The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Ind., is an amenity-rich property with a pair of Pete Dye designs and a wealth of non-traditional options for members.
People have a wealth of choices when it comes to which club they choose to join. Clint Cushman, General Manager at The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield, Ind., knows what separates his property from others.
“Definitely our amenities and service,” Cushman says. “Our amenities are a differentiator from other clubs, and we take pride in our service. This is a relational business, and our staff/member relationships are second to none.
Patrick Felts joined the team at Chatham Hills two years—starting as Food and Beverage Director and now serving as the ClubHouse Manager. He adds “experiences” to the reasons people are attracted to the club.
“We are not your traditional country club.,” Felts says. “We are a young, residential resort-style club with a hyper focus on hospitality and excitement. We create experiences you can’t have anywhere else because we have amenities no place else has.”
Felts points to the guest house, racquet facility, barn for events on site, bowling alley, indoor basketball courts, swim-up bars in the pool, an indoor year-round pool, and multiple dining outlets open year-round as prime examples.
About that barn … the club has an interesting connection to the Underground Railroad.
“Part of the amenities of Chatham Hills are the Lindley Home and Lindley Barn,” Cushman explains. “Thomas Jefferson Lindley was born here on October 7, 1843. His family were Quakers and strongly opposed to slavery, which led his father, Aaron Lindley, to become a leader in the anti-slavery movement.
“The Lindley family helped slaves escape to freedom in Canada,” he continues. “Steve Henke, owner of Chatham Hills, restored the Barn and it has become a beautiful place for club events as well as a wedding/rehearsal dinner location.”
Addition and Retention
Attracting members hasn’t been an issue at the club, partly because living in the neighborhood comes with a social membership. The neighborhood is still being built out, Felts says, and more amenities are planned.
“We have been very fortunate to have an unbelievable community which sells a ‘lifestyle’ to our members,” Cushman says. “We have done zero marketing for Chatham Hills and lot sales and membership have been incredible.
“I think our Mission Statement says it all … ‘We are focused on building a family-spirited, positive team that delivers world-class experiences to our members and guests daily,’” he continued. “We pride ourselves on creating memories for our members by providing world-class events, which in turn create unforgettable memories.”
Felts added that FOMO plays a large part in retention.
“Our retention is extremely high. We put on events and build memories for young families that are truly special and unique to us,” Felts says. “Our greatest asset is members’ personal social media pages as they show off their families and events that we do [creating] a fear of missing out to all of their friends, which leads to more members wanting to be involved with what we do.”
Double Dye
The Club at Chatham Hills features a pair of Pete Dye-designed golf courses—an 18-hole championship layout and a 9-hole executive course.
Brandon Snell, the club’s Head Golf Professional, says the courses are nestled among tree-adorned rolling hills and meandering creeks, and emerge unlike any terrain familiar to Central Indiana.
“The Championship Course provides golfers with a challenging, yet fun, course that can be enjoyed daily … offering a unique golfing experience due to the rolling terrain, playing through woods, down creeks and along ravines – something new to see on each hole,” Snell says. “Our executive course is a great test for your short game, featuring nine holes ranging from 50-100 yards. This course also features ponds and bunkers similar to what you will find on our Championship Course.”
Snell says 19,000 rounds are played at the club annually, with the largest events being The Invitational (annual member/guest with 144 players) and Chatham Cup (annual member/member with 160 players).
“We have also hosted state events from the 2020 Indiana PGA Section Championship and the 2022 Indiana State Open,” he adds. “We are hosting NCAA D1 Women’s regionals in May of 2023.”
Chad Allen, Director of Agronomy at the club, manages a full-time staff of 12. In April, he will start to increase staff by hiring full-time/part-time seasonal employees. During the peak of the golfing season, he will have 22-24 total employees.
As a former substance abuse counselor at a nonprofit in the Indianapolis area, Allen’s background allows him to “meet people where they are and connect in a way that others might not” … assisting in his ability to cultivate his staff.
“I believe autonomy is critical in attracting and maintaining a professional staff,” Allen says. “I asked our staff what they want to do. What kind of projects would they like to take on and what tools they need to accomplish those tasks? If we can fit it into our budget, we do it.
“I connect with everyone on a personal level and let them know that the most important piece of our agronomy puzzle is them,” he continues. “I can’t do what I do without them, and one of my most important responsibilities is to provide our staff with a safe, healthy, and fulfilling work environment.”
Fit to be Healthy
Fitness Manager Theresa Rendell heads the club’s full-service fitness experience. There are a variety of group fitness classes, including, cycle, barre, TRX, yoga, aqua fitness, Mat Pilates, stretch, dance fitness and cardio strength.
“There are indoor and outdoor pools with lap lanes, a cycle room, a designated group fitness room, a full weight gym with weight and cardio machines, a four-lane bowling alley and a basketball gymnasium,” Rendell explains. “Outside, there are multiple tennis and pickleball courts, as well as the outdoor pool and swim-up bar. We also offer personal training and various spa services.”
A kids camp, swim lessons, tennis lessons, pickleball lessons and swim team are additional options at the club.
Rendell and the club use social media to attract members with group fitness pictures, videos and highly skilled personal trainers and fitness instructors.
“We also market and advertise special fitness classes and activities on the member website and newsletter,” she says. “The fitness area speaks for itself when touring the facility. We have a friendly fitness attendant staff always ready to help members with any questions or concerns and keeping the fitness area fully stocked and tidy.”
Dining Delights
Perhaps the reason Rendell is so busy stems from the club’s plethora of dining options, including Chats on the Hill, Hamilton’s Bar & Grill and The Hideaway.
“If you’re at the turn and want to grab a hot dog or just stopping by for lunch, Chats is the go-to place,” says Food & Beverage Director Whitley Johnson. “Hamilton’s Bar & Grill is our more formal sit-down dining option. Executive Chef Oscar [Perez] has an amazing menu.”
Johnson adds that the club recently launched its Chatham Cork Club, which boasts 60 crafted wine lockers in the dining room where members can buy and store wine for dinner service.
During the Summer season, The Hideaway is the club’s resort style full-service pool amenity.
“You can order from a server just like you would in the restaurant and your food is brought straight to you, whether you are poolside or sitting comfortably in one of our cabana areas,” Johnson says. “We also have a bowling alley and simulator lounge, [where] you can order food such as pizza and wings to enjoy.”
On the Horizon
With myriad amenities, one might think that The Club at Chatham Hills would be content to rest on its laurels, but that’s far from the case. Cushman is excited for the future.
“There are so many more exciting things on the horizon at Chatham Hills,” he says. “We are currently developing Chatham Village, which will contain several more amenities such as a 14-acre lake, which will have a marina, marina restaurant bar, water facility, fitness facility and a park, and shops for our members, as well the surrounding community, to enjoy.” C+RB
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