ROCKLAND — It’s at the bend at 606 Old County Road. You know it because anyone who has traveled Old County Road knows you slow down to 25 mph and watch for golf carts crossing in the spring, summer months and into the fall. But did you know there is a wonderful little restaurant called the Club House II that offers great food and drinks with stunning views looking out over the golf course?

New owners Kevin and Kathleen LaBree completely renovated the clubhouse to reflect an inviting, warm atmosphere. The best part is, you don’t need to be a member of the Rockland Golf Club, or even be playing a round of golf to dine there.

No strangers to the restaurant business, the LaBrees owned and operated Eclipse Restaurant in the Trade Winds, in Rockland, before selling it in 2017. They also own and operate Garden Island Laundromat and Tanning at 42 Maverick Street.

The Rockland Golf Club holds a special meaning to Kathleen.

“I was proposed to and accepted on the 16th green,” she said. “My husband and I got married here and we had our reception here.”

LaBree said she has been club champion twice.

“Once just because no one else showed up,” she said. “But the other time I won it. Golf and this location are near and dear to my heart.”

LaBree said that when the space became available, she knew she would love to try.

“Martha Flanagan ran it for the past seven years,” she said. “She was thinking it was time to try something new, so when it became available, I knew what I wanted to do.”

LaBree said they began the renovations in February 2019.

“We put in a whole new bar top for starters,” she said. “We changed the whole look of the bar. We took away the green canopy that was over top ad a staple here for a long time. We repainted everything.”

LaBree said she added a pool table.

 “I wanted people to view this as a clubhouse,” she said. “It’s a place you can just come and hang if you want to. You don’t really have to be eating something here, but we are a full bar and it’s just a place you can gather.”

LaBree said it’s a beautiful place to view and enjoy the surroundings.

“It’s a beautiful place to sit and watch the sunset behind Dodge Mountain,” she said. “It’s an amazing place to watch thunderstorms come up and around Dodge Mountain as they head off to Camden. The deck is partially covered and you can sit out there whether it’s raining or sunshine.”

LaBree said they seat 80 people inside and additionally can seat 30 to 40 outside on the deck.

“It’s a golf course snack bar,” she said. “I truly want everything to be great that we put out. You walk up to the bar and order and if I’m not too busy, I’ll try to bring it out to your table.”

LaBree said the blue cheese chips have turned out to be one of the more popular items.

“We cook the chips right here,” she said. “They are served warm and are drizzled with blue cheese dressing and crumbles, with a little balsamic glaze and scallions on top of that.”

Labree said the steak sandwich is also top rated.

“We use tenderloin tips, so it’s extremely tender,” she said. “It’s the part of the loin you can’t use for the steak because it’s a little narrow, so we cut them up ad use them for the sandwich. It makes a great steak sandwich.”

LaBree said they’ll offer three types of salads: Ceasar, arugula ad Greek, as well a hamburgers, foot-long hotdogs, wings, and sandwiches people can take out onto the golf course with them.

LaBree said beginning on May 2, they will offer a ribs-and-cribs night.

“We’ll offer up our special St. Louis style ribs ad a friendly cribbage tournament,” she said. “They did rib night here 10 years ago and it was successful. People have asked to bring it back and I thought it was a good pairing. I’m looking forward to it once again.”

LaBree said for the spring they‘ll open at 11 a.m. and take orders up until 6 p.m. For the summer, those hours will extend a little later.

“Though we’ll be open every day, it is a seasonal business,” she said. “Our last day of business will be October 31.”

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