Improvements through the first major upgrade to the West Palm Beach, Fla. club’s facilities since it opened in 1984 have included remodeled locker rooms, a refurbished dining room and a renovated kitchen. The project was financed through an $8 million bank loan and $1.2 million in member assessments.
Add Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. to the list of clubs in Palm Beach County undergoing major makeovers, The Palm Beach Post reported.
Bear Lakes is preparing to unveil a $9.2 million renovation of its 22,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse, the Post reported. Upgrades made as part of the project include remodeled locker rooms, a refurbished dining room and a renovated kitchen.
“We’re ahead of schedule,” General Manager Marius Ilie told The Post as workers put the finishing touches on the renovation. “We’re ahead of budget.”
It’s the first major upgrade to the facility since it opened in 1984, club officials told The Post. The property includes two 18-hole golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus.
The club paid for the work with an $8 million bank loan, The Post reported. It also imposed $1.2 million in assessments that amounted to about $2,500 apiece for each of its 500 or so members.
Other recent makeovers of Palm Beach County country clubs have include a $40 million clubhouse at Mirasol, a $37 million clubhouse and sports complex at The Club at Ibis, and a $35 million expansion of BallenIsles Country Club, The Post reported.
The hefty investments come amid declining participation in golf, and a realization that Palm Beach County has a glut of new courses, The Post noted. Many of the large new housing developments in the county—including Westlake, Arden and Alton—are being built without golf courses, and some courses are being converted to residential projects.
While Bear Lakes will keep its focus on golf, the club also is marketing kids’ programs, junior memberships, and is encouraging members to use and hang out by its pool, The Post reported. The club’s revenue in 2016, according to a tax return, was $7.6 million.
