ISSUE NO 21
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FALL 2023
CLUB ROAD A Chambers Publication
Alluring
AMENITIES
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What’s Inside ? / Innovation Meets Recreation 8 / Harmonious Outdoor Spaces 10 / Locker Room Talk 11 / Transparent Communications 12 / Trending Club Technology 2
FEATURE A NOTE FROM CHAMBERS
CLUB ROUNDUP
INNOVATION & RECREATION Friends — As the warmth of summer gradually gives way to the crisp embrace of autumn, we find ourselves at a reflective juncture. The private club industry is strong and there are so many creative things happening all across the country. In this edition of Club Road, we focus on amenities—whether they be new activities you may not yet offer at your Club or creating dedicated amenity complexes to create a holistic recreational experience. We also delve into the art of landscape design, the nuances of locker
Four Unique Activity Trends Emerging in the Industry From traditional pastimes with a twist to innovative concepts that bridge sport and socializing, these trends encourage us to step into a world where connections are forged and memories are made. Check out these recreational activities that offer fresh perspectives and novel ways for members to come together.
room design, and the importance of communication during renovations. Plus, the intricate ways artificial intelligence is influencing the club experience. As we enter the last few months of the year, we are filled with excitement for the balance of the year and what is to come. Thank you for your continued support and readership! Best,
Rick Snellinger President & CEO
Bob Hickman Chairman of the Board
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EMAIL BOB
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POOL ZIP LINES & CLIMBING WALLS Take your aquatic spaces to the next level with these fun, safe poolside amenities. Whether a UV resistant climbing wall or a self-retracting zipline, AquaClimb® & AquaZip’N® offer fun and safe opportunities to create memorable experiences!
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FEATURE
LIGHTED PUTTING GREENS With lights positioned around the putting green to avoid shadows and ensure consistent lighting across the surface, golfers can hone their putting skills well into the evening hours. This inventive twist on the game of golf—which has become a game of practice—adds a unique and exciting social element.
CLUB ROAD
2 Club Roundup
Innovation Meets Recreation
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Feature Alluring Amenities
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NEUROREACTIVE FITNESS An innovative approach to training, the Reaxing methodology is an indoor training system that deeply engages the sensory system and nervous system. The fundamental objective is to elevate the capacity to process and respond to impulses while refining performance and athletic movements across diverse, unpredictable conditions.
Club Experience
The Art of Creating Harmonious Outdoor Spaces
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Club Design
Locker Room Talk
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Down to Business
Transparent Communications
PADEL TENNIS Distinguished by its enclosed setting, unique court size, and distinct markings, padel stands apart from traditional tennis with the integral role of the court’s walls, where players skillfully bounce the ball to keep it in play. Learn more about one of the world’s fastest growing sports by visiting the United States Padel Association’s Association’s website.
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What’s Trending in Tech? Part I: Club Technology
C LU B ROA D Issue No 21 / FALL 2023 Editor-in-Chief / Creative Director: Lauren Gordon Contributing Writer: Marie Rivera clubroad@chambersusa.com 410.727.4535
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE PLANNING • ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR DESIGN • PROCUREMENT GET IN TOUCH!
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FEATURE
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CLUBROAD ISSUE 2 1 / FALL 2023
FEATURE
Alluring
AMENITIES How Synergistic Recreational Buildings Add Value to the Member Experience
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rivate clubs have existed for decades—some, over a century—as a place for people with common interests to gather. Today, in addition to offering exceptional golf, business and socialization experiences, clubs must also offer robust racquet programs, competitive fitness and wellness experiences, interactive youth offerings, and year-round amenities in order to provide the greatest value possible and remain relevant in the ever-changing lifestyles of today’s modern member. So how can clubs create the perfect clubhouse to house all of its offerings? Most likely, they can’t. ENTER—THE AMENITY BUILDING. Sometimes referred to as a Family Activity Center, Member Activity Building, or simply Activity Center, this type of facility is typically under a separate roof from the clubhouse (sometimes multiple roofs as part of a robust amenity complex) and caters to the natural synergies of recreational activities. Often much more casual in nature compared to traditional clubhouse dining and event spaces, these buildings focus on the importance of building community, creating a family-friendly atmosphere, enhancing wellbeing, and attracting and retaining members outside of traditional golf-related activities.
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FEATURE
“Offering a facility that is centrally located to all recreational activities enables clubs to elevate the value and convenience for their members. This creates a unique destination for health and wellness activities—all without needing to leave the facility or changing out of their sporty, casual attire.”
