& Supplies

Athletics

Racquet sports are on the upswing at Rockrimmon, says Director of Tennis Jade Curtis.

“Generally, we see at least one member in a new Rockrimmon family is racquets orientated,” Curtis explains. “This has improved the level of play and enhanced engagement.

“To attract new players, we run a wide variety of clinics and social events,” she continues. “Some of our most attended are ‘pizza and pickle’ and ‘tacos and tennis’ social round robins.”

Paul Kenney, the club’s Head Golf Professional, describes the Robert Trent Jones course as a “gem.”

“It is always in great condition and presents a challenge to all level of golfers,” Kenney says. “We have a wonderful variety of holes which take full advantage of the rolling topography – giving us elevation changes and beautiful vistas.”

Kenney notes that tournaments are very well attended and include premiere events like the Ladies Member-Guest and Men’s Two-Day Invitational.

“Not all tournaments are designed to be competitive,” he points out. “In the shoulder seasons we run events which are really about having fun and socializing. The most notable of these is our “Wild Turkey Shoot” in which a 9-hole overland course is set up. Since the leaves must be off the tree, this is a fall event. Each cart gets a flask of Wild Turkey to ‘protect’ from any seasonally cold weather.”

Aron adds that the club installed two Trackman simulators in the main lounge, which has been an absolute “home run.” The lounge has its own bar and ample seating so it’s a defined space, which can be operated without opening up the entire clubhouse.

“We operate Thursday through Sunday with 90% utilization and members suddenly feel that we are open all winter long,” Aron says.

The Golf Lounge will operate from mid-December this year to mid-April.

Now And Later

Aron notes that “every stakeholder got something,” a rarity when a project gets unanimous reviews, from the most established members to the newest.

“I cannot stress enough about the energy and optimism the project gave our club,” Aron says. “At no time in the process – either in the planning stages, building process or finished job, were there competing factions, or conflict. That says a great deal.”

Now the focus is on engagement.

“The member experience is critical to retention of members,” Aron says. “This goes beyond the experience on the golf course. The club must offer something for all members of the family to enjoy … together or apart.”

Rockrimmon does this very well and appeals to empty nesters and families alike, Aron says.

“Because we are small and run by the members, we can be fleet of foot and constantly try new ideas/events,” he explains. “Many work – some don’t, but

The club installed two Trackman the members feel heard and know their club is listening.”

A great example of this is the aforementioned RCC Golf Lounge.

“As a small club, we have historically closed from January through March,” Aron says. “This was fine when many of our members were wintering in Florida, but things have changed and we have many members who are here for the winter and want to have the same relationship with their club in the winter as they do in the summer. A place where they can come up and socialize, have a few drinks, watch a game, etc. It’s a big win for Rockrimmon!”

Sofi, who joined the team a little more than a year ago, agrees.

“The future of our club is extremely bright and we look forward to building awareness of our special community,” says Sofi. C+RB