Wisconsin Club could purchase Brynwood under merger

Oct 20, 2009 (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- MCS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Brynwood Country Club, which began in 1926 as a club for Jewish members, is losing its name, and it could end up being sold, through an impending merger with the downtown Wisconsin Club.

The merger agreement, which gives members at both clubs access to each location's facilities, calls for the Wisconsin Club to lease the Brynwood facilities at 6200 W. Good Hope Road for 10 years, Wisconsin Club General Manager John Constantine said Monday. Brynwood will be known as the Wisconsin Club once the merger takes effect on Nov. 1, an arrangement that ends Milwaukee-based Marcus Corp.'s management contract at Brynwood.

The agreement includes an option for Wisconsin Club, 900 W. Wisconsin Ave., to buy the Brynwood facilities, including the golf course, Constantine said.

"If we can make this work, the intent is to purchase the property in a two-year period," he said.

The clubs had previously announced that Constantine would "assume operational control" of Brynwood. That Oct. 2 statement also said Wisconsin Club and Brynwood had agreed to "provide mutual membership opportunities" in each club's facilities. But no additional details were provided until Monday.

Brynwood's 150 members will become members of the Wisconsin Club, Constantine said.

Wisconsin Club members from the downtown club can now gain full access to the Brynwood golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool and other facilities for $5,500 in annual dues, he said. Dues for Wisconsin Club members who only want access to the downtown facilities are $2,184 a year. Those members can add a limited membership at the country club, providing access to everything except the golf course, for an additional $1,416, or a total of $3,600 annually.

Current Brynwood members will have access to both the downtown and Good Hope facilities, as Wisconsin Club members, for $5,500 in annual dues, Constantine said. Currently, he said, Brynwood members pay slightly more than that amount just for access to the Good Hope Road facilities.

To boost membership, Wisconsin Club will waive its $1,500 initiation fee for people paying the higher dues to have access to both the downtown and Good Hope Road facilities, Constantine said. He said that initiation fee will be waived until the Good Hope Road club has around 350 members. He hopes to reach that goal by late spring 2010, when golf season begins.

The merger is the result of Brynwood's lagging membership. Executives from the two clubs discussed a possible merger in 2005, but no deal resulted.

At that time, the Wisconsin Club had 1,225 members, up from 400 members when Constantine was hired in 1990. The club now has 1,300 members, and it has made several renovations, including last year's $2.2 million remodeling.

The Wisconsin Club's roots date back to 1891. Its amenities include dining rooms, bars, a grand ballroom, and a concierge and shuttle service to area concerts, theater and sporting events.

Brynwood began in 1926 as a club for Jewish members who were barred from other private clubs, but it has since sought to diversify its membership.

The merger will provide value to members of both clubs, including access to Brynwood's grand ballroom, Constantine said. He has had to turn away requests by members to use the downtown ballroom because it is already booked.

The arrangement will make the Wisconsin Club the state's only private club to offer both downtown facilities and a golf course, Constantine said. He said only a small number of clubs in the United States have such arrangements.

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