Sawgrass CC offered a pole-dancing class as a free event, to gauge interest and determine if it should become a regular offering.

At the end of 2010, the staff of the fitness department at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., reassessed the state of its existing program. The club’s current schedule of yoga, pilates, aerobics and other traditional offerings was a solid one, everyone agreed—but perhaps a bit too typical and predictable, especially for attracting new and younger participants to the program, and the club.

Chris Hill, Assistant Director of Fitness, then related that during his morning runs, he kept passing by a local dance studio that holds pole-dancing classes. Through the large window, Hill kept seeing a class full of women who were doing a strong core workout—and seeming to have a lot of fun.

“What if we tried something like that here?” he asked.

Hill and Tim Majure, Director of Fitness, approached General Manager Barry McDonald about the concept. The men agreed it was worth a try, but only if approached carefully and in a tasteful fashion, with sensitivity to any possible negative feedback from the membership. Eventually, it was decided to offer a pole-dancing class as a free event, to gauge interest and determine if it should become a regular offering.

THE GOAL: Find novel ways to create new interest in the fitness program, and membership, at Sawgrass Country Club.THE PLAN: Host a “Ladies Night” event where instructors teach attendees how to do basic pole-dancing maneuvers and other core-working exercises in a fun “bachelorette party” atmosphere. THE PAYOFF: Enthusiastic response from both existing and potential members has prompted more plans to continue to develop the concept.

After the inaugural  “Ladies Night” pole dancing event was first announced in the club newsletter and in posters around the fitness facility, the team braced itself for some comments, or at least raised eyebrows. But the only reaction was positive. So preparations continued, with the Sawgrass team asking the studio Hill had observed, VIP Women’s Dance in Jacksonville, Fla., to provide instructors for the night.

For the first event, held this past February, Majure says the emphasis was on providing the group of about 30 females who attended with a safe, fun and almost “bachelorette party” atmosphere. As the only males present, Hill and Majure stayed in an outer room, serving red and white wine and champagne. Jenny Gardner, an exercise specialist and Sawgrass fitness instructor, hosted the class with the instructors from VIP. Chocolate-covered strawberries and other light appetizers were served, and each attendee received a single red rose on her way out.

For the pole-dancing itself, the studio instructors and Gardner, who had taken the class at the studio, demonstrated routines on a single brass pole that had been installed about an hour earlier. The pole, which measured a little more than 10 feet high, was tethered to the ceiling trusses for secure placement, says Majore. It was rented from the studio and proved relatively easy to install and uninstall, he adds.

After the demonstration, the attendees broke into three small groups—one staying near the pole to take turns learning basic maneuvers, another group learning some of the moves as floor exercises, and a third just having fun with the feather-boa “props” that had been supplied.

“The thing is, pole dancing really works your core,” says Majure. “It’s not as cardio-intense as a spinning class, for example, but you are definitely getting a workout. You’re having fun while doing it, though, so it doesn’t seem like exercise.”

The most surprising aspect of the turnout was that many of those who came were between the ages of 45 and 75.

“We were concerned that the maneuvers might be too challenging [for some of the women], but Jenny knew they wouldn’t be,” Majure says.

The original plan was to hold the event, see if it could develop into a formal, for-pay class, and then host a follow-up “Couples” event, so the ladies could then show off their newfound “pole prowess” in front of their significant others. The immediate feedback, however, changed that course a bit.

“While the ladies were into the free event, they weren’t as enthusiastic about taking a paid class,” Majure admits. “And they were adamant that they’d rather keep the event as it is, just for ladies, because they weren’t comfortable doing the routines around a male audience.”

Still, Sawgrass has made plans to hold a second Ladies Night in June, drawing extra encouragement from a clear endorsement of interest, in the weeks since the first event, from potential new female members of the club—particularly younger ones. “We make sure during tours [for prospective members] that we tell them about our Ladies Night events, and nearly every one has been enthusiastic about it,” says Majure.

The quick and strong acceptance, he feels, comes from having professional instructors and an atmosphere that’s been kept fun and lively, never devolving into anything trashy or too risqué.

The Sawgrass fitness team also plans to test the waters again for adding a pole-dancing class to its programming in 2012. “We think we’ll need to install about three poles if we go that route,” says Majure.