A RECREATIONAL OASIS Historically, the only separate amenity building that most private clubs offered was a pool building with changing rooms, restrooms, and a small snack bar—oftentimes an underwhelming facility that “checks the box” of having these basic functions to support pool activities but does not necessarily contribute to creating a truly unique or memorable experience. But add in some extra poolside amenities and expand the food & beverage offering to create an ultra-casual dining destination unto itself, and suddenly the pool experience feels resort-like and special, giving families a whole new reason to want to spend time at the club. Now, imagine members having access to fitness facilities right upstairs from the pool changing rooms, using the same locker facilities to store their belongings while they enjoy a game of tennis, or being able to partake in spa activities down the hall. According to John Snellinger, Director of Planning and Principal at Chambers,
Such is the case at Wyndemere Country Club, where Chambers helped revitalize the club’s amenity facilities to include the Tiebreaker Dining and Lakeside Wellness buildings. Built adjacent to one another and nestled among the existing tennis courts and pool area, these buildings create a unique amenity complex that has breathed new life into recreational activities in this private community. At Wyndemere, members can enter the impressive, state-ofthe-art Lakeside Wellness facility after a game of tennis and find much more than a simple Pro Shop or locker room that awaits them. In fact, they’ll find an array of cutting-edge, holistic health and wellness offerings. Alongside traditional cardiovascular and strength training areas, the Lakeside Wellness building also offers a multi-purpose group exercise room, dedicated Yoga, Pilates, and Spin Studios, pristine treatment rooms, a soothing salt therapy room, a dedicated physical therapy space, and brand-new locker rooms equipped with whirlpools and infrared saunas for ultimate relaxation. For those in search of a serene escape, a multipurpose quiet room awaits, complete with a private patio overlooking the lake. Down the hall, members can enjoy salon services as past of the holistic...
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CLUBROAD ISSUE 2 1 / FALL 2023
FEATURE
CASUAL DINING DELIGHT These amenity-oriented facilities typically feature their own food and beverage offerings, too. In some cases, an ultra-casual dining room gives members a place to have a leisurely sit-down meal after a game of tennis in their athletic clothes. For fitness and spa users, a grab-n-go station or small café may offer prepared sandwiches or smoothies for a quick meal option to take with them. And for families, ultra-casual dining venues offer fun, convenient meal options like pizza ovens for members to dine with young families after a soccer game or tee ball—without feeling like their active kiddos are interrupting more upscale events that may be happening around them in the clubhouse.
“By offering a variety of casual food and beverage options, a club can respond to the needs of its members for a more relaxed, spontaneous environment free of dining reservations or strict dress codes,” says Snellinger. “There is a time where more formality is appropriate, and a time when members need and want to be more casual. Clubs need to provide members opportunities to do both.”
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ADVANCED OPERATIONS Members aren’t the only ones who benefit from these curated types of buildings—they help club operations, too. Today, private clubs need to be so many different things for so many different people. As modern lifestyles become increasingly focused on the concept of health and wellness, which encompasses mental wellbeing as much as physical activities, club staff must also shift the focus of their knowledge to provide appropriate service to members. “By housing amenities that support recreational activities in their own dedicated facilities, the staff members that keep those facilities running can also curate their knowledge of services centered around health and wellness,” says Snellinger. “This allows them to become experts in providing exceptional service for recreational and athletic functions, which have different requirements than, say, the catering team that is serving a member event or wedding in the Ballroom at the Main Clubhouse.”
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CLUB EXPERIENCE
The Art of Creating
HARMONIOUS OUTDOOR SPACES With Insights from Industry Expert Scott Rykiel of Mahan Rykiel
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here are hundreds of touchpoints in a private club that contribute to the overall member experience. It is easy to consider the receptionist’s greeting once inside the front door, the interactions between members and wait staff in the dining room, or the encouragement received from golf and tennis pros. But the reality is that there is so much more to it than that. If one looks past the obvious, they begin to see the nuances that are very much a part of what makes a club such a special place—right down to the landscaping throughout a Club’s property. We sat down with industry expert Scott Rykiel, Vice President at Mahan Rykiel Associates, to discuss the intricacies of landscape design for private clubs. From creating impactful first impressions, to incorporating multi-purpose venues, to blurring the lines between building and landscape—this intriguing insight shows how the complexity of landscape design can positively impact the member experience.
