The Glenmoor Country Club has informed the state that it will lay off 110 of its 150 workers starting in the middle of December, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing made with the Colorado Department of Labor.
The cuts aren’t a result of declining memberships or financial troubles but are linked to a $35 million renovation of the clubhouse that members approved last fall, said Monica Mueller, director of human resources at the club, which is at 110 Glenmoor Drive in Cherry Hills Village.
The club won’t provide restaurant or catering services and its fitness facility will close for 18 months, necessitating the layoffs.
“We will maintain our golf course and we will maintain administrative staff,” Mueller said. The pool and tennis courts will open again when warmer weather returns.
About a third of the jobs being eliminated are seasonal. Some employees will likely leave on their own accord before Dec. 15, meaning the club may not have to dismiss110 workers, Mueller said.
The current clubhouse dates back to 1985 and aside from a modest refresh in 2008 hasn’t undergone a major upgrade, she said.
A report from the Colorado Golf Coalition estimated that golf courses contributed $1.3 billion in direct economic impacts in the state in 2019 and supported more than 19,400 jobs. But the golfing business has been under pressure, and upgrades are one way to remain competitive.
After decades of expansion, the state lost seven golf courses last decade, including the Fitzsimons Golf Course in Aurora, which closed in 2017 to make room for the expansion of the nearby medical campus, and the Park Hill Golf Course in Denver, which closed in 2018 and has remained in political limbo ever since.
Despite promises of a renovation, the Deer Creek Golf Course, near Jefferson County’s Ken Caryl Ranch community, has been out of service for more than three years and is overrun with weeds and tall grasses.
Get more business news by signing up for our Economy Now newsletter.
Originally Published:
