Troon to begin managing controversy-laden host course of PGA Tour Champions event

Riccardo Monico, Binghamton Press & Sun BulletinSun, November 8, 2026 at 1:01 PM UTC

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After two decades of partnership, the Village of Endicott in New York will no longer rely on Broome County to manage En-Joie Golf Club, which annually hosts the Dick's Open on the PGA Tour Champions.

Endicott Mayor Nick Burlingame announced Nov. 6 that the village would be signing a management contract with Troon, a prominent golf-management company that owns and manages hundreds courses across the globe.

The announcement comes after years of controversy between the village and county centering around the golf course's outdated irrigation system — which the county claimed could jeopardize the future of the Dick's Open in Endicott.

How village, county reached impasse on En-Joie

Originally, the course was purchased by the Village of Endicott in the 1960s and it has remained a village-owned golf course ever since. Since 2024, the course has been embroiled in controversy after a Broome County press conference sparked concerns about the course's irrigation system.

According to studies from both Broome County and the village, the course's outdated irrigation system is due for a replacement, which could cost up to $8 million and take years to complete. According to Broome County Executive Jason Garnar, the only way for the county to assist with the repair project is to assume ownership of the course from the village.

On Nov. 6, Burlingame said the village had attempted to negotiate with the county and consider selling the golf course, but the county had insisted it would not pay for the ownership transfer — a non-negotiable sticking point for the village, which Burlingame said required some return on investment from the course's original purchase.

Since 2006, the county has been deeply embedded with the course, functioning as its managing entity while the village retains ownership.

Amid the drama, the village initiated a Request for Proposals for management companies to run the course, a course of action the county refused to join. The village also requested a one-year extension of the county's management of the course, which ends after 2026 — an offer the county declined.

For now, the course has an agreement with the PGA Tour Champions to host the Dick's Open at least through the 2029 season. In July, Dick's Open Tournament Director John Karedes called the situation urgent due to the project's scale and required construction time — which could take more than a year.

Troon to take over management of En-Joie Golf Club

According to Burlingame, Troon was selected following the RFP process, which resulted in four competitive proposals being submitted. Troon, an Arizona-based company, provides services to more than 45 states and 40 countries.

Specifically, the course will be managed by the company's Northeast division, Indigo Sports. The company will manage En-Joie starting in 2027, with the contract running for five years.

According to Vice President of Operations Christopher Strand, all current En-Joie employees will receive offers from Troon to continue their work on the golf course.

With Troon's takeover of golf course management, funding the irrigation system's replacement is now the responsibility of the Village of Endicott. According to Burlingame, the village plans to use grant funding to pay for the replacement — and has already begun seeking grants.

Burlingame said the system's replacement will be completed in phases, with the first phase requiring a different water source, instead of drawing from Endicott's already-strained sole water source. The second phase of the project will consist of below-ground work and the system's physical replacement, which Burlingame and Strand said Troon has extensive experience with, and will be able to assist on.

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Strand also said the irrigation system's replacement will not cause problems for golfers, who will be able to continue golfing throughout the project.

"We'll certainly help the village through all these processes and go through the systems," Strand said. "We have experts and teams going through all that. We do it on all sorts of courses across the country, and it's less invasive to the golf course than anyone might think. We'll be able to keep play going throughout the entire process."

Regardless, Burlingame said the village does not foresee needing to use tax dollars to replace the irrigation system, instead relying on outside funding through grants.

"We're not anticipating an increase in taxes at this time," Burlingame said. "This first year will be the hardest. It's got the most capital improvements, just getting the course running. It will certainly be a little challenging this year, but we're confident that even this year, we should be net positive."

Burlingame said that in total, there will be at least a three-year wait to begin the irrigation system's replacement — a fact he said would not change regardless of course ownership. Burlingame also noted the long timeline may benefit the village, giving more time to secure grant funding.

"Our visions are aligned — we want this course to be exceptional," said Burlingame. "Not only for our players, but also for the Dick's Sporting Goods Open, and they will do everything in their power to keep it here, and we will do everything in our power to keep it here."

Broome County responds to En-Joie management contract

Hours after the Nov. 6 press conference, a statement released by Garnar claimed taxpayers could suffer greatly due to the irrigation system's replacement. In addition to taxpayer concerns, Garnar said the decision could put the course's future in jeopardy — a situation he blamed on the village's alleged lack of effort to resolve the situation.

"Now village taxpayers could face a massive tax increase to replace the system themselves, or the Village could decide not to replace it at all," said Garnar. "Either way, the future of En-Joie and the DICK'S Sporting Goods Open is being put at risk."

Garnar questioned why "Endicott plans to pay an out-of-town private company nearly $3 million to manage the course when Broome County managed it for free for the past 20 years."

"At the end of the day, En-Joie belongs to Endicott, and this is the Village's decision. But the people of Endicott deserve answers about why our offer to fund the irrigation system wasn't pursued and why taxpayers are now being asked to pay millions for private management," Garnar said.

"Broome County will work to ensure an orderly transition over the next seven weeks. We were willing to help protect En-Joie, and I believe the community deserves to know why that opportunity wasn't taken.”

According to Burlingame, the village would have preferred to continue management agreements with the county, but was not prepared to give up ownership of the golf course.

"It was definitely a comfortable situation for us, and we tried to extend the agreement, but the county would not extend the agreement without a commitment of ownership," said Burlingame. "That was not something the village was prepared to do."

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Troon to begin managing controversy-laden host course of PGA Tour Champions event

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