“For me, golf and beer go hand-in-hand.”
This is the POV of Paul Bumbaco, a former assistant golf club professional from New Jersey who clocked time on courses in Florida before becoming the head coach at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe in 2010. But his love of beer is always in the background.
“When I wasn’t golfing, I was brewing beer,” Bumbaco says. “I had more time to brew in the winter months. I started off as a home brewer on the stove. Then, I took over the basement of my home and built an electric brewing system.”
Bumbaco left Glencoe and headed over to Highland Park to run Steep Ravine Brewing as the general manager for three years, which got him thinking about opening his own brewery.
“I always dreamt of having my own brewery on the North Shore,” he says. “I had an idea for a golf-themed one. In May 2021, I took a job back in the golf business fitting golf clubs while doing the build out for my brewery, Broken Tee.” The name Broken Tee is a slight nod to Bumbaco’s golf background, and has resonated with golfers who get the pun.
Working at Steep Ravine Brewing taught him about the commercial side of brewing. “Steep Ravine gave me the behind-the-scenes look I wanted in the brewery setting,” he says. “I learned a lot in a short period of time.”
Today, Broken Tee has been open for almost three years in Highwood, and the community has shown its support. “Highwood has been fantastic; we’ve gotten lots of local support,” Bumbaco says. “The city does a great job of throwing local events. We also get a nice crowd from outside the city—our beer, food and taproom have been well-received.” Broken Tee also caters to families; the chicken fingers with fries are a local kids’ favorite.
Bumbaco’s top beer recommendation is Nacht Putten, the Schwarzbier. The name translated to English is Putt At Night, which is a reference to the revered “Caddyshack” movie. He also recommends the Bierantoni, an Italian Pilsner, and One Hop n Haka, a single hop IPA.
The name Bierantoni, comes from the family that had their Italian restaurant and liquor store in the Broken Tee space for 55 years. “Overall, I enjoy putting golf references in the names — golfers get the golf slang in the menu,” Bumbaco says.
When it comes to the food, Bumbaco’s favorites include Our Smash Factor Burger, Highwood Hot Chicken Sandwich and Philly Cricket Cheesesteak. His top appetizer is The Trio, which includes pretzel bites, breaded cheese curds and elote bites.
During “The Masters,” one of the four men’s major championships in pro-golf, Bumbaco’s team ran a take on pro golfer Scottie Scheffler’s Champions Dinner with a menu that included Firecracker Shrimp, Green Jacket Fried Chicken Sandwich with pimento cheese, house-made special sauce and pickled red onion, and a double smashburger served Scottie Style with fries on the burger.
Bumbaco’s No. 1 goal for the brewery is to create a comfortable environment with great beer and food, and he’s proud that the brewery has stayed open and has improved every year. “Our name and brand are growing,” he says. “I want clients to feel great about their experience. When you have a great experience, you tell others. Word of mouth is still the way to go, especially in the service industry.”
Most recently, Broken Tee started canning their beer at the end of last year. “Canning has been a growth point for us,” Bumbaco says. “We hope to continue to grow the brand and start distributing our product locally via kegs or cans. The beer industry is not an easy one, but I think we fit a need in the community,” he says. “I’m lucky that everything has been great so far.”