In this episode of C+RB’s video series, Joe Basso, GM/COO of the Delray Beach, Fla. club, joins 1^st Vice President David Simon, who is leading the project, to describe how no attention to detail is being spared to achieve the goal of becoming “the premier boutique club in South Florida.” Extra emphasis is being placed on three areas seen as key to making an impactful and lasting impression: the front entrance, the grill room and the pro shop.

“The Road Ahead” video series from Club + Resort Business highlights how clubs are moving forward to create successful new programs, events and amenities and enhance the member experience.

This episode features how Delaire Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla. is taking steps to distinguish itself in the South Florida market, which has a “club on every corner,” notes General Manager/Chief Operating Officer Joe Basso, MCM, CCE.

The challenge—and opportunity—for smaller clubs like Delaire, which has just over 400 members when some in the market have several thousand, is to stand out as a “boutique,” high-touch option, Basso adds. As a result, Delaire has not spared any attention to detail in planning and beginning to implement the next $8 million phase of its master plan, which has been designed to bring even more distinction to all parts of the club and property.

A key to achieving the goal of becoming “the premier boutique club in South Florida,” adds First Vice President David Simon, who has drawn on his design experience in the apparel industry to lead the project, has been the emphasis on “leaving personal preferences outside the door” while “listening to the members and the professionals every step of the way” to build firm consensus on every aspect of the project, including furnishings and finishes.

In particular, Simon adds, extra attention has been given to three key areas for how Delaire can make an impactful and lasting impression, especially in such a competitive market: the front entrance, for making a “strong first statement,” the grill room, as a “special gathering place for the community,” and the pro shop, which will have added space and touches to provide “a better shopping experience.”

Delaire’s planning efforts have also ensured that the next phase of the renovation/expansion will add pickleball, which “members have been clamoring for,” Basso notes, and a second kitchen, to give the club more flexibility for adding dining space and venues and staying on par with larger clubs that have multiple dining options. “Those [additions] will be huge plusses,” Basso says.

(Viewing time: 12 minutes)

Previous episodes of “The Road Ahead” can be viewed at https://clubandresortbusiness.com/category/the-road-back/

Upcoming episodes will feature how a prominent club is building on lessons learned from the pandemic to develop a new “innovation culture,” and how another club turned the disappointment of having to close its driving range during the shutdown into a “winning moment,” by creating a popular new temporary, and safe, short-course alternative.

If you have a great idea or success story you’d like to see featured on a future episode of “The Road Back,” contact [email protected].