The 95-year-old Florida club removed “Yacht” from its name, but added amenities that include a 2,000-sq.-ft. exercise facility, a new pool configured to separate adults from children, a dedicated bar, and an open kitchen with a gas-fueled pizza oven.
The newly opened Lakeland (Fla.) Country Club—formerly Lakeland Yacht & Country Club—on landlocked Lake Hollingsworth heralds a new beginning while still embracing a past dating to 1924, The Lakeland Ledger reported. Built to resemble the original Spanish-Mediterranean vibe, the private club features a host of improvements inside and out, details that have invigorated membership after falling in recent years to approximately 150.
For a time, the remaining members split into two camps, one favoring renovation of the original building and one wanting to start from scratch, according to The Ledger report. The latter camp won out, to the delight of many in attendance at the April 3 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
C+RB reported on the early debate in December 2016.
“I really like the new building. The design is spectacular,” said Jim Luffman, a longtime club member who finds the facility more user-friendly and cost-efficient. “If it’s going to be sustaining, it’s got to be operationally efficient. It wasn’t, but it is now.”
Luffman and other core members continued to pay dues for the past 3 ½ years while construction was underway, The Ledger reported. Their loyalty, and sacrifice, was remembered during the brief ceremony.
“Over three years ago, we started this project [and] there was not a lot of optimism,” said Steve Buck, a member of the club’s board of directors who chaired the building committee. “But here we are.”
A newly formed board of “dedicated and passionate” club members has plenty to be proud of, Buck said, but there’s much work to be done to continue building membership, which now stands at 227, according to The Ledger report.
“We capped it at that, and we’ve got a waiting list” that will open once things get stabilized, he said.
New amenities like a 2,000-sq.-ft. exercise facility with weight machines, treadmills and stationary bicycles are expected to drive membership in time, The Ledger reported. The club also has a new pool configured to separate adults from children. There’s also a dedicated bar and an open kitchen with a gas-fueled pizza oven.
The country club’s new manager, Bert Morales, was hired in June following a nationwide search, The Ledger reported. He is a former managing partner of a Carrabba’s Italian Grill restaurant and has held management positions at private clubs in Georgia.
Despite it being private, the club does serve the greater community “as a central hub for a lot of business activities,” Buck said. “We plan to continue doing that.”
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