Fitness, swimming pools and dining—both indoor and outdoor—took center stage as five country clubs in Florida’s Treasure Coast region shared updates on how their particular design and operating challenges were addressed and overcome.
Martin County, located in the Treasure Coast region of Florida, is home to a quintet of country clubs that have recently addressed concerns with renovations. In a special report, Stuart Magazine featured before-and-after images to highlight the changes at each property.
Willoughby Golf Club General Manager Michele Reilly affectionately dubbed the club’s pre-renovation fitness facility as “the fitness closet.” The underwhelming gym was crammed with low-tech equipment grudgingly used by residents, Stuart Magazine reported. Plans called for the creation of a new exercise concept that would encompass 5,200 square feet and help members modernize their workout routines while enjoying a view overlooking a lake.
“The difficulty was finding the right location,” Reilly said. “We’re a little land poor. We really don’t have a lot of room for expansion.”
Appealing to a new era of owners set the course for the renovation of Willoughby’s old cabana bar, Stuart Magazine reported.
“You have to kind of be savvy in what you’re offering,” Reilly said. “Our membership is getting younger.”
The club’s new fitness center now boasts flat-screen TVs, wireless connectivity and a studio for circuit training, Tai Chi and yoga; it saw 300 visitors in the first month, Stuart Magazine reported.
“It really brings a total new feeling to the club that wasn’t here,” Reilly said.
As for the old cabana bar, it was replaced by a structure with a fixed roof, automatic screens and a fireplace, Stuart Magazine reported.
“We try and do something new every couple of years,” Reilly said. “We love nothing more than when members return in the fall and we have something fresh and new to share with them.”
A desire to improve overall efficiency, update aging infrastructure and maintain a level of relevance led to the makeover of Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club’s golf courses—Golden Marsh and River Ridge—and the addition of an 18,000-sq. ft. lifestyle center called Lakeside, Stuart Magazine reported. Adding the latter only cost the club a tennis court from a property standpoint.
“We had 10 [tennis courts], but the expansion meant we would have nine,” General Manager Michael Salerno said, noting that today’s residents want more than golf, tennis and treadmills—now they want a lifestyle that revolves around health and happiness.
“It’s about wellness,” Salerno added. “Wellness is the largest trend. Members expect to have it right inside the gates of their own community.”
Golf-course views were enhanced as a result of the makeover, revealing the beauty of the fairways and greens and complementing the more than 400 acres of natural landscape within the club’s footprint, Stuart Magazine reported. Last year marked the third-best year for home sales in the community since 1995.
“We continue to see an increased level of interest in Harbour Ridge,” Salerno said. Lakeside, formerly 4,500 square feet, now impresses with a salon and spa, Pilates and spin rooms, and a tennis shop, all of which have received rave reviews.
“Our members are saying they’re healthier than they’ve ever been before,” Salerno said. “[And] they’re saying Lakeside is the reason for their improved condition.”
Mariner Sands Country Club sorely needed a face-lift, Stuart Magazine reported. The bar spanned less than 250 square feet, the pool was stuck in the ’70s, and the faded umbrella tables surrounding it served as modest seating for the walk-up kitchen.
“It was showing its age, and it was time,” said Chief Operating Officer Bill Ward.
Two of the club’s nine tennis courts were relocated to make room for a 6,000-sq.-ft., multipurpose swimming amenity, Stuart Magazine reported. A 5,200-sq.-ft. bar and grill was constructed for casual dining. The old tennis shop was knocked down and rebuilt in another spot, so that a pair of pickleball courts could take its place.
“One of the challenges was, ‘How are you going to get all of the certain components the members desired to fit within the space that you have to work with?’ ” Ward said.
Mariner Sands residents now say they feel as if they have been transported to a tropical resort when they visit the new facility, Stuart Magazine reported, likening it to an experience in the Bahamas.
“It was a huge hit,” Ward said.
The club’s food-and-beverage revenues jumped 36 percent as a result of the project, and member-satisfaction surveys came in with high marks, Stuart Magazine reported.
“It’s obviously a very competitive industry, and being able to provide these features that are being looked for not only by current residents, but also future homebuyers, is key,” said Ward.
Seventy percent of the membership of Piper’s Landing Yacht & Country Club voted to gut the existing clubhouse, Stuart Magazine reported. With the project being completed on time and on budget, and with nothing but compliments when the new venue debuted, this private community’s challenges were minimal.
“How many clubs renovate, and you receive no complaints from members after the renovation?” asked COO Brian Reich. “The members absolutely love it.”
A small issue arose with the delivery timeline for the carpet, which originally was set to ship from China on a boat, Stuart Magazine reported. Quick scrambling to re-route the product via plane succeeded, but the furniture arrived first.
“We had to double back,” Reich said. “There was some moaning and groaning, but we got it done.”
A 60-foot bar that could be the biggest in Martin County now anchors the 32,000-sq. ft. clubhouse, Stuart Magazine reported.
“We really did it up with some beautiful wood finishes, a marble top, and we added five 55-inch TVs around the room,” Reich said.
A covered patio with seating for 100 and a sunken fire pit ringed by 15 chairs highlighted the outdoor portion of the re-do, Stuart Magazine reported.
“It’s really a spectacular look,” Reich said. “We spared no expense.”
Another 100 seats were tacked onto the indoor operation, increasing total dining to 200-plus, Stuart Magazine reported.
“At the end of the day, I would say we have an award-winning clubhouse,” Reich said.
At Sailfish Point, Stuart Magazine reported, several steps had to be taken before the first piece of equipment could appear on the property. The club had to develop a strategic plan, present it to member/residents and get them to buy in. Then came a review of best industry practices and meetings with several study groups.
But it was all worth it, said General Manager Edward Ewing Jr.
“The overall response of the membership since completion has been terrific,” Ewing said of the renovations, which comprised tearing down the old lunch stop on the golf course and replacing it with the Cross Roads Café; building a health and fitness center and an outdoor-dining terrace; and editing the casual- and formal-dining areas on the upper level of the clubhouse and the spa on the lower level.
“The additions and renovations have been a significant enhancement,” Ewing said. “The biggest trends today are for casual dining and health and fitness.”
Both have been welcomed at Sailfish Point with open arms, Stuart Magazine reported.
“The addition of the Terrace Grill and the Cross Roads Café have turned out to be the busiest dining venues,” Ewing said. “Members and their families love them. They also love the focus on health and fitness. The feedback has been outstanding not only from existing members, but also new and prospective members.”
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