WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Watertown’s 9-hole golf course will be managed by Carlowden Country Club beginning next month.

According to Ives Hill Country Club owner Jake Johnson, Kevin Hughes will oversee the daily golf operations at Ives Hill starting March 1st while still continuing to own and operate Carlowden Country Club in the town of Denmark.

Hughes took over Carlowden in 2017 with a group of partners and in 2020 became the sole owner.

Johnson says the Carlowden team is eager to bring its “commitment to top-tier golf experiences, exceptional course conditions, and renowned hospitality to both locations.”

The new set up will offer a dual membership option.

Hughes will lease the golf course from Johnson, not the restaurant, which Johnson is also ready to lease.

Ives Hill closed in 2019 when it was operated by PJ Simao. Simao sold the club to Johnson for $1.9 million in mid-2023. Johnson’s goal at the time was to get the iconic course on Flower Avenue West reopened for the community.

A deed restriction keeps Ives Hill as a 9-hole course, part of the deal when the city of Watertown bought the golf course in Thompson Park for $3.4 million in 2023.

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