The Kids Are (More Than) Alright

Clubs are appealing to their burgeoning family memberships with spaces reserved exclusively for younger age groups.

By Pamela Brill, Contributing Editor

KIDS WHO GREW UP visiting their grandparents’ country club may remember taking a dip in the pool or joining them on the green for a round of golf. But for today’s children, their experience may have started long before they could hold a club, let alone dive into the deep end. As more clubs sign on young families, they are heeding the siren call of expanded services and facilities exclusively dedicated to kids. From indoor centers that house open playtime and events, to a playground that offers an alternative to clubhouse amenities, these spaces have become the place to be for kids of all ages.

Birds Of A Feather

The youngest members at Phoenix (Ariz.) Country Club are reaping the benefits of the newly designed Firebirds Nest and Firebirds Lounge. The two separate play spaces, designated by age group, were unveiled last summer in response to a shift in the club’s core demographic.

“Once known as a downtown Phoenix club for businesspeople, we recently experienced rapid growth with younger memberships, which prompted parents and committee members to create safe spaces where children could enjoy year-round activities while adults

Phoenix Country Club

Phoenix, Ariz.

utilized additional amenities,” says General Manager/COO Dan Budzius. “Given the lack of thoughtful space for this growth, it was necessary to become creative with our 90,000 sq. ft. of clubhouse.”

Carving out 300 sq. ft. apiece, each kids’ room offers convenient access to surrounding recreational facilities. The Firebirds Nest for ages six months and up is located near the club’s roundabout for easy pickup/dropoff, while the Firebirds Lounge just off the aquatics area is housed near the pool, Goldwater Grill and outdoor play area. Troon’s design team selected age-appropriate furniture and décor, as well as easy-to-clean wood laminate flooring.

Creating distinct play zones provides a visual contrast in these spaces. The Firebirds Nest sets the scene for fun with a painted wall of trees, cozy lounge chairs, a pretend kitchen area, and pint-sized tables and chairs that look out onto a fenced-in play area outfitted with turfgrass. Meanwhile, the Firebirds Lounge is designed with a more sophisticated color palette, including navy walls, bright red furniture and neon signage. Stocked with arcade games like foosball, an air hockey table and indoor basketball hoops, it appeals to teens and older kids with its contemporary vibe.

Even while aesthetically pleasing, these spaces have also been designed with safety in mind. Kevin Williams, who runs the aquatics center and youth programming, notes that all furniture is wall-mounted to prevent potential hazards, and the spaces are outfitted with child-proof electric sockets and padded counter covers.

“Most of our staff working in the rooms are CPR-certified lifeguards,” he says. “All exits and entrances have been installed per code to always maintain the safety of the children.”

Because the Firebirds Lounge sports a flexible layout, this space can be restructured to accommodate programming and summer camps. Williams notes that activities range from creative art projects to special guest visitors from the Phoenix Zoo. “We host multiple year-round events to keep every age and every stage busy, active and engaged in the club, including multiple camps, classes, clinics and parties,” he says. Such purposefulness has also helped the club promote its Firebirds program, in which kids 10 and up can try out select amenities (golf, swim, fitness and tennis) and earn their official Firebirds card. Doing so permits them to use that area of the club without their parents. “It’s a huge win-win for the parent and child,” says Budzius.

Embracing The Next Generation

Fashioning an aircraft from Legos or getting covered with slime. For kids at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn., the sky’s the limit when it comes to the slew of activities they can enjoy at the revamped kids’ club. In response to a significant uptick in family memberships, McConnell Golf decided to update Holston Hills’ children’s facility last May and further tweaked the overall design this past January.

“We wanted a space that made kids feel welcomed when they walked through the doors, but that could be flexible enough to hold the varying kids’ events that we host,”

Holston Hills Country Club

Knoxville, Tenn.

explains Activities Director Carrie Pittenger.

The former pro shop-turned-kids’ club, located in the west end of the clubhouse, was reinvigorated with new flooring and sheetrock. Large windows that look out onto the golf course are a draw for all ages.

“Our youngest kids enjoy waving at the golf carts that pass by, and our older kids can be found playing ‘I Spy’ out the windows,” says Pittenger.

The club’s locale was also incorporated into the design, enhancing the playful vibe of the setup and décor. “Since we are located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, we decided to do a fun mountain theme and hung up some posters,” she adds. “We also allowed the kids to help us pick our class mascot, Holston the Black Bear.”