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CLUBROAD ISSUE 2 1 / FALL 2023
CLUB EXPERIENCE
WHAT IS LANDSCAPE DESIGN? Landscape Architecture is a multidisciplinary field with a core focus on planning, crafting, and designing outdoor spaces. Its aim? To elevate the functionality, aesthetics, and sustainability of these spaces. At the heart of this practice is the seamless integration of natural components (lush flora, specimen shade trees, flowing water features, etc.) with the terrain, incorporating elements like structures, seating areas and pathways that work together to create inviting outdoor amenities. In essence, landscape architectural design seeks to achieve the ultimate objective of creating outdoor areas that blend functionality and aesthetics, all while upholding sustainable principles.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS From the moment you drive onto a private club’s property, the experience begins. The entry drive and arrival experience set the tone for a member’s entire visit. Just like a beautiful and welcoming clubhouse entryway creates a positive first impression about the clubhouse, an alluring and beautifully landscaped entry drive can set the stage for the entire visit as soon as you drive onto a club’s property. “They say a person makes a judgment about their entire hotel experience in the first 30 seconds, before they have even checked in,” says Rykiel. “The same can be said for the arrival at a Club. The approach is key to a person’s first impression about the Club.” Rykiel’s team works carefully to curate their designs for each club’s arrival sequence,
even down to making the parking experience just that—an experience. “The parking area is one of the first opportunities to begin this type of experiential relationship with a member or guest,” he says. “The right parking configurations, pathways and travel patterns can set a positive tone for their whole visit.”
DUAL-PURPOSE DESIGN In any efficiently designed clubhouse, flexibility is key. Consider a large event space that can be divided into smaller areas to host multiple events, or group fitness classrooms that can be partitioned to accommodate various class sizes. Multi-purpose areas provide immense value for club programming and operations. The same can be said for landscaped areas at private clubs.
A lounge deck could double as a stage for live music, or a green space could easily be converted into an event lawn... The goal is to make these spaces adaptable so each individual use of the space feels natural and intentional. — Scott Rykiel Instead of focusing solely on one potential use for a space, dual-purpose design seeks to harmoniously integrate and balance several objectives within the same landscape. This allows outdoor spaces to be more versatile, efficient, and responsive to the varying needs of members and the environment.
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CLUB DESIGN
LOCKER ROOM TALK The Nuances Behind Private Club Locker Room Design LOCKER ROOM. It is a term that seems simple enough, describing a room where sports players change clothes or store clothing and equipment in lockers. At the core, this is a true definition in the case of private clubs as well, but the term can be applied to a variety of uses. Is it a locker room for golfers, tennis players, or fitness and spa users? How about families using the pool? Does it offer full-length lockers, half-lockers, or day lockers? While members enjoying recreational amenities at a club need a simple place to store their belongings, the design for each activity can vary drastically—or at least it should.
TRADITIONAL GOLF LOCKER ROOMS EVOLVE Today, clubhouse locker rooms strike a balance of efficiency, functionality and comfort. Modern golfers are more spontaneous and spend less time in the locker room, but still want that time spent to be comfortable.
RECREATIONAL LOCKER ROOMS EMERGE Just as the industry is seeing the growing popularity of amenity buildings that cater to recreational needs, so too are we seeing the emergence of lockers and changing rooms designed specifically with recreation in mind.
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CLUBROAD ISSUE 2 1 / FALL 2023
DOWN TO BUSINESS
Transparent Communications P
icture this: It is an exciting time to be a member at your private club. The grass is green on the golf course; Chef has been rolling out exciting new menu options; Members are back from summer vacations and club utilization is at a high—so high that as members are using the facilities more, they’re also noticing things they’d like to change. Really, this is a good thing! Facility renovations are a necessary part of maintaining and improving a club’s facilities to prepare for success in the years to come. While this can be very exciting, it also comes with its own challenges. What’s one of the most critical aspects of ensuring the success of any renovation? Communication. And not just any communication—clear, transparent, and informative communication with all members, not just the Board and Committees. Keep reading to learn more about:
FOSTERING MEMBER INVOLVEMENT to include them in the decision-making process, foster a profound sense of ownership, and let them know their voices matter.
GATHERING MEMBER FEEDBACK through Focus Groups, Membership Surveys, and Town Hall Meetings to create a platform for members to express their concerns, seek clarification, and offer valuable feedback about the renovation process.
KEEPING MEMBERS INFORMED throughout the planning and implementation processes to keep them abreast of progress and generate excitement.
AND MORE! Like managing expectations when unforeseen challenges or delays arise during renovations, and building trust when it counts the most.
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WHAT’S TRENDING?
What’s Trending in Tech? PART I: Advances in Club Technology
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e live in an age where technology is everywhere—in our work lives, our personal lives, our children’s lives, our daily tasks, our spending and buying habits, our media consumption habits…the list goes on and on. And it’s hard to keep up with technology continuously advancing at such a rapid pace! Now, bring artificial intelligence (AI) into the conversation, and it is easy to feel like your head is spinning. But with these advancements comes great opportunity. In part one of this series, we will explore the transformative potential of AI-driven personalization tools in enhancing the member experience in private clubs. These trends reflect the changing landscape of the private club industry, emphasizing technology-driven enhancements in member engagement, automation, personalization, and health and wellness integration.
AI WRITING TOOLS
AI IN HEALTH & WELLNESS CHAT BOTS
SENSOR NETWORKS GEOFENCING TECHNOLOGY HYPER AUTOMATION
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