It was not too long ago that the locker rooms at The Briar Club were about as exciting as unwrapping a box of socks on Christmas morning. Out of the 250 metal lockers at the Houston-based club, only about 180 were rented. Most members rushed in and out of the dressing areas, and many kept separate fitness memberships at other facilities.
“Everything was there,” remembers General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Richard Lareau. “It worked. But it was very utilitarian.”
Fast-forward through a multi-million-dollar clubhouse renovation and updated design, and all that has changed. Now, every last one of the 455 new sleek wooden lockers has been rented, and more than 100 members have placed themselves on a waiting list for the chance to grab one. People are dropping their associations with other fitness clubs and instead working out at Briar, which is primarily a tennis club. Members are lingering in the luxurious locker rooms, watching the flat-screen TVs, soaking in the hot tub, and relaxing in the steam room. The club has doubled its revenue in personal training and Pilates classes and added foodservice to the clubhouse, including pre-made salads members can grab for lunch. Now, rather than coaxing people into its locker rooms, management has to work at keeping some out; pass cards at the front gate keep unwanted guests at bay.
“It’s been so popular that it’s been necessary to change security procedures at the front gate,” says Lareau. “It’s drawn that much attention. We keep thinking that the bubble is going to pop and things will slow down, but it has not.”
The new spa-like locker rooms at the Briar Club represent a new and important phase for clubs today. One where luxurious locker rooms no longer serve as a bonus amenity, but rather as a necessary tool to compete in a crowded marketplace.
Today, to stay current, locker facilities benefit from a modern look, a spa-like feel, and high-end materials like granite. Experienced attendants are also a step in the right direction. Even the lockers themselves are changing, getting taller and wider and often including modular components inside, for better storage space. There are even several dozen different kinds of doors to choose from, as well as a full selection of high-end woods and hardware to coordinate with the overall locker room design. Long gone are the days of metal lockers with a single metal hook and rod.
“If we did anything wrong, we didn’t build it big enough—we were limited by the footprint of the building,” Lareau remarks about his club’s $4 million project, which included a $27,000 upgrade for digitalized lockers that allow users to enter their own personal pin numbers. It’s a feature, he says, that was well worth the extra cost.
Worth the Wait
“[Locker rooms] almost have to be on par with, or better than, what members and guests have at home [in their bathrooms],” observes Bob Elliot, General Manager of New Jersey’s Knob Hill Golf Club. A new-club-on the-block that spent its first three years housed in a double-wide trailer, Knob Hill embraced this philosophy when designing its own clubhouse, which opened in 2002. The new building boasts high-end men’s and women’s lockers rooms. “Members stayed with us and stayed with us and then it met their expectations—we’ve had an excellent response,” says Elliott.
Along with offering the first Mark McCumber-designed course in the Northeast, the new construction and attention to detail has helped Knob Hill move forward in its membership process, which Elliot says mainly targets people who have not yet committed to a club. So far, Knob Hill boasts 150 golf members, 50 social members and an excellent track record on retention. The new locker rooms were constructed to accommodate about 200 men and 124 women.
Elliot is quick to point out that a beautiful space is only half the game. “You can have a beautiful locker room facility, but if it is not clean, no one will want to use it,” he says. “If you don’t maintain it, it’s money down the drain.” He also stresses the importance of hiring expert staff.
“A good locker room attendant is almost like a good hotel concierge,” he remarks. “He makes sure the extra pair of shoes is cleaned and in the locker, and maybe even makes some personal calls for you while you’re out on the course. It’s a very specialized field, and you almost have to recruit, as we did, from an existing, top-notch club. Personnel is very important. They are your ambassadors in the locker rooms.”
The attention to certain details in its ladies locker rooms has also been important in keeping members happy at Knob Hill. Although built to serve fewer people than the men’s side, the ladies locker room has six commodes, rather than two—a nuance that prevents the long lines too often found in women’s rest rooms. An added bonus of this design was discovered when the club first hosted an LPGA Futures Tour event. Often women’s golf tours take over the men’s locker room when they come to clubs, because the ladies’ side isn’t large enough to handle the task. But that was not the case at Knob Hill.
“Even though we didn’t design it for a big tour, it can accommodate one,” Elliot says.
Seeing the Light
Several thousands of miles away at the ArrowCreek Country Club in Reno, Shawn Ygnatowiz, the club’s General Manager during its recent renovation, also endorses new and renovated locker rooms as a smart business strategy. ArrowCreek unveiled its new rooms in 2004, as part of a $3 million clubhouse makeover. The construction nearly tripled the structure’s size, taking it from 12,000 sq. ft to more than 32,000 sq. ft. while also adding amenities such as steam rooms and massage areas.
When construction was completed, the old, dark and dated locker rooms had been replaced by light, bright and luxurious space. Designers had embraced a beige and sage pallet, to evoke the desert landscape surrounding the club. Locally quarried stonework was used for the flooring, replacing the old brown carpet and also fitting in well with the desert theme.
“[The renovation] was part of the developer’s master plan to make the club more upscale and give it a modern facelift,” says Ygnatowiz. “People now really enjoy their time in [the locker areas].”
The fresh look has helped the club attract new members and kept ArrowCreek competitive in the crowded Reno club market. Additionally, many of the club’s members visit other facilities or bring guests with them, making it important for the club to always seem up-to-date and luxurious in comparison, Ygnatowiz explains.
Lockers Fit For a King
At the Sherwood Country Club outside Los Angeles, management views its impressive locker rooms as a reflection of the club’s stature. “We have quite a few high-profile people who belong to the club, and are trying to attract Presidents, princes, and heads of industry,” says Karen Jacobs, the club’s Administration and Membership Manager. “People in those strata expect to find certain things.” Prospective members always comment on the locker rooms, Jacobs adds, when they first tour the club.
In addition to full-length mahogany lockers for the men (women have half-sized ones), Sherwood offers a range of amenities and comfortable seating areas. Inside the locker rooms, members can informally gather or take part in the regular mahjong and bridge games, or the ladies’ literary club, while enjoying complimentary sliced fresh fruit, coffee and tea.
But perhaps the most cherished part of the locker rooms at Sherwood is a special area on the men’s side, called the “oval office,” where former U.S. Presidents, golf tour pro
fessionals and other high-profile members have their lockers. “That’s where the members want to have their lockers,” Jacobs says. “They want to be next to Gerald Ford or Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods. When people bring friends to the club, they always make a point to show that area to guests.”
Back in Texas, River Oaks Country Club General Manager CJ “Joe” Bendy, Jr. points out that outdated locker rooms can be seen as inconsistent with the rest of the club. River Oaks recently underwent a major renovation, which included an overhaul of the ladies locker room for the first time in many years–an issue many clubs are now finding they need to resolve. “We designed it to be elegant and stately, like our guests’ homes,” Bendy points out.
Bendy is quick to add that the renovation, for him, was not a simple member-getting strategy. “We are not renovating in response to our competition, but for what is in the best interest of our club,” he says. “It’s not a sales tool for us, but rather an amenity. The expectations of members are always changing. They travel to other clubs and [see what they offer]. We simply can’t afford to be stagnant in any area.”
And for a club manager, that philosophy is as golden as a puppy under the Christmas tree. C&RB
Summing It Up
• It’s just as important to update your locker rooms as it is other areas of your facilities.
• Don’t skimp on locker size or building materials.
• Pay attention to the details here just as you would in the dining room or on the golf course.
• A good attendant can be your best asset in the locker room.
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