After its sale in early July to a member-residents group, the Roanoke, Va. property is gearing up to “deliver new concepts to the country club experience,” according to General Manager Duke Edsall. The club has already instituted a new open-play golf membership as part of its plan to “take every asset on this site to maximize revenue,” according to Edsall, a long-time high-profile men’s college basketball referee who is finding running a club much more enjoyable than dealing with Bobby Knight.
After its sale to a member-residents group in early July (http://clubandresortbusiness.com/2018/07/hunting-hills-cc-purchased-members/),Hunting Hills Country Club in Roanoke, Va. is already hitting the ground running with a new marketing approach and changes that mark the biggest thing to come to the 47-year-old club in decades, The Roanoke Star reported.
A limited liability company, Hunting Hills Community Real Estate LLC, was formed by members to purchase the golf course that is estimated to cover 150 acres in the middle of one of Roanoke’s long-time exclusive neighborhoods, The Star reported. The transaction, valued at $1.9 million, was underwritten and supported by members who wanted golf to be preserved in the same spot since the club’s opening in the early 1970s.
According to club officials, the golf course will remain leased to Hunting Hills CC for decades to come, overshadowing concerns that the former owners who built Hunting Hills were actively looking to sell the acreage that had been coveted by developers for years, The Star reported.
Hunting Hills was built in 1971 under the guidance of the late Gordon Willis Sr., and with its 50th anniversary on the horizon, General Manager Duke Edsall told The Star that the pieces are in place to drive the club forward with exciting changes to the golf course and a new marketing approach to attract members.
“Today, a country club is in the entertainment business,” Edsall told The Star. “We have programs for those from 2 to 75 years old. The more you offer, the more success you will have.”
When Edsall, who has been a Hunting Hills member for ten years and previously served as the club’s Aquatics Director, was named General Manager in 2017, he set, or continued, changes in motion throughout the property, The Star reported.
“Two years ago, the golf course needed major improvements,” Edsell told The Star. “We hired Chuck Cooke as course superintendent and he was able to bring the course back to life. He was able to grow grass where I never thought grass would grow. The course is in beautiful shape, and players have noticed the improvements.”
While there were only around 7,000 rounds of golf played on the Hunting Hills course in 2016, Edsell reported, that number grew to 9,000 in 2017, and the goal is to get it to 12,000 rounds per year.
“There are several ways to increase golf play and attract the overall mix of new club membership,” Edsall explained to The Star. “We are offering new membership options for golf and dining, and we are actively seeking special golf events and charity events to showcase our club. We’re looking for special luncheons, group meetings and weddings.”
Hunting Hills has also introduced an open-play policy that allows non-members to play its course, The Star reported. The program, which took effect on August 1st, offers a $95 golf membership ($45 for those under 18 years) that allows a player 12 rounds of golf a year, only requiring calling in advance for a tee time. Reduced green fees of $35 Monday-Thursday ($20 for 9 holes) and $45 Friday-Sunday ($25 for 9 holes), is also included with the open-play membership, along with lunch inside the clubhouse grill room and bar for $10. Players can choose to dine before or after their round with the open-play membership, The Star reported.
“We want to increase our flow of golfers without interfering with our core membership,” Edsall pointed out. “A lot of golfers don’t play at one course exclusively, and we want them to try our course.
“We want them to see everything Hunting Hills has to offer; dining, swimming, tennis and our clubhouse facility,” Edsall added. “We’ve already had 16,000 people at our pool this summer and I expect to break 20,000. We typically have 500-700 people at our Monday swim meets and they buy our food. We have 200 swim team members. It’s all part of the fun for families.”
“It’s what it takes to succeed as a full-fledged country club—taking every asset on this site to maximize revenue,” said Edsall, who has a high profile from his years as a top men’s college basketball referee, including an assignment to a Final Four. “Dealing with the likes of Bobby Knight, Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski over the years should make working with our wonderful and active members quite appealing,” the announcement to Hunting Hills members of Edsall’s appointment as General Manager noted.
Along with the recent changes to attract more golfers, dramatic changes to the Hunting Hills course are also rapidly evolving, The Star reported. The old #10 hole, formally a long, narrow par-4, has been converted to a par-5. And, the former par-4 18th, which previously required a drive across traffic, has now been shortened to a 170-yard par-3 across the canyon fronting the multi-level green.
The course is also going to “flip” its outward and inward nines, The Star reported, making the new par-5 the opening hole, the new par-3 the ninth hole, and an inward nine that finishes with a series of four straight par-4 links.
“I played about 25 rounds thinking about how we could improve our [course] layout,” Edsall told The Star. “Formally, you would finish #9 and head to #10, [and] that wasn’t convenient to the clubhouse. Likewise, our old #1, which was one of the toughest holes on the course, was a difficult start to anyone’s round.
“Now, you’ll start with a par-5 which will be straight and allow even the average golfer to start their round with a par or birdie. Players enjoy beginning their round with that opportunity,” Edsall noted.
“We’re also going to implement a novel idea with the new layout,” Edsall added. “Players can phone in a food or beverage order on hole #9, and when they arrive to the dogleg-left at #10 adjacent to the clubhouse for their second shot [formally the #1 hole], our staff will deliver their order for pickup.”
“It’s all about delivering new concepts to the country club experience,” said Edsall. “You can’t be afraid to think outside the box. It’s an exciting time at Hunting Hills.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.