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4TH GENERATION OWNERS
THE KAZANJIAN FAMILY
WHIRLAWAY GOLF CENTER, METHUEN, MASSACHUSETTS
BY STEVEN J. DI COSTANZO
Golf Range Magazine, January/February 2001
It was an offhand remark made by Mark Kazanjian at the Las Vegas PGA Show, "Did you know that our golf range in Massachusetts is now into its' fourth generation of family involvement. Four
generations? We've covered in the past golf range family empires like the Troys of Chicago, the Scallys of Pittsburgh and the Fisks, also of Massachusetts. But four generations?
Surely there was a story here, and indeed, what a fascinating story it is. A tale of a family, emigrated to America in the late 1800s from Armenia. A tale of a family, finding their
way in this country through the tough days of the Depression and World War II, to a better time where sheer perseverance, foresight and determination have led to the present Whirlaway Golf Center.
Rose Kazanjian & Her Six Boys
The tale begins, according to Mark Kazanjian, with his grandmother Rose, the matriarch of the Kazanjian clan and the
six Kazanjian boys: George, Arthur, Victor, Joe ("Saco"), Casey and Harold. Back in the 1920s, there was a 9-hole golf course carved out of a potato farm called Loch Haven that Mark's
father, Joe (Saco) worked at as a 12 year old, and Saco's older brother, George, ran as the head pro. With the shadow of the 1929 Wall Street crash hanging over the country, Loch Haven was a
victim of the economic times and went bankrupt.
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Great vintage shot circa late 1920's, of the original Loch Haven Golf Club with golf pro "Uncle" George Kazanjian.
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In 1934, risk-taking Rose, unbeknownst to anyone, decided to mortgage the family house and purchase a 10-acre
tract of the old golf course. Said Mark, "My grandfather wanted to kill my grandmother over this one. But it was
in keeping with her character. If she lived today she would probably own half of Methuen!"
Carving out the range from three of the old golf holes, George managed the place and Saco worked when free time from school would allow. Mark relays the story, as related to him by Saco.
"My brother George ran the place for two years, but left to get a real job. There just was really no business back
then. In 1934, I left school in the 10th grade and took over the place. We built a teeline that was basically clay,
and I bought 500 golf balls at 2¢ apiece. We named the place Riverside Golf Center after the Merrimack River, which flowed across the dirt road."
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The original 10 ft. x 10 ft. "Red & White" building that served as the headquarters. (built in 1938)
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Saco went on to explain, "The only people who played golf back then were the doctors and lawyers in town. We
sold a basket of balls for 25¢ and to pick up a little tip I would help tee up the ball on those old-style 'carrot' tees.
I can vividly remember several of our best customers because they really helped our family. For example, Dr.
Hoffman, a distinguished older gentleman, was like a godfather to us. He would hit balls here and we would
barter medical check-ups. Dr. Bersil, a dentist, did the same for dental work, and Dr. Rosenberg, a lawyer, did the same for legal work."
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Aerial shot from the 1970's that shows the parking lot and Rt. 110.
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World War II Intervenes: "Saving Private Kazanjian"
During WWII, four out of the six brothers saw battle, and Riverside Golf Center was closed. Saco was in the
Engineer Corps in the China, Burma, India theater. Against all odds, every brother returned back to the U.S. after
the war, and the place reopened in 1947 with a twist. The Town of Methuen would give a seasonal liquor license
to that family with the most sons who fought in the war. Was it any contest? With the brothers all pitching in,
the family built a 40 ft. by 30 ft. lounge next door to the 10 ft. by 10 ft. kerosene-heated "shack" that served as the office for the range
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Another shot from the early 1970's showing original building that housed Riverside Golf Range (earlier name).
The building was used up until 1965.
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This lounge, dubbed the Whirlaway Lounge (named after their favorite horse and Triple-Crown winner), was an
instant hit with the locals. "Drink-away at the Whirlaway" was the motto, and the place was packed. Explains
Mark, "Back then, old Route 110, where our facility stands, was only a dirt road, but by the 1950s, when car
travel really started to take off, the only way to the beach 20 minutes away was to use Route 110. On the
weekends you could not even get out of the parking lot. It also helped that the next town over shut the bars at 12 and we stayed open until 1 a.m."
