SARATOGA SPRINGS — In an era when very few club professionals are able to stay in one place for very long, veteran Bill Richardson has overseen tremendous growth and development for more than a quarter century at the popular Saratoga Spa State Park Golf Course in Saratoga Springs.
Richardson, a 72-year-old Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School and St. Lawrence University graduate, is retiring as general manager at the Saratoga Spa facility after an eventful 26-year run. He first served a six-year professional services contract at Saratoga Spa GC beginning in 1996, when he was licensed to run the pro shop, driving range and golf cart business, similar to the roles most local club professionals are accustomed to. After that, he signed a 20-year-year contract to operate both golf courses – including an executive course – and the restaurant. That contract as the GM ran out this year.
“I’m looking forward to the next phase of my life,” Richardson said. “I’ll miss the people, but I’m looking forward to the next chapter. Right now, I’m just wrapping up everything at the course and collecting all my stuff. I’ll see what develops.”
When Richardson first took over the course, which is part of the New York State Parks Department, it wasn’t in the best of shape.
“We tore down the old pro shop and rebuilt it,” Richardson said. “Then we did a huge amount of work on the course itself. I’m sure a lot of people don’t remember how much the course was struggling back then when I first got there. We’ve made a total investment of more than $4 million there in the last 20 years. A 20-year contract is the largest one that the state park system can offer, and that course needed a big investment at that time. They needed to attract someone to come in and improve the entire facility.”
In recent years, Saratoga Spa has been considered one of the Capital Region’s most popular public courses because of its excellent layout, test of skill, and overall facilities. In fact, for many years, players hoping to tee it up at Saratoga Spa often find it difficult to make a reservation.
“I would say from our agency’s perspective, the last 20 years was a win-win situation with Bill Richardson in charge of Saratoga Spa,” said NYS Parks Department Director of Golf Kevin Cassidy, who has held that position for 23 years and got to know Richardson extremely well.
“Instead of me being his boss, it was more working together as partners,” Cassidy said. “I thought Bill has done a really good job operating and running Saratoga Spa for not only the NYS parks department but also for the golfers and patrons. Without question, Bill made a lot of improvements, even going back to his original contract.”
Cassidy said that Richardson came up with an advertising campaign to bring in more players.
“We used to have 5 1/2 to 6 hour-long rounds here, but to his credit, along with his staff, they took over and were determined to make Saratoga the home of the 4 1/2-hour round. My goodness, he definitely accomplished that,” Cassidy said. “It improved the experience for the golfer.”
Cassidy said that wasn’t the only improvement Richardson accomplished.
“He redid the pro shop, which was always well-stocked with top-brand items. Plus, he made so many improvements to the course,” Cassidy said. “He redid all the bunkers and put a number of drainage projects in place. He also reconstructed the 10th green, which improved that hole greatly. Also, the conditioning of the course was also improved by opening up a number of windows for more sunlight and air circulation. Because of that, our turf was improved tremendously.
“From the state parks’ perspective, it was a great relationship. We think he’s done a wonderful job.”
Richardson’s inaugural season at Saratoga Spa got off to quite a start as he ran the facility when it hosted the 1996 NCCAA Division III Golf Championship for Skidmore College. Saratoga Spa also was the home course for the Section II scholastic championships for many years before eventually moving to other host sites, including Orchard Creek and the Fairways of Halfmoon.
Richardson’s long career included many stops along the way. After playing varsity golf for both BH-BL and St. Lawrence University, he immediately entered the PGA training program, as he knew he wanted to make golf his career. He earned his Class A PGA card in the middle 1970s and started working as an assistant pro at the Thousand Islands Club in Alexandria Bay.
After several seasons at Thousand Island, Richardson got a job at the Hartford Golf Club before moving on to Canoe Brook in New Jersey for one season.
He also spent a couple of seasons moving around to some other smaller clubs and also served at Green Brook CC before moving back to the Capital Region, where he landed a head pro job at Antlers CC, now called Rolling Hills CC at Antlers in Fort Johnson.
Following his five-year tenure at Antlers CC, he was able to secure the head pro position at Saratoga Spa.
“I’ve done a lot of different phases in the job, and I’ve enjoyed all of them,” Richardson noted. “I did a lot of teaching early on, and I enjoyed running the pro shop. I was always frustrated that I wasn’t a better player. I didn’t really have any playing highlights to speak of, unfortunately.
Richardson said he is very proud of all the improvements he helped make at the course, including major course design changes, a much improved driving range and the new pro shop, during his long run.
“It does feel good that we turned the place around,” he said. “I know how much better the course is now, and it’s so nice to hear it. I hear compliments from so many people these days, including from the parks department.”
Northeastern New York PGA executive director Tracie Warner, who has been a member of the section for 20 years, praised Richardson’s success and longevity.
“He didn’t play much, but he was consumed with the business,” Warner said. “Although he didn’t play, he was such a great supporter of our tournament program and would host events when requested, even though his facility was always busy. He would host junior events and helps us work them.
“I would say the length of time he served at Saratoga Spa was incredibly rare in this day and age.”
Class A PGA member Jon Hines, who worked under Richardson as his assistant, will be the new concessionaire at Saratoga Spa GC.
Reach Bob Weiner at [email protected].
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