17 minute read
Top Ranked
Clubhouse Average Size 54,099 sq. ft.
Largest - 180,000 Sq. ft smallest - 11,500 Sq. ft
“Over the past few years, Shadow Wood has made conscious and continuous efforts to improve all aspects of the clubhouse, from style to functionality. The clubhouse is the center point of our members’ social life, and it’s critical that it is a versatile and beautiful space where they are excited to spend time. Equally important is that the Clubhouse stands out in the crowded Southwest Florida club market so that when prospective members visit, they immediately feel like this is a place where they want to be a member.”
— Brian Bartolec, General Manager/COO
Clubhouse Average event space 16,320 sq. ft. Largest - 105,000 Sq. ft
2022
Clubhouses
“Any clubhouse should be a ‘home away from home’ for members ... It should be a place where current members want to spend their time and prospective members want to belong. At Newport Beach Country Club, we believe our clubhouse, along with its surroundings, displays, fixtures, décor, and upkeep, play an extremely important role in this. We strive to ensure that all areas of the club are first-in-class so our members want to build relationships and make memories in every area of their ‘home away from home.’ ‘‘
— Robin Shelton,
General Manager
2022
Clubhouses
63% of the top Ranked Clubhouses
Have a wine Room 35% of the top Ranked Clubhouses Have a wine Cellar
top Ranked Clubhouses With a Dedicated Youth Space
No 60% Yes 40%
— Carmen Mauceri, CCM
The Club at Mediterra
General Manager/COO
2022 Top Ranked
Ranking Club Name City State Clubhouse Total Sq. Ft. Total Number of Lockers Event Space Total Seating Capacity Outdoor Dining? Wine Room Dedicated Youth Space
1 The Club at Mediterra Naples Fla. 53,000 929 200 338 yes no
2 BallenIsles Country Club Jupiter Fla. 115,000 326 630 11,000 yes yes 3 Newport Beach Country Club Newport Beach Calif. 56,000 712 1,362 10,710 no no 4 Shadow Wood Country Club Estero Fla. 65,340 611 463 335 yes no 5 Estero Country Club Fort Myers Fla. 29,000 68 152 67 no no 6 Hammock Dunes Club Palm Coast Fla. 55,000 160 175 1,200 yes no 7 The Club at Quail Ridge Boynton Beach Fla. 60,000 287 550 589 yes no
8 The Bridgewater Club
Carmel Ind. 90,000 1,312 750 239 yes yes 9 Canoe Brook Country Club Summit N.J. 68,000 1,134 400 175 yes no 10 Addison Reserve Country Club Delray Beach Fla. 70,000 200 1,250 200 yes yes 11 Bayside Resort Golf Club Selbyville Del. 29,670 259 300 124 no no 12 The Lakes Country Club Association Palm Desert Calif. 61,000 72 220 2,000 yes yes
13 The Country Club at Castle Pines Castle Rock Colo. 29,805 405 128 6,200 yes no 14 Maketewah Country Club Cincinnati Ohio 30,000 600 700 4,000 yes no 15 Columbia Country Club Chevy Chase Md. 90,000 1,599 605 4,140 yes yes 16 The Club at Chatham Hills Westfi eld Ind. 65,000 613 650 235 yes yes 17 Navesink Country Club Red Bank N.J. 63,487 523 540 420 yes yes
18 Kenwood Country Club Cincinnati Ohio 93,000 980 1,500 225 no no
19 Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club 20 Martis Camp Club 21 Champion Hills Lakewood Ranch Fla. 66,000 yes no
Truckee Calif. 65,000 580 280 4,000 yes no Hendersonville N.C. 12,175 56 150 570 no no
2022
Clubhouses
Clubhouses
Ranking Club Name City State Clubhouse Total Sq. Ft. Total Number of Lockers Event Space Total Seating Capacity Outdoor Dining? Wine Room Dedicated Youth Space
22 The Club at Ravenna Littleton Colo. 25,000 290 60 130 yes no
23 Boca Grove
Boca Raton Fla. 65,667 320 557 210 no yes 24 Ocean Reef Club Key Largo Fla. 50,849 72 0 1,520 yes no 25 Cavalier Golf & Yacht Club Virginia Beach Va. 41,000 398 350 800 yes yes 26 Sawgrass Country Club Ponte Vedra Beach Fla. 70,459 180 300 90 yes yes 27 Pittsburgh Field Club Pittsburgh Pa. 30,000 450 400 160 yes no 28 International Country Club Fairfax Va. 49,000 600 349 3,500 no yes 29 Boca Bay Pass Club Boca Grande Fla. 13,000 220 44 yes no 30 Tampa Yacht & Country Club Tampa Fla. 38,000 100 550 145 yes yes 31 The Ridge at Back Brook Ringoes N.J. 20,000 477 0 5,111 no no 32 The Club at Admirals Cove Jupiter Fla. 180,000 324 3,500 300 Yes Yes 33 Desert Willow Golf Resort Palm Desert Calif. 39,000 160 500 200 No Yes
