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Change Of Course Does Wonders

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By DEREK MAUL

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 21, 2008

VALRICO - For 15 years, Sharon Kearney O'Loughlin traveled into Manhattan every day from her Long Island, N.Y., home. The commute, door to door, was 21/2 hours each way.

"I was a vice president in technology at Citigroup," she said. "Before that, I worked with Merrill Lynch and PriceWaterhouse."

O'Loughlin worked 11/2 blocks from the World Trade Center. On Sept. 11, 2001, she stayed on Long Island for a dental appointment. But work was affected in the weeks following the terrorist attacks.

"We were closed out of our buildings for about two months," she said.

By 2005, O'Loughlin was ready for a different pace.

"I don't like the cold at all," she said, "and I'd had more than enough of lower Manhattan."

With her husband, Brian O'Loughlin, ready to retire, she engineered a transfer to Citigroup's technology center in Sable Park.

"I just love Brandon," she said. "I feel younger, healthier, better. I get exercise all the time. It's an improved quality of life here."

The O'Loughlins found a house on the Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club golf course and immediately joined the club. She was elected club president in January.

"We wanted to be on a nice course with good people," Sharon O'Loughlin said.

"The first time my husband came out here, he said, 'You're not going to believe what a gem this is.' The golf course has nuances; it's fair; and the greens are mystifying. You can't beat it," she said.

Finding a country club in New York required the correct bloodline or "about $100 million for initiation fees," she said. "We had to drive 50 miles to purchase a once-a-week tee time that ran April through October for one year. It cost $750 each for the tee time, and $120 each time we played.

"People here don't realize how good we have it. This club is great. The people are marvelous. The couples just embraced us. It's friendly and comfortable. The activities are open, and it's very cost effective," O'Loughlin said.

The 750-member club, at 2721 S. Miller Road, has no waiting list and no initiation fee, she said.

"Right now, it costs $180 a month - and unlimited golf for $17 - with a one-year agreement. That opens up everything - golf, tennis, the pool, the clubhouse, the fully staffed kitchen."

With heightened awareness about the fragile environment, O'Loughlin said the club is working hard to conserve.

"We use reclaimed water from our own ponds, we've changed our fertilizer, and we use Florida-friendly landscaping," she said.

Recently retired from Citigroup, O'Loughlin puts in countless hours keeping the 40-year-old club running.

"This course is my backyard, and I want it to be there for years to come," she said. "But the community hardly knows we're here. We contribute a wonderful green space, great recreation opportunities, work for 92 employees, a $2.5 million to $3 million annual budget and increased property values."

In addition to her club work, O'Loughlin serves on the executive committee for the Association of the United States Army, SunCoast chapter.

"We're a support group for active service people," she said. "We do a lot with families and their causes."

She's also on the lookout for another job.

"I just can't sit still," she said.

MEET SHARON KEARNEY O'LOUGHLIN

WHAT: President and general manager, Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club
BORN: Philadelphia, 1957

EDUCATION: Williamsville South High School, Williamsville, N.Y., 1975

MARRIED: Brian O'Loughlin, 1996

MOVED TO FLORIDA: 2005

INFORMATION: www

.buckhornsprings.net; (813) 689-8411

Derek Maul can be reached at derekmaul@gmail.com.

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