Tam O’Shanter Country Club auctions off equipment as records show another sale

In a room full of patterned furniture, dusty tabletops and weathered tableware up for auction, Evan Hirsch could place every piece. 

“I remember sitting at that table when it was in the bar,” the Dix Hills native said of a high-top surrounded by plaid-upholstered chairs. 

Hirsch was one of several dozen who visited the long-closed Tam O’Shanter Country Club in Glen Head on Tuesday, as an auction company tried to sell everything inside.

The goal was to sell the space “to the bare walls,” according to American Auctions, Liquidations, Appraisals Inc., which facilitated the auction. After the three-hour auction, the company had sold 93% of the items, according to auctioneer Gerard Trimboli.

The 148-acre property, which hosted an 18-hole golf course, sold for $11.8 million in 2019 to a New Jersey-based developer with plans to replace the country club with 27 luxury homes, Newsday reported in November 2025. The golf course was in operation through summer 2021, Newsday reported.

But plans to convert the property into a housing development were delayed by toxins found in the topsoil, Newsday reported.

“The owners at the time just let the application lapse, so that fell apart,” said Daniel Serota, mayor of the Village of Brookville.

Serota could not confirm whether a more recent sale had closed, but property records show it sold again last month.

According to Serota, the village “tweaked” its zoning to encourage companies to buy the property and keep it as a golf course.

Before Tuesday’s auction, prospective buyers inspected the items for two hours before bidding started just after 12 p.m.

The auction site advertised a laundry list of offerings: a barber chair, a leg press, an ice cream freezer. Categories include ground maintenance equipment, restaurant equipment and fixtures, office furniture and gym equipment. 

Ravi Chopra, 61, of Old Brookville, said he and his son were interested in bidding on a golf cart to use at home; and then he saw them.

Parked out front, the golf carts were “not in great condition,” said Chopra, who works in commercial finance. He speculated a mechanic might be able to use them, but said it seemed like they would require too much work for it to make sense for him.

For $10 a piece, Matt Dowling, 40, of Brookville, bought 16 golf equipment racks to use for content creation. As founder of Long Island-based golf brand Rookline, Dowling said he was also in the market for a wooden locker.

“Some people are repurposing for their club, we’re repurposing for content,” Dowling said.

Trimboli, founder and CEO of American Auctions, Liquidations, Appraisals, Inc., estimated about 75 individuals had registered to participate in the auction. 

“There is desirable stuff here and there’s a nice turnout, so we expect to have a successful auction,” said Trimboli, who specializes in business assets. 

Ground maintenance equipment, including golf carts, excavators and items used to care for lawns, is typically desirable, he said. The pricing varies.

For Hirsch, the Tuesday auction felt like his last chance to visit the place where his family had spent countless weekends and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah with a Broadway-themed reception. 

“When I knew this was the last public viewing, I was like, ‘oh, I’ve got to say goodbye,’ ” he said.

Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.