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Golf ball picker invented by a relative and used in the 60's, 70's and 80's. A one-of-a-kind unit.
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Range Inventions & Innovations: Cow As Ball Picker
In the late 1950s, the Kazanjians decided to build 27 5'x 5'
concrete pads with rubber tire hitting mats (remember those?). In between each tee was a small picket fence and a stake that would hold the baskets. The tees were
even outfitted with a type of automatic pedal-activated tee-up machine. Then there's Betsy the Cow. Balls were picked at the time, as they had been since the '30s, by
attaching an old pipe tobacco can to a stick and scooping up the balls. As Mark said, "It's all in the wrists!" Brother Casey, the inventive one, decided he
had a better way. He harnessed a drag-type wire mesh and chain device to Betsy the Cow. Believe it or not, it worked.
Changes In The 1960s
Like so many other businesses that were located on then-popular routes, the advent of new highways and by
passes in the 1960s spelled danger to many an establishment. It nearly happened to Whirlaway Golf and Lounge in the early '60s. "It was a tough time for us.
The lounge business died because the beach access route was now the new Route 495." Golf still was not a very active draw, either. Mark remembers, as an eight
-year-old kid working there, that in the hot summer you could count on one hand the number of golfers who showed up. "Remember, Eisenhower helped a bit in the
'50s, but Kennedy and Johnson were not big golfers, and golf was still a rich man's game."
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The building that housed Whirlaway Lounge from 1947-1988. The addition on the right was done in 1966 when the Pro Shop was added.
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In 1967, the family decided to get rid of the shack and move the operations into the old lounge building. Play
started to pick up a bit, and one customer in particular was remembered fondly, Mike Assaf. "Mike was a lawyer,
but really he was an entertainer. He used to hang out here and hit golf balls all day long. He'd give lessons and
chat up the locals. He was known to hit 20-30 buckets of balls a day. We gave him free balls, which we never did
for anyone else because he was like our ambassador. His favorite teaching expression was, 'Let's play Italian golf...you've gotta meet the ball'."
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The tee line as it appeared in the early 1960's...note the early mats.
Remember those?
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Golf Starts To Take Off In The '70s
In 1972, Mark then in high school and on the golf team, took a ride to the local Wilson Golf factory and bought
gloves, hats, and Sam Snead Blue Ridge starter sets, and started to retail them. (He's proud to point out that 28
years later he's still on the Wilson staff.) His golf career looked promising. He accepted a spot at Ferris State in
1975 but decided to stay locally. At UMass.-Lowell, he played on the golf team and competed in the NCAA Golf
Tournament in 1977. His golf passion seemed to imitate the growing national interest in the sport. Mini Tours
sprung up, like the Grand National Golf Tour that had planned an 18-city tour to compete with the PGA Tour.
Mark earned his way in, was ready to go until sponsors pulled the plug in 1980. Mark decided it was time to focus exclusively on the family business.
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In 1995, Whirlaway added a double-deck to the facility with heaters.
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Big Addition: Whirlaway Grows
After several small expansions to accommodate brother Dave's interest in running (the name was changed to
Whirlaway Golf & Running Center), a major $1-million expansion was undertaken in 1986-87. A two-story
building was put up, with the original lounge turning into a full restaurant to accommodate up to 80 people. A
concrete and steel, two-tier range was built with new covered and heated tees. An indoor golf area was set-up, the golf pro shop expanded and a separate athletic footwear retail space established.
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A $1 million expansion in 1986-87 to add additional space
for the pro shop and restaurant.
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According to Mark, business is good, in spite of the new competitors that cropped up in the '90s. Grandmother
Rose would have difficulty recognizing the place, but without her intuition, Whirlaway would not exist. So
where is the fourth generation to this story? Mark's son "Marko," now 11 years old, is following in his Dad's
footsteps: a passion for the game, an interest in golf as a career, and naturally, an intimate knowledge of picking up range balls along the sides of the range.
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Merchandising has always been an important part of the business.
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