34 Treviso Bay Naples Fla. 64,000 No No
35 The Club at Carlton Woods The Woodlands Texas 44,073 968 550 1,135 Yes Yes 36 Waynesborough Country Club Paoli Pa. 45,211 590 590 3,709 yes no 37 Rose Creek Golf Club Edmond Okla. 11,500 100 140 1,500 no yes 38 Baltimore Country Club Lutherville Md. 44,050 886 415 252 yes no 39 Rehoboth Beach Country Club Rehoboth Beach Del. 48,000 2 400 2 no no 40 River Crest Country Club Fort Worth Texas 70,000 390 852 94 no yes 41 Rockrimmon Country Club Stamford Conn. 38,000 257 500 175 no yes 42 Yellowstone Country Club Billings Mont. 37,523 280 184 115 no no 43 The Falls Club Lake Worth Fla. 47,000 421 414 1,800 no no
Athletic
Advantage
As the Atlanta Athletic Club approaches its 125-year anniversary, the Johns Creek, Ga. club continues to evolve while keeping its roots based firmly in historical significance.
By Rob Thomas, Editor
DATING BACK TO 1898, with legendary names such as Bobby Jones and John Heisman among those who infl uenced its directi on, the Atlanta Athleti c Club (AAC) in Johns Creek, Ga. is replete with history.
The clubhouse is as much a museum as it is a place for members to gather. The on-property Jones Museum, for instance, houses more memorabilia from the golfi ng great than anywhere else in the world. The hallowed halls are lined with arti facts and QR codes have been added to provide interested guests with an audio tour of the club’s past.
STEEPED IN TRADITION
AAC traces its roots to a structure in downtown Atlanta and added a golf course on its East Lake property in 1904. As Atlanta’s populati on moved away from the city center, so did the club, which landed in its current locati on in the late 1960s. The East Lake property was sold and became East Lake Golf Club—now the home of The Tour Championship, currently the fi nal event of the PGA Tour golf season.
The club has hosted both the men’s and women’s U.S. Opens and U.S. Amateurs, as well as PGA Championships in 1981, 2001 and 2011. Robert Trent Jones Sr., designed the club’s original Riverside Course and nine holes of the Highlands Course, completi ng work in 1967. The club then hired Joe Finger to add nine holes to the Highlands Course in 1971.
General Manager David Sheppard says the club is unique due to the “unmatched scale and quality” of its features. “The genuine and congenial relati onships between our members, their families, and our team members create the opportunity to make many special memories.”
Rees Jones, son of Robert Trent Jones Sr., worked with the club on both its Highlands and Riverside courses and was called in for an extensive enhancement project on the Highlands layout in 2016.
More recently, golf course architect Tripp Davis was selected from dozens of his contemporaries to overhaul the Riverside course. The renovati on of the course had three principle goals: completely update the course infrastructure from tee to green to allow for heightened playing conditi ons; accentuate the Riverside terrain in a more natural way; and enhance the playing interest and enjoyment for members and high-level players alike.
David Sheppard, General Manager of Atlanta Athleti c Club, is quick to praise Davis’ vision and dedicati on to the project, which basically took place across the global COVID pandemic. The project was not without challenges, but forward thinking proved extremely benefi cial.
“We got ahead by ordering the materials ahead of ti me, so we didn’t face the supply chain and infl ati on issues that others have since then,” Sheppard says.
Closer to the fi nish line, Mother Nature threw a curveball.
“Summer 2022 weather [lots of rain in July and August] was a challenge to get the grassing done and meet deadlines,” Sheppard says. “[We] ended up fi nishing but pushed back opening date by three weeks to allow turf to establish.”
STANDING OUT
With so many private clubs in the area, it’s not necessarily easy to stand out, but the 125,000 sq. ft . English Manor clubhouse is a good start. It has more than 10,000 sq. ft . of functi on space and 12 diff erent venue opti ons to accommodate anywhere from fi ve to 500 guests. Additi onally, there are numerous pati os and outdoor entertaining spaces.
