By JAMES FINK
jfink@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1611

The new ownership team of Westwood Country Club promises a smooth transition as its shifts from a member-controlled entity to one in private hands.

On Aug. 30, directors agreed to sell the Amherst club to Windows on the Green, one of three companies to make a bid. The deal is pending approval of Westwood shareholders, who are expected to vote on the offer in the coming weeks. Assuming the deal is ratified, Windows on the Green may take control of the organization during the winter months.

Terms were not disclosed.

"Our intent is to run as it has been, but in a more efficient manner," said John Yurtchuk, an Amherst developer and part of the new ownership team. "The difference is, when a country club is run by its members, it may not be as nimble as when it is controlled by private interests."

Westwood will remain open during the transition period. All weddings and special events that have been booked will be honored.

"We are not closing," Yurtchuk said. "This is still the Westwood."

Windows on the Green is an entity run by John Cohen of Johnny C's catering and his business partner, Todd Sugerman. It has been operating the country club's food-and-beverage and concession operations for the past few years.

That the Westwood had been financially ailing is well-documented. The club is down to 255 members and opened, through its Windows on the Green affiliation, its main clubhouse as a public restaurant.

Yurtchuk said his group expects to make significant investments in the 186-acre property, which is located at the corner of North Forest Road and Sheridan Drive. The clubhouse will be renovated and golf cart pathways will be repaired and resurfaced,

One thing that won't change: Key managers of Westwood will remain.

Also, members will have exclusive rights to the golf course.

"The Westwood has a long tradition and long history in Amherst," Yurtchuk said. "We will be respectful of that. It is a beautiful course with a great terrain."

If membership lags, however, he won't rule out opening the course as a semi-private venue, much like River Oaks Golf Course on Grand Island.

"Let's see what happens," he said. "But there will always be a membership component to the Westwood. It is part of its legacy."

The club was founded in 1945 but in recent years suffered from dwindling membership. A number of options were considered before the board of directors decided this year to sell the club.

"The Westwood is a great venue," Yurtchuk said. "We just need to tighten it up and run it like a business."