The robots wheeled around the bend at Harbor Links Golf Course in Port Washington and drove up the path until they reached their destination: North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena.
DeSena popped open the lid of one of the robots and retrieved the order she had placed on her cellphone of a hamburger and two Coronas.
DeSena and Kelley Brooke, the Port Washington course’s new director, unveiled the “refreshment delivery robots” on Thursday, part of a slate of $3 million in planned improvements Brooke hopes will generate “a lot more revenue” for Harbor Links, along with a younger set of golfers who play the town-owned course.
Brooke, the 2018 LPGA Professional of the Year, said during a news conference: “Golf is moving in a different direction. One of the fastest growing populations in golf are millennials, and Gen Zs, so we’re trying to attract that. We’re trying to get Harbor Links to become much more technology driven, starting with the robots on the golf course.”
Brooke Holdings LLC, Brooke’s company, took over the reins at Harbor Links in January after the lease of the longtime former operator, Century Golf Partners, expired. The town had paid Century Golf $250,000 annually to operate the course and received a portion of the generated revenue. Brooke Holdings will pay the town annual rent in addition to a cut of all revenue. Brooke’s rent starts at $350,000 this year.
Brooke said she’s seen videos of robot servers on college campuses. She said she hopes the machines will help attract a younger crowd to Harbor Links.
The company paid $15,000 to set up the three robots, and it will cost an additional $1,000 per month, per robot, in maintenance, said Kevin Higgins, the town’s deputy director of communications in an email.
“My goal is to drive a whole new crowd here. In addition to the retired people that currently play here, we’d like to drive a much younger crowd,” Brooke said in an interview.
Other improvements to the 300-acre course include an updated tee line with heating, televisions and tracking technology, the Pour Decision beer garden, a tent for outdoor weddings and other events and an upgraded mini golf course.
Brooke said Harbor Links generated $7 million last year and is projected to generate $8 million in 2025. Brooke said she believes that figure can rise to about $10 million with the upgrades. The robots are emblematic of that goal, DeSena said.
“They are very well-behaved, they’re quiet. … They cautiously slow down as they get near anybody,” DeSena said of the robots in an interview. “Young golfers are going to love seeing the technology Kelley is bringing to Harbor Links.”
Mariann Dalimonte, the councilmember representing Port Washington, voted against Brooke taking over the course in November, citing the vote being held before the contract was finalized. But on Thursday, Dalimonte expressed gratitude for Brooke and the course. She noted that an original plan called for building an incinerator at the golf course property. It had been a sand mining property for years.
“We have this beautiful golf course. This is the gem of North Hempstead. I feel like I’m on vacation right now,” Dalimonte said, gesturing to the sprawling green space surrounded by trees. “Even though I voted no … [Brooke] needs to succeed, so we succeed.”
Dalimonte helped Brooke come up with a new logo for Harbor Links paying homage to the space’s history: A sand miner holding a golf club.
“All the famous courses in this world, their logos stand alone,” Brooke said. “One day I hope that someone will just know this is Harbor Links.”
Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
