Members of Ellendale Country Club, located in Houma, La., are eagerly anticipating a new clubhouse that is scheduled to be ready early next year.

According to Houma’s The Courier, Ellendale CC recently began construction on a $2.5 million project that Administrative Office Manager Chuck Olivier said he expects to be completed in January or February of 2010. The new building will replace the current ranch-style structure that is “non-functional,” says Olivier.

“It’s an old building that’s been around since the 1960s, and membership decided they wanted it out,” he added. “They wanted a new one — one we didn’t constantly have to spend money on repairing.”

The new clubhouse will be more than twice the height of the current clubhouse, which will be torn down later this summer. The project comes on the heels of a new driving range the club built last summer. Additionally, Ellendale renovated its golf course about five years ago.

“These are important steps in keeping the club as fresh and up-to-date as possible,” adds Olivier.