SUMMING IT UP
• Locker rooms hold an important key to keeping people on the property longer; service-centric locker rooms can actually help to boost activity in every area of the club. |
Todays’ locker rooms, the design emphasis must be creating a full-service foothold, to set the tone for the entire property.
Perhaps more than any other part of a club or resort facility, the locker room is where providing the “comforts of home” should really be seen as just the starting point. As areas that are often the first or last places members and guests visit, locker room spaces can make big and immediate impressions—and have a huge impact on how people view, and use, the rest of the property.
In fact, savvy managers know that service-centric locker rooms can help to boost activity in other areas of the club—especially clubs that are part of residential developments, where the real “comforts of home” are literally across the street.
Finely crafted lockers and fixtures that are both functional and stylish are the first key step to taking locker rooms beyond the “high school gym” look. |
“Locker rooms are important because you want people to stay at the club for dinner or to meet friends or family,” explains Jason Causey, Clubhouse Manager at Blue Bell (Pa.) Country Club in suburban Philadelphia. “If you didn’t have good locker room facilities, more people would be inclined to go home to change, and less likely to come back. There’s little question that good locker rooms are the key to keeping people on the property longer.”
To realize this goal, locker rooms should reflect a property’s overall style and atmosphere, and serve as much more than mere changing rooms.
“Members spend more time in the locker room than any other place in the club, other than the dining room,” says Todd Dufek, Manager of Shoe and Locker Room Services at The Country Club at DC Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz. “In fact, I read where Byron Nelson called the locker room the ‘soul of the country club.’ It’s where boys can be boys and where women can get together and be who they are away from men.”
To establish the proper environment of casual comfort while maintaining the high standards and service that define club and resort life, the locker room must now be viewed as a full-service amenity. And like any other amenity, this requires thoughtful consideration of member and guest expectations whenever locker rooms are designed or renovated.
Worth Showing Off
“When you say locker room [in a club setting], we’re not talking about what you find in gymnasiums,” says Mike Banks, Locker Room Manager at The Club at Pradera in Parker, Colo. “These are elaborate, full-scale, modern and aesthetically pleasing spaces.”
Accordingly, the level of customer service now expected throughout the hospitality industry has expanded into club locker rooms. “It’s not just a locker room anymore, it’s a one-stop shop,” says Banks. “Members can have their shoes cleaned and polished, get their golf shoes re-spiked, and drop off dry cleaning. It’s a full-service area of the club with food and beverage service that offers a place for members to hang out.”
There is also a strong social aspect to many locker rooms, which can be a draw for attracting new members. At The Club at Pradera, for example, the locker room and attached Men’s Grille are always a high point when the Membership Director takes prospects on property tours. “For our members, it is the key place to be,” says Banks. “We like to introduce future members to this as a popular spot at the club.”
Locker rooms now have elaborate but clutter-free vanity stations stocked with hair-styling tools and products, soaps, lotions, deodorant, mouthwash, and other amenities. |
Beyond High School
How can you best establish locker rooms as a “place to be” that’s even better than home? It all starts, of course, with the lockers themselves. Here, too, the clear trend is away from anything resembling typical noisy, high-school gym environments, as clubs and resorts recognize the value and appeal of finely crafted (usually wood) lockers that are both functional and stylish.
“I went to a club with a friend that had huge, old metal lockers that were still in good shape—but a lot of locker rooms have gone completely away from that look,” says Joe Maldonado, Locker Room Manager at Toscana Country Club in Indian Wells, Calif. “Today’s lockers use warm woods. Inside our lockers, there is even a cubby drawer for your wallet and watch, and shelves for shoes. The details are just astounding.”
Where and how the lockers are arranged is also critical. At the Blue Bell Country Club, the lockers are situated around the perimeter of the room, with the restroom and shower facilities in the center. “This is a good design because some of the members just want to run in and grab something out of their lockers, and when you have the restrooms and showers right up front, they have to trek through there,” notes Causey.
Effective Vanities
It takes more than a quick shower to truly primp to perfection. Locker rooms are keeping in step with the industry-wide trend toward more spa-like settings, by providing elaborate vanity stations stocked with hair styling tools and products, soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, deodorant, mouthwash and the like. “We supply everything our members would need at home,” says Banks.
Sinks and vanities can also help to establish the decorative vibe of the locker room, while also providing a way to help fight clutter by storing products and necessities. The Country Club at DC Ranch, for example, has sinks set on four silver legs, which complement the locker room’s overall look. The sinks then have storage space for paper towels directly underneath. This design keeps the paper towels out of direct sight, yet still accessible. “You want them to look opulent, but also blend together,” says Dufek, who is also President of the Locker Room Managers Association.
Many clubs opt for incandescent lighting in the vanity areas, to establish a softer, more flattering glow. But in other areas of locker rooms, many properties are “going green” with energy-efficient fluorescent lights. Taking this a step further, The Country Club at DC Ranch utilizes automatic lights in stalls that are activated when someone enters and go off 15 minutes after motion is no longer detected.
The locker room must be viewed as a full-service amenity that requires thoughtful consideration of member and guest expectations. |
Opulent Fixtures and Furniture
Furnishings and fixtures are also crucial to establishing the style of locker room space. Fine furnishings can transcend the locker room from a simple changing area to a bona fide amenity. “Clubs are generally upgrading and renovating locker rooms with more opulent fixtures,” says Dufek.
In a recent renovation, The Country Club at DC Ranch upgraded many of its men’s locker room furnishings to establish a more luxurious, masculine style. The club replaced the solid light green carpeting with a Southwestern plaid; replaced the lime green hampers with dark brown mahogany; and brought in plush leather benches. “The new stuff is thicker, bigger and more masculine,” says Dufek. “It all looks more opulent and is very much an upgrade.”
Fine furnishings transcend the locker room from a simple changing area to a bona fide amenity. |
Although the locker rooms were showing signs of wear, the general manager’s main goal for the renovation was staying competitive. “There are many country clubs in our area, so it is really a matter of keeping up with the clubs up the street,” says Dufek. “We are only 10 years old, but management decided we needed to upgrade to stay competitive.”
Ongoing Clash with Clutter
“Most clubs really shy away from two things: a lot of signs, and clutter,” notes Dufek. Of course, avoiding clutter, particularly in a high-traffic locker room, can be an uphill battle. But it is possible. Dufek, for example, empties trash cans regularly—sometimes four or five times a day during busy season.
Properties also approach this issue with subtle wastebaskets and hampers that blend with locker room décor. For instance, Blue Bell Country Club keeps visible waste receptacles to a minimum.
“We have one large wastebasket in the corner of one of the rooms in the shower facilities but other than that, everything else is built in,” says Causey. “The countertops have holes in them and the wastebaskets are underneath. The only things out in the open in the locker room are the weight scales and the one trash can. ”
Toscana Country Club invested in wicker baskets and finely crafted towel hampers to complement its locker room’s Italian villa décor. “The hampers are large wooden structures with a leather bag inside,” says Maldonado. “They are very rustic and Italian-looking.”
Service is a Fixture, Too
Today’s well-appointed lockers use warm woods and offer added features such as cubby drawers for wallets and watches, and shelves for shoes. |
Today’s locker room attendants and managers are not just high school kids, either. “It is a full-time job,” says Banks. “I have been in and around golf for 25 years. I was a member of the PGA, and I can bring that experience of golf and service to the locker room.
“The members then have someone they can go to who has knowledge and experience,” he adds. “It is key to have someone who can connect with the members.”
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