WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Work is well underway on the soon-to-be revived Ives Hill Country Club. Although you won’t be able to golf there until next spring, you may be eating there sooner than you’d think.
Developer Jake Johnson wants to bring 9-holes back at the golf course following its 2019 closing. Construction teams project it’ll be ready come spring.
“I get goosebumps every time I come out here. It’s fun to come back and see the process and also the progress of this project,” said Hunter Horton, construction supervisor.
The course may not open this year, but the country club and the restaurant inside will. General Manager Skylar Short says it just has a couple of months to go.
“Worst case scenario, beginning of December. That’s our end goal to be open by then,” said Short.
Short grew up in the area. She says she was devastated by the country club’s closure. Now’s her chance to fix things
“I just want to be able to bring it back to life, be able to put this staple back in the community. There’s not that much on this side of town for people to do drink-wise, happy hour-wise,” she said.
The building will see some minor tweaks before it opens, most notably, a modernized bar. Short says it’s ripe for hosting events.
“Birthday parties, holiday parties, engagement parties, baby showers, wedding showers, all that,” she said.
And what about the food? We’re told the restaurant will be bistro-style with an emphasis on upscale but still-accessible cusine. The menu hasn’t been finalized but the executive chef, Steve Brown, gave us a sneak peak.
“One dish I was thinking about possibly was pan-seared wild caught salmon over parmesan risotto with a charred scallion lemon compound butter,” he said.
We’ll see if it makes the menu when the country club opens up as 2023 winds down.
Copyright 2023 WWNY. All rights reserved.
