The $15 million Richard L. Postma clubhouse in Ann Arbor, Mich., is still receiving the finishing touches and will officially open in mid-May, but golfers can now use the pro shop and grill. The 23,000-sq. ft. facility provides a new grill area, banquet facility, and upgraded HVAC system.
Golfers hitting the links at the University of Michigan Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Mich., were greeted by the new $15 million Richard L. Postma Clubhouse, the Ann Arbor-based Michigan Live reported.
While the finishing touches are still being put on the newly-constructed, 23,000-sq. ft. facility, General Manager Chantel Jackson said golfers can now use its pro shop and grill after the course opened for the season on April 8, Live reported.
The new clubhouse is a friendlier entry point to the course for golfers, on top of providing a new grill area, banquet facility on the second floor and upgraded HVAC system, Live reported.
“It was all about that flow. It was really important that this one was welcoming and also made sense to a golfer,” Jackson said. “The old clubhouse was built in the early 1950s, so it was quaint, but the HVAC systems didn’t work. We are in the flood zone, so it flooded constantly and it never flowed well for golfers. It was a big, huge, long building that basically separated you from the parking lot and the golf course.”
Originally presented to the UM Board of Regents in May 2015, several board members expressed concerns with the design, and the project was not approved. Since the May presentation, modifications were made to the roof to create a more horizontal look on the front, which lowers the roof elevation by three feet. The project’s design was approved in July 2015 and it is funded through donor and athletic department resources. A flat roof on the golf course side also lowered the roof elevation by four feet. The facility now features dynamic glass windows and bricks, Live reported.
Issues with flooding also have been addressed, Jackson said, by raising the elevation of the facility three feet in addition to grade changes, adjustments to golf course holes one and 10. Repairs of the concrete creek lining between the putting green and hole nine also were included. The course’s putting green also has doubled in size, Jackson said, with the design taking advice from people who took surveys asking for a more challenging green, Live reported.
“When you have a putting green, you really want it to be flat, because you’re working on your stroke,” Jackson said. “All of customer survey feedback told us (our) putting green wasn’t preparing them for what they find out on the golf course. So we had the challenge of how to do that.”
The clubhouse continues to be the home of the Letterwinners M Club, which has moved its meeting quarters to the first floor of the building. The Petrovich Family Grill, Jackson said, provides a huge upgrade in terms of the type of food and drinks that can be served, while both the grill and Letterwinners Club give an overview of holes one, nine, 10 and 18, with the ability to serve around 100 people. The second floor now houses the Al and Robert Glick Ballroom, a hall that can seat up to 250 people, with its own kitchen facilities, Live reported.
The ballroom adds to the flexibility of the facility. After speaking with donors for the project, it was clear the clubhouse could include another element that is considered a need in the community. Weddings and other events already have started to be booked for the summer months, Live reported.
“What’s nice about this is we always had room for our golf outings to be able to have a dinner function after golf, but it was on the main floor of the clubhouse,” Jackson said. “So, whenever you had something going on, the golfers checking in felt like they were intruding. This way, whether we’re having a golf outing or a wedding, golf can still be going on and the two are separated.
“The trick is having a place where you can do 250 people and there aren’t very many places in Ann Arbor or Ypsilanti that can accommodate that,” Jackson added. “If they can, it’s at the (Michigan) Union or (Michigan) League, and then parking becomes an issue.”
The basement of the facility also is purposed differently than it was before. Formerly a facility for the UM men’s and women’s golf teams equipped with locker rooms and a putting facility, the area now stores at least 65 new golf carts for the course, Live reported.
Landscaping outside of the clubhouse, in addition to some cosmetic interior design and roof work still needs to be completed, Jackson said, with an expected completion of the entire project anticipated for mid-May, Live reported.
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