Pamela Brill

It’s prime season for showing off updated outdoor gathering spots.

By upgrading their pool facilities and surrounding them with a full complement of family-friendly amenities, properties are giving members and guests more excuses to have fun in the sun.

Outdoor dining and drinking spots need to not only look inviting, but work efficiently, too.

Permanent pavilions can help to extend life outside the clubhouse walls, while still offering a breath of fresh air for management, members and guests.

Catering to the changing business needs of members and guests has spawned inventive approaches to providing meeting and event space at club and resort properties. 

Club and resort properties are showering members and guests with more out-of-the-water amenities to enhance their pool experience, including refreshed locker rooms, bath houses and pool-deck dining spots.

The golf staff (pictured above) at The Dunes Golf & Beach Club hasn’t had much time to sit and relax since opening its renovated shop in March. “I always knew that with better fixtures, lighting and fresh new space, sales would improve,” says Head Golf Professional Dennis Nicholl, PGA (far right). “I never imagined they…

Outdoor furnishings are getting a makeover, as clubs dress up their al fresco dining and poolside hot spots. Post-game cocktails or a quick bite after a swim now mean more than good eats— they also mean good seats. As club and resort properties designate more capital to facility-wide improvements, they’re turning their attention to their…

Expanded and redesigned kitchens are cooking up good business, as clubs increase their F&B margins while bringing new efficiencies to their food-preparation processes. Outfitting a club or resort kitchen is a tall order, and one that calls for an approach to laying out the space with an eye toward efficiency for both chefs and servers.…

New golf instructional facilities with the latest and greatest teaching tools- plus appealing extra features that make students happy to come to school- are getting high marks at clubs across the country. As members look to improve their handicaps on the golf course, clubs are heeding the call for instructional spaces that can be outfitted…

Old Town Club created an intriguing dinner event that mirrors trendy “pop-up” retail shops and restaurants. The element of surprise was on the menu for the Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, N.C., during a recent series of “pop-up” supper clubs. Inspired by the growing trend of setting up limited-run retail shops and dining experiences in…

Belle Meade CC created the Solar Eclipse Garden Party with a festive atmosphere, solar-themed refreshments and commemorative eclipse-viewing glasses. When the country began making plans for last summer’s total solar eclipse, Belle Meade Country Club didn’t want to leave its membership in the dark. The Nashville, Tenn., facility had a prime viewing location, being in…

Manasquan River GC enlisted a member’s dock and chartered a 45-foot pirate ship to take 35 members out to sea on the Manasquan River. When the Manasquan River Golf Club of Brielle, N.J., decided to showcase its waterfront property last summer, members and staff set sail on the high seas—or in this case, the central…

Hamilton Club created a series of dinner and reception events to showcase a local artist’s work to club members and fellow art collectors. Paying tribute to a local artist can help to build camaraderie among art-loving members. Last January, the Hamilton Club in Lancaster, Pa., showcased member-owned paintings by David Brumbach during a special exhibition…

With more members extending their visits well beyond sunset, outdoor spaces have become a vital component for stretching the social hours.