After spending a few months in the updated space, the staff had a better sense of how to play up the theme even more. Closing the kids’ club for three days in January, the walls were brightened with new colors and a mural of mountains, while additional storage bins and toys were added to the de- sign. Also of note is an inset wall shelf that was converted into a television area where kids can relax and watch movies.

Flexibility is key in the kids’ club’s overall design, enabling the club to shift its layout based on the daily schedule (drop-and-play for kids under 5 three days a week, twicemonthly kids’ night out for ages 5-12 and daily summer camp). Lightweight tables can be brought out for crafts and meals, and later broken down and stored when not in use. Bean bags offer a comfortable place to read or simply hang out with friends, while an open play area features a pretend kitchen, puppet theatre and cubbies for housing kids’ jackets and water bottles.

“We want to have space for some kids to be active while recognizing other kids may need to have space to be still and take a break,” notes Pittenger. “We tried to design the room in a way that accommodates different ages and varying activity levels.”

Given the facility’s modest 30’ x 15’ footprint, along with a separate storage room, office, restroom and craft sink, the club has streamlined its operations for efficiency and safety. Parents are required to sign their children in and out and the room is continuously monitored. Age-appropriate toys are stored on opposite sides of the room, preventing young children from accessing playthings designed for older kids. And in the event of an emergency, kids and staff can be moved into a structurally-sound area.

Since the kids’ club reopening, parents and children alike have appreciated the dedicated space. Pittenger recently received a note from a longtime member, heralding the kids’ club and its activities even though their own family had aged out of these amenities. As further proof of the infectious energy that the kids’ club has produced, she acknowledged an older member who, upon seeing the kids playing outside on a mild winter day, dropped off a parachute and some extra games.

“I think our membership is excited about the energy and life the kids bring to our historic club,” says Pittenger. “It gives a new generation a chance to create positive

WETHERINGTON GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

West Chester, Ohio

memories and envision a future in the club, as we approach our second century [in 2027]. I think it is pretty special that those memories for our youngest members start in the kids’ club.”

MEMBER-DRIVEN PLAY

As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention and in the case of a new playground at Wetherington Golf &

Country Club in West Chester, Ohio, it’s the membership’s kids who can attest to this adage. In fact, the local community worked together to replace an existing structure with a more kid-friendly design that has since become a neighborhood attraction.

According to Director of Clubhouse Operations & Marketing Ashley Lueth, Wetherington’s growing community of young families was the driving force for the project. The outdated playground that had been constructed in the late 1990s was well past its prime, and families were vying for a place in which their kids could play safely.

“Like many residential country club communities, building a playground structure in a backyard that is adjacent to the golf course is prohibited,” explains Lueth. And with full-fledged residential play spaces running between $2,500-$5,000 per household, having a community-wide facility was a more practical decision.

When the club developed a capital plan for campus-wide improvements and the playground did not make the final cut, Wetherington’s membership banded together to raise funds for the project, relying on donors of families and grandparents who were what Lueth dubs “power users of the park.” Their work exceeded initial expectations, earning $75,000 of the initial $50,000 goal.

Adjacent to the swimming pool and surrounding recreational amenities—but not the clubhouse or golf course—the 85’ x 50’ playground is comprised of ageappropriate play zones. They include five slides, climbing walls, monkey bars and catwalks for ages 5-12; as well as swings and a merry-go-round for toddlers and younger children. Surrounding basketball courts, sand volleyball courts and a gazebo are also part of this complex. In terms of safety, the steel and polyethylene design follows all industry regulations pertaining to clearances between structures and hardscapes, while underdrainage ensures stormwater management. Landscaping around the playground includes several inches of splinter-free mulch, which is tilled and fluffed annually.

During construction, crews were forced to contend with Mother Nature.

“Late winter in Ohio means wet, fatty clay soil,” explains Lueth. “More soil was excavated than originally anticipated, but because we are also a golf community, we were able to move these extra spoils to

Summing It Up

> The growing population of family memberships has prompted clubs to expand their kids’ facilities.

> Designating separate spaces for different age groups allows room design to be tailored to their interests and activities.

> Kids’ clubs can benefit from flexible layouts and customizable furnishings that enable the spaces to be restructured for camps and events as needed.

areas that ultimately lead to improvement on the course.”

But, as she puts it, the effort has been worthwhile. “The best compliment is seeing the park heavily used every day weather permits. Wetherington is fortunate to have a strong community supporting their club and facilities; it truly shows the comradery of the club and its members,” adds Lueth. C+RB