Woodmont CC has enhanced its members’ experience with a suite of comfortable and durable solid teak outdoor furniture products.
Durability, comfort and pleasing aesthetics are the trifecta of good outdoor furniture. At Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md., a suite of solid teak products hits the target in all three areas.
The furniture and accessories that Woodmont has acquired over the years from Country Casual Teak is sprinkled throughout the property. And from the Windsor benches to the Linden rocking chairs, there’s something for everyone. “We have some behind our clubhouse, which is right near our putting green, plus some in the tennis area on the viewing decks,” says Lisa Barton, Woodmont’s Grounds Manager & Horticulturist. “We also have [teak] trash receptacles throughout the property,”
And the pool pavilion, Barton adds, sports a number of Adirondack chairs, “where people can sit and casually eat, drink and look out over the golf course.”
Initially recommended by an architect during a renovation nearly 10 years ago, the Country Casual Teak furniture at Woodmont has not only held up well, it continues to be the club’s preferred choice for new purchases, too. “It keeps up with how a country club should look—with an elegant, classic style, yet relaxed,” Barton says.
Flexible Functionality
Woodmont CC’s furniture is perfectly positioned to give members the ability to do exactly as they please—relax and unwind, or socialize and catch up with friends—in whatever setting suits them best. The five-foot Windsor benches are great options for couples and families with children. The Adirondack chairs offer an opportunity to enjoy some “alone time” or chat with other members.
No matter the location or the purpose, Barton says Woodmont looks for furniture that’s “durable and that would wear well and hold up in outdoor conditions.” While some of the products receive constant exposure to the elements, others gain a bit of protection from awnings, canopies and overhangs. But in all cases, Barton says, “We would like for them to stand the test of time.”
Functionality is also a highly prized factor, even in something as simple as a trash receptacle. “They have nice lids that are easy to open and accessible, and still attractive,” Barton says of the many Country Casual Teak receptacles that dot the property. And well-designed and well-fitted lids do more than shield trash from view, she adds.
“I like having those cans around the playground areas and where people eat, because that way we don’t have bees or animals getting into the trash,” Barton says. “It’s nice to not have to worry about overturned trash.”
Refreshing Service
As durable as the Country Casual Teak furniture has proved to be, there did come a time recently, recalls Sean Lutwin, PGA (Woodmont’s former Clubhouse Manager, who recently became General Manager/COO of Fountains Country Club in Lake Worth, Fla.) when some of it was ready for a refresh, after enduring several years of windy, sub-freezing winters and warm, humid summers.
“We had Country Casual Teak pick everything up in November or December, and they dropped it off at the beginning of April,” Lutwin says. The refurbishing service took care of even the most worn-looking items. “They brought it back to us like it was brand new,” Lutwin says—and Country Casual Teak was also willing to refurbish a few items that were purchased through another company, he adds. “They did a great job, even though it wasn’t theirs,” he notes.
The company has also responded to furniture-service issues at Woodmont that haven’t been as wide in scope. When one chair was losing a bit of its stain, creating a relatively minor problem that didn’t warrant a trip back to the manufacturer, “Country Casual Teak came out and took care of it at our facility,” Lutwin says. “They were also willing to show the engineering team how to maintain the furniture,” he adds, “so we wouldn’t need to do a refurbish every year.”
While Woodmont still plans to do deeper reconditionings on occasion, now that the in-house staff is equipped to handle routine maintenance, the benches, consoles and other items can continue to look fresh without large, recurring investments of time or expense.
A Choice of Looks
Dana Goldstein, Country Casual Teak’s Chief Operating Officer, notes that teak furniture that is designed for use in public spaces is now often allowed to go gray, needing only the occasional cleaning to keep it in good shape. Each club, Goldstein notes, will have its own level of need for services such as cleaning and refurbishing. Some prefer the gray hue of weather-worn teak, while others like the brighter tones of fresh wood.
“You don’t have to clean it every year, but you can,” Goldstein says. “Just wash it down. We have products to do that.” The company’s sealer—available in both golden and light gray—can be used along with its cleaners, shields and stain guards to protect the furniture and maintain its lustrous appearance. Though Country Casual Teak handles periodic cleanings for some clubs, Goldstein says it’s a simple process that many clubs’ maintenance crews choose to do themselves, usually fitting it into the end-of-season schedule as they tidy up other areas of the property.
If a repair is needed in the Washington, D.C. region, it can either be handled on site or in Country Casual Teak’s Gaithersburg, Md., facility. From outside the area, the product can be shipped to the Maryland location for service.
“We can repair, service and/or finish anything,” Goldstein says. “If a piece of our furniture is damaged, even if it’s 30 or 40 years old, we have the parts to repair it.”
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