The St. Joseph Country Club and its longtime PGA professional will part ways by the end of the year.

The Country Club has opted not to renew the contract of 17-year pro John Leimbach, who will serve out the remainder of his contract that ends Dec. 31. General manager Ken Leland said the Country Club’s governing board based the decision on finances.

“John has done a very admirable job in his years here as the golf professional,” said Mr. Leland, who took over at Country Club about 15 months ago. “Unfortunately, some cuts had to be made. It’s a very difficult thing, obviously.”

Mr. Leland said the ongoing recession has affected the Country Club, and the institution has had to make several cuts in recent months.

“Unfortunately, the expendable dollars in leisure time for people throughout the community and the nation has declined,” Mr. Leland said. “The club is still doing well, just not as well as we would have liked.”

Mr. Leimbach said he’s disappointed but understands.

“The timing is never perfect,” Mr. Leimbach said. “I’ve always loved it here and loved the membership and the golf course. They’ve always treated me better than I could have expected. I’m thankful for the 17 years that I’ve been able to spend here.”

Mr. Leimbach is a St. Joseph native who worked as the assistant pro at the Kansas City Country Club for five years before coming to the St. Joseph Country Club.

Mr. Leimbach helped with the significant renovation of the golf course in 2002 and 2003 and also helped lead efforts for a number of high-profile tournaments hosted by the Country Club, including this year’s Missouri Amateur championship. It was the first time the Missouri Amateur has been held in St. Joseph in 21 years.

“Being a (golf pro), it’s what I do and who I am,” Mr. Leimbach said. “That’s my hope, that an opportunity in the golf business will come around. If another door opens, and it’s something that I would enjoy or be good at or keep me and my family here in this area, then I’ll have to consider that, too.”

The Country Club doesn’t plan to immediately replace the position. Mr. Leimbach’s assistant, Barry Losson, and Mr. Leland are both PGA professionals.

“We probably will fill that position at some point when the membership begins to grow as the national economy starts to grow,” Mr. Leland said. “Between now and then, there will be discussion as to the operation. Currently, I think the plan for the offseason (January through March) will simply be that I will be overseeing the operation with Barry still down there in the golf shop and taking care of that business.”

Sports Editor Scott Pummell can be reached at scottp@npgco.com.