Beyond that, there are no fewer than eight dining opti ons across the massive campus. Merion off ers upscale dining with refi ned contemporary cuisine that displays the fl avors of each season. The Royal Troon Grill off ers a family-friendly atmosphere with American Cuisine with a southern twist. The Interlachen Lounge is for members and guests looking to socialize, eat and drink. The Pool Pavilion and Aquati cs Café provides a relaxed poolside dining experience for the enti re family. The Halfway House provides a fresh selecti on of graband-go meals, perfect for getti ng golfers through the second half of their round. The Center Court Café at the Tennis Center focuses on quick snacks and refreshing libati ons. Health Bar at the fi tness center off ers smoothies that pack a healthy punch pre or post workout. And the Men’s Grill is the perfect place to celebrate the end of a round.
Sheppard points to a number of ways AAC sets itself apart from nearby clubs.
“Membership at Atlanta Athleti c Club is unique due to the
The on-property Jones Museum houses more memorabilia from Bobby Jones than anywhere else in the world. Arti facts also line the club’s hallowed halls and QR codes have been added to provide an audio tour.
unmatched scale and quality of our faciliti es, as well as our outstanding programs that are all available on one campus,” he says. “The genuine and congenial relati onships between our members, their families, and our team members create the opportunity to make many special memories.
“The club off ers faciliti es and programs for every member of the family, including an array of athleti c programs for adults and juniors who enjoy fi tness, golf, racquet sports, and swimming. In additi on, Atlanta Athleti c Club has an incredible heritage and history of hosti ng major golf championships,” Sheppard conti nues. “All of these att ributes, along with the club’s wonderful membership and team members, create an outstanding organizati on and culture.”
ATHLETIC ABUNDANCE
Along with the two 18-hole courses, AAC has a nine-hole par-3 course, fi tness center and spa. The facility boasts state-of-the-art equipment and personal instructi on to
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Golf course designer Tripp Davis was brought in to reimagine the Riverside Course. The renovati on had three principle goals: completely update course infrastructure to allow for heightened playing conditi ons; accentuate the terrain in a more natural way; and enhance the playing interest and enjoyment for members and high-level players alike.
The Aquati c Center features and Olympic-style main pool with three-meter diving board, dual water slides, zero-entry zone and splash pad.
provide members with the opportunity to att ain and maintain opti mum levels of fi tness. Personal training and more than 90 classes per month are off ered, as well.
Within the 62,000 sq. ft , fi tness center is the Retreat Spa, with services including manicures and pedicures, facials, massages, wraps, microdermabrasion, and laser treatments. In additi on to four treatment rooms and retail space that sells high-end skincare products and fashion from Lululemon, Sheppard is envisioning more.
“Looking to expand because it has more demand than it can handle at the present ti me,” he says.
The Tennis Center off ers four climate-controlled indoor tennis courts, six Har-Tru clay courts, and seven, lighted outdoor hard courts. A group of world-class tennis professionals, all PTR and USPTA certi fi ed, bring years of experti se to instruct and develop all ages and tennis levels.
The Aquati c Center features an Olympic-style main pool with three-meter diving board, dual water slides, and a toddler-friendly, zero-entry zone and splash pad. In additi on, comprehensive group and private swim lessons for children and adults are available. The AAC (Barracudas) Swim and Dive Team is made up of children ages 4 to 14 and the dive team ages 4 to 18.
MEMBER MENTALITY
With 1,930 people on the books, membership at Atlanta Athleti c Club is a privilege. Not so coincidentally, 1930 is also the club’s address—a tribute to the year Bobby Jones won golf’s Grand Slam.
“Covid has changed the private club industry, so obviously we are in a fortunate positi on to have an extensive external wait list,” Membership Director Erica Smith explains. “Once nominated or invited, it’s a two-year wait to start the membership process; once cleared, these members may enjoy social privileges, but it is at least an additi onal two years to become golf members.”
While the club has experienced great success with member referral programs, candidates sti ll must be nominated and go
There are no fewer than eight dining opti ons across the massive campus. Atlanta Athleti c Club off ers everything from upscale dining with refi ned contemporary cuisine and familyfriendly opti ons to outdoor dining poolside, by the extensive racquet faciliti es or at the impressive 1898 House (below).
through the process.
“Our ongoing improvements to ameniti es beyond golf courses, including the aquati c center, tennis and golf practi ces faciliti es, and special events programming conti nues to att ract families and sti mulate the ‘youth movement’ that we are experiencing,” Smith says.
As for communicati ng upcoming events to the membership, Smith points to a bi-monthly newslett er, Club Times, a weekly “Club Connecti on” newslett er, special noti fi cati ons (targeti ng an event or instant communicati on), an app with push communicati ons, and a recently redone website. They’re also acti ve on Instagram and Facebook, while Twitter is uti lized during major events.
“There are also private social media groups for employees with training videos, dress code updates, and for parents of children enrolled in Timbers, AAC’s day care programs,” Smith adds. C+RB
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