Denehy Club Thinking Partners Showcases Expertise in All Aspects of Golf Operations & Private Clubs
(Mashantucket, CT) – The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has announced an extensive consulting agreement with DENEHY Club Thinking Partners (CTP), the leader in executive search and management consulting for the private club and resort industries. Hired to complete a comprehensive RFP process to secure a new operator for the Lake of Isles, Denehy CTP evaluated and met with a range of golf course operating professionals, which resulted in a multi-year engagement of KemperSports as the new operator of the Lake of Isles Golf Course and Club, a 36-hole golf course located adjacent to Foxwoods Resort Casino.
“Our experience with DENEHY Club Thinking Partners has been seamless and positive,” said Chairman Rodney Butler of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. “When we embarked on this project, we were looking for a consulting firm with expertise in all aspects of golf operations, private clubs, and resorts and found exactly that and more working with CTP. Dan and Pat were proactive, responsive, and thorough throughout the process and provided our team with confidence and a true sense of thinking partners.”
“We were engaged by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation to help identify a golf course/club operator with exceptional qualifications and material experience to manage and operate the top ranked Lake of Isles Golf Courses and throughout this arduous process we met with several incredibly competent management companies who presented to both CTP and the Foxwoods team,” said Dan Denehy, President of Denehy Club Thinking Partners, who led the project along with Patrick Finlen, Executive Vice President CTP. “The engagement of KemperSports was based on their extensive national and regional experience and the cultural fit.”
To launch the project, Denehy and Finlen visited Lake of Isles to review the property and meet both teams at the golf courses and the executive team leading operations. After executing an RFP process, CTP evaluated the track record, business and financial strength, reputation, and proven ability to operate comparable golf courses and food and beverage operations at those companies.
Submissions received by CTP were evaluated on criteria that included the quality of service and performance that can be expected, the extent of experience and maintenance in similar operating environments like Lake of Isles, budget development, and tribal nation experience. Top management companies were then invited to present their company’s approach to managing the facility going forward.
Denehy added, “We are confident the selection of Kemper will result in enhancing the overall experience at Lake of Isles, delivering exceptional service for guests and members. While serving the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, we were educated on Native American History and the important role of gaming and golf operations for the community. This knowledge and experience expands the breadth and depth of CTP’s advisory services. I am hopeful these learnings will allow for an ongoing meaningful partnership with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.”
Opened in 2005, Lake of Isles is a 36-hole Rees Jones-designed golf club owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and located adjacent to Foxwoods Resort Casino, which has been voted the best casino outside of Las Vegas for four consecutive years by the Readers’ Choice Awards from USA Today. The North Course, a public resort course open to daily-fee golfers and Foxwood Resort Casino guests, and the South Course, a private member course, wind their way through 900 acres of wooded Connecticut countryside and around a 90-acre lake.
The two courses feature rolling terrain, island greens and tees, and extraordinary views within an incredible natural landscape, offering golfers a unique golf experience. In addition to the two courses, amenities include a 50,000-square-foot clubhouse and a state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor golf acadamy and practice facility. Lake of Isles has earned recognition for its courses, and has been voted Best Golf Course in CT by Golf Digest for 14 years in a row.
Over the past five years, Lake of Isles’ North Course has consistently ranked in the top 30 of Golfweek’s Top 50 Casino Courses and among its list of the country’s Top 200 Resort Courses. Meanwhile, its South Course has ranked inside the top 10 in Golf Digest’s last two Best in State rankings.
About Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
The Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal Nation is a federally recognized Indian tribe located at one of America’s oldest Indian reservations, Mashantucket, in Southeastern Connecticut. As leaders of the Indian Gaming casino industry, the history of the Mashantucket Pequots reveals one of America’s greatest come-back stories, featured at the Tribe’s world renowned Mashantucket Pequot Museum. Today, the Tribe owns and operates one of the largest Integrated Resort Casino destinations in North America, Foxwoods Resort Casino, along with a variety of complementary businesses including a world-class golf course, luxury spa, Pequot Pharmaceutical Network, and Pequot Plus Health Benefit Services. As one of Connecticut’s highest revenue contributors and largest employers, the Mashantucket Pequots have provided the state more than $4 billion in slot revenue through a first-of-its-kind agreement, established in 1993. Likewise, the Tribe has contributed hundreds of millions in donations and sponsorships for the benefit of communities and tribes in need, locally and throughout the U.S.
About DENEHY Club Thinking Partners
DENEHY Club Thinking Partners is a full-service executive search and management consulting firm serving the private club and boutique resort industries with professional offices in Connecticut, Jackson Hole, and California. The Firm’s results-oriented executive search and management consulting has positively influenced the member/guest experience at more than 500 clubs and resorts on over 1350 projects. Learn more at https://denehyctp.com/.
About Foxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino offers guests a premier destination resort experience throughout its six world-class casinos, AAA Four-Diamond hotels featuring over 2,200 rooms, dining options for all tastes, luxurious spas, award-winning golf, state-of-the-art theaters, Tanger Outlet Mall and conference space for groups of all sizes. There is always something new at Foxwoods, including the recently announced landmark deal with Great Wolf Lodge, opening in 2025, our new 80,000 sq ft expo center opening in November 2022 and a new High Stakes Bingo Hall which opened July 2022, giving guests more reasons to stay than ever. When it comes to sports betting and gaming, Foxwoods has partnerships with fan-favorite betting and entertainment platforms, including DraftKings and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe’s recently formed Wondr Nation. For a detailed look at Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation visit Foxwoods.com.
Media Contacts:
Lori Potter, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation
lpotter@mptn-nsn.gov
Erin Redgate, DENEHY Club Thinking Partners
erin@denehyctp.com
5W PR, Foxwoods Resort Casino
foxwoods@5wpr.com
