11
Tam O’Shanter Auctions Gear—Records Expose Second Sale
Saying Goodbye to Tam O’Shanter: A Country Club’s Final Auction
The Last Chance to Visit
Imagine walking into a place filled with memories—your favorite table at the bar, the chairs where your family celebrated big moments—and knowing this is the very last time you’ll ever see it that way. That’s exactly how Evan Hirsch felt on a Tuesday in Glen Head, New York.
Hirsch, who grew up in nearby Dix Hills, visited the Tam O’Shanter Country Club one final time. Not to play golf or eat dinner, but to watch an auction where everything inside the club was being sold off—down to the bare walls.
Important Point: The auction wasn’t selling the land or buildings—just the contents inside: furniture, equipment, decorations, and more.
What Was Happening?
The Tam O’Shanter Country Club had been closed for a while. An auction company called American Auctions, Liquidations, Appraisals Inc. came in to sell off every single item inside the clubhouse and maintenance buildings.
Auctioneer Gerard Trimboli (the person who runs the auction and calls out prices) said their goal was simple: "Sell the space to the bare walls."
And they did a great job—93% of all items were sold during the three-hour auction!
A Peek Inside the Auction
What Kind of Stuff Was for Sale?
The auction list was like a giant garage sale for a huge country club:
- Furniture: Plaid-upholstered chairs, high-top tables, office desks
- Golf Equipment: 16 equipment racks, golf carts (though some were in rough shape)
- Gym Gear: Leg press machine, other exercise equipment
- Kitchen & Bar: Ice cream freezer, bar equipment
- Odd Finds: Even a barber chair!
- Grounds Maintenance: Excavators, lawn care equipment
- Decor: Pictures, fixtures, office supplies
Who Came to Buy?
About 75 people registered to bid. They had two hours to inspect everything before bidding started at 12:00 PM.
Meet some of the buyers:
| Buyer | What They Bought | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Dowling (40, Brookville) | 16 golf equipment racks ($10 each!) | Founder of golf brand Rookline—using them for social media content creation |
| Ravi Chopra (61, Old Brookville) | Nothing (looked at golf carts) | Wanted a cart for home use, but they needed too much repair work |
Important Point: Matt Dowling said it perfectly: "Some people are repurposing for their club, we’re repurposing for content." Creative reuse!
The Club’s Story: From Golf Course to… What’s Next?
The Timeline
Let’s break down what happened to this 148-acre property:
-
For many years: Tam O’Shanter operated as an 18-hole golf course and country club. Families like Hirsch’s spent weekends there. Hirsch even had his Bar Mitzvah celebration there—a Broadway-themed reception!
-
2019: The property sold for $11.8 million to a New Jersey developer who wanted to build 27 luxury homes.
-
Summer 2021: The golf course finally closed after operating through that summer.
-
The Problem: Toxins were found in the topsoil (the upper layer of dirt). This stopped the housing development plans cold.
-
What Happened Next: The developer’s application lapsed (expired), so the housing plan fell apart. Mayor Daniel Serota of the Village of Brookville confirmed this.
-
Recent News: Property records show the land sold again last month (though the mayor couldn’t confirm if the deal fully closed).
- The Village’s Hope: Brookville changed its zoning rules to encourage a buyer who wants to keep it as a golf course.
Important Point: Zoning laws control what you can build on land. Brookville "tweaked" theirs to make it easier for someone to buy the property and keep the golf course alive.
Why This Auction Mattered
For people like Evan Hirsch, this wasn’t just an auction. It was a final goodbye.
"When I knew this was the last public viewing, I was like, ‘oh, I’ve got to say goodbye,’" Hirsch said.
He could point to specific tables and chairs and tell you exactly which memories happened where. The bar table? He sat there. The plaid chairs? His family gathered around them.
Summary
- Tam O’Shanter Country Club in Glen Head held a final auction of all its interior contents.
- 93% of items sold in three hours to about 75 registered bidders.
- Buyers purchased everything from golf carts and gym equipment to barber chairs and ice cream freezers.
- Matt Dowling snagged 16 equipment racks for $10 each for his golf brand’s content.
- The 148-acre property has a complicated history: sold for luxury homes in 2019, delayed by toxic soil, then sold again recently.
- The Village of Brookville hopes new zoning will attract a buyer who wants to restore the golf course.
- For locals like Evan Hirsch, the auction was an emotional farewell to a place full of family memories.
FAQ
What exactly was being auctioned off?
Everything inside the buildings—furniture, kitchen equipment, golf maintenance machines, gym gear, decorations, even a barber chair. The land and buildings themselves were not part of this auction.
Why did the country club close?
The property was sold in 2019 to a developer who wanted to build 27 luxury homes. The golf course stayed open through summer 2021, then closed permanently.
What stopped the housing development?
Toxins (harmful chemicals) were discovered in the topsoil. This made building homes difficult and expensive, so the developer’s plans fell through.
Who is Matt Dowling and why did he buy golf racks?
Matt Dowling, 40, from Brookville, founded a Long Island golf brand called Rookline. He bought 16 equipment racks for just $10 each to use in social media content creation for his brand.
Could the golf course reopen someday?
Maybe! The Village of Brookville changed its zoning rules to make it more attractive for a buyer who wants to operate it as a golf course again. The property sold again recently, but the new owner’s plans aren’t public yet.
