Sand Barrens to become Union League National Golf Club in October

The Union League will formally acquire the Sand Barrens Golf Club in Swainton, N.J., on Oct. 16, at which point the property will begin to be known as the Union League National Golf Club, the Philadelphia social organization said in an email to members Thursday.

The 236-acre, 27-hole South Jersey shore golf course and club house will be open under Union League ownership until Dec. 31, when it will close for renovations and repairs, organization president James P. Dunigan said in the email. Reopening is planned during "Masters Weekend" in the spring, he said.

The organization already owns a golf club in Northeast Philadelphia, the former Torresdale Frankford Country Club, and recently acquired the Old Guard House Inn restaurant in Gladwyne. It also owns the Bungalow, a private restaurant in Stone Harbor, N.J.

"This strategic acquisition continues the League's natural evolution to think strategically and act tactfully to preserve our position as the best private club in America," Dunigan wrote to members.

Union League members have the option of paying supplemental fees for unlimited access to the course, Dunigan said.

Union League general manager Jeff McFadden did not immediately return a phone message seeking details of the transaction and planned renovations, and the future status of existing Sand Barrens golfers. A message left for Sand Barrens general manager John Robertson also was not returned.