similar affluent family demographic. Operates a parallel premium private-club model in the Rhode Island market.
• Kittansett Club: Highly regarded private member-owned golf club in Marion, MA, on the South Coast. Comparable to Shelter Harbor as a low-density, golf-first, conservation-minded private club serving the same southern New England market.
• The Country Club (Brookline): Historic, member-owned private club in Brookline, MA, and a multiple U.S. Open/ Ryder Cup venue. Anchors the upper end of the New England private-club market and competes with Shelter Harbor for top-tier full-golf members.
• Fishers Island Club: Private member-owned club on Fishers Island, NY, accessible by ferry from the New England coast. Comparable in its exclusive, family-oriented, conservation-anchored private-club model serving an elite coastal demographic.
• Maidstone Club: Private member-owned club in East Hampton, NY, with a championship Seth Raynor course, beach, and dining. Comparable to Shelter Harbor as a high-end, family-oriented coastal private club competing for elite Northeast members.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shelter-harbor-golf-club

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Shelter Harbor Golf Club