The project at the Louisville, Ky., club included a reconfiguration of the 15,000-sq. ft. facility, updating the lobby, dining and bar area, locker rooms, and meeting spaces. The project took six months of work that began last October, and the grand re-opening was held on May 20.
Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., has completed the first major renovation of its clubhouse, and the work already is garnering accolades from the club’s membership, Louisville Business First reported.
Valhalla recently wrapped up the $3.8 million project, which included a significant reconfiguration of the 15,000-sq. ft. facility’s lobby, dining and bar area, locker rooms and meeting spaces. The project melded the traditional touch of an upscale golf experience with modern features and flourishes that make the space more inviting, Business First reported.
C&RB reported on plans for the renovation in September 2016.
The grand re-opening was held on May 20. The clubhouse, which opened in 1996, held a soft opening in late April, but General Manager Keith Reese said officials wanted to get their bearings and work out some of the bugs before inviting the public in for a party. The rest of the site is preserved as scenic greenspace, and the course was designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus and is owned by the PGA of America, Business First reported.
C&RB featured Valhalla GC in its September 2014 cover story.
The clubhouse closed in October for six months of work, taking advantage of the golf course’s off-season, which typically is November through March. Tom Hoch created the vision for the revamp, Business First reported.
The transformation, Reese said, is both a tribute to Valhalla’s rich golf history and an attempt to check off some of the long-desired amenities on members’ wish lists. “I kept notes of what members said they wanted over the years,” Reese said.
View photos of Valhalla GC’s updated clubhouse here.
The lobby has been expanded into a champion’s gallery splashed with iconic images from Valhalla’s three PGA Championships, two Senior PGA Championships and the 2008 Ryder Cup. A large trophy case displays the trophies from each championship. The gallery leads into an expanded dining area known as the Championship Grill, which has additional seating, flat-screen televisions and a sprawling full-service bar. Prior to the renovation, there was no true bar inside the clubhouse, making it one of the most-desired items by members, Business First reported.
Valhalla also upgraded an adjoining conference room and meeting area with collapsible doors that can be pulled shut for private meetings, and it built a new patio that faces a serene view of the golf course itself. Just below the patio is a paved multipurpose space that can be outfitted for parties and other events, and some of the exterior stairways were relocated. Valhalla also enhanced the exterior stonework and landscaping, Business First reported.
Inside, the club refreshed the men’s and women’s locker rooms. In the men’s locker room, a new lounge with a business center has been added, and a stately room of upscale lockers has members’ names displayed on each. The showers in the men’s locker room have been expanded, with multiple full-sized and enhanced showers, Business First reported.
The women’s locker rooms, meanwhile, received a more feminine touch with natural lighting, a luxurious lounge area with large televisions and more economical locker room space. A grooming table also is prominently displayed. The result is a light and airy atmosphere for female golfers no longer hindered by rows of dark mahogany lockers that had a masculine feel, Reese said.
The golf shop features new furniture and a more inviting counter area. Just off the main shop is a smaller, members-only store offering rarer Valhalla golf merchandise, Business First reported.
The clubhouse’s smaller lower level was set aside for years as extra storage space, but Valhalla retooled the spot into a roughly 2,000-sq. ft. golf experience that includes a small bar, a practice putting green and two golf simulators surrounded by mounted televisions, Business First reported.
The space is free to members but must be reserved. Guests who accompany a member may use the golf experience for a fee, and there is an additional fee to rent the entire room for private events. That fee varies, Reese said, based on the size of the party and the food and beverage options that are selected, Business First reported.
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