C+RB’s inaugural Awards for Operations & Facilities recognize St. Andrews Country Club’s aquatics facility after the installation of the latest cooling and heating geothermal technology that provides a consistent, resort-style pool experience for its membership; Bel-Air Bay Club for bringing in Italian bocce court designer Daniele Colleoni to install state-of-the-art synthetic surfaces on two new courts; and Sawgrass Country Club for initiating an in-house solution to continue its tradition of creating elaborate ice sculptures for club events.
The December 2019 issue of Club + Resort Business features the 2019 Innovation Awards, recognizing club and resort properties that have conceived and implemented concepts that have paid real dividends in the form of enduring member and guest satisfaction and loyalty.
These properties were recognized for innovative achievement in the Operations & Facilities category:
Through an innovation that’s a win-win for both the user and the operator, the aquatics facility at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla. is now providing a consistent, resort-style experience for its membership, after the installation of the latest cooling and heating geothermal technology that allows the same pool-water temperature to be maintained year-round. And for the club, the efficiency of the system saves 25% or more of the pool’s energy bill, reports Julio Fuentes, St. Andrews’ Aquatics Director.
The system also provides the benefit of a better filtration system that is complemented by UV light capable of disintegrating the bacteria that filters can’t catch, Fuentes reports. And a change from regular pool chlorine for sanitation and disinfection to a salinator/chlorination system has provided greater comfort for members—“No more hard water, red eyes or green hair!” Fuentes says—while also reducing chemical expenses.
The installation of a Symbiont Geothermal heater and Chlorking pool equipment came after the St. Andrew staff conducted extensive research, Fuentes reports. He provides these details about the benefits of the equipment and technology that was selected:
Heating: The Symbiont Geothermal system has the capability of maximizing pool usage while minimizing operations costs, by keeping the water temperature at a set point throughout the entire year, regardless of fluctuating weather (summer, winter, wind and rain). The cost-effectiveness of the system allows the St. Andrews facility to save between 25% to 30% of its energy bill by reducing the gas bill, Fuentes reports.
Disinfection: The change from regular pool chlorine to the Chlorking salinator/chlorination system brought an instantaneous benefit to the St. Andrews membership, Fuentes says. The system is capable of producing 25 lbs. of chlorine daily by adding just 40 lbs. of salt, and that is saving the club between 15% to 20% in chemical expenses per year.
UV Light: This equipment serves as the pool’s last line of defense and helps the sanitation system stay bacteria-free, by killing pathogens that regular pool chemicals and filters can’t eliminate and providing added assurance that the pool waters are safe for the St. Andrews membership and their guests, Fuentes says.
“The system is able to be operated from a tablet or a desktop, so it can be controlled by a facility manager from anywhere,” Fuentes adds. “And it gives us a complete report regarding temperature, disinfection, filtration and temperature, so we can operate smoothly through the whole year.”
In real estate, the three most important words are location, location and location. On club properties, the same could be said for bocce courts. The game that traces its roots to the Roman Empire has seen a resurgence as a popular and highly social activity—but finding the best place for where to put courts while minimizing disruption to other club amenities can be problematic.
When the Bel-Air Bay Club (BABC) in Pacific Palisades, Calif. had to remove its temporary bocce courts and find a new, permanent location for them, a number of options were considered, including the roof of the club’s gym.
But one location, paddle tennis court No. 1, stood out as the clear winner.
Italian bocce court designer Daniele Colleoni traveled from Gorgonzola, Milan to California to install his state-of-the-art synthetic surface on BABC’s two new courts. Along with the high-tech courts, a bar, seating and other amenities were added—and the BABC Sports Center, as it’s now called, quickly became wildly popular with members.
Perry Kenney, Clubhouse Manager for Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., has been an accomplished ice sculptor throughout his career, and even demonstrated his skills at C+RB’s Chef to Chef Conference in Denver, Colo. in 2013.
Events at Sawgrass CC frequently feature elaborate ice sculptures made by Kenney and others on the staff who he has trained. And when the supplier of ice blocks to the club went out of business, Kenney decided that wouldn’t stop him—he’d just find a way to make the blocks in-house.
He bought two block-making machines from the supplier for $500 each. Kenney then had the club’s engineering team install all the equipment in the basement of Sawgrass’ Beach Club, requiring about another $500 in supplies and a new condenser for $1,700.
But with the Sawgrass team needing about 30 blocks a year for sculptures for its events, and blocks previously costing $60 each from an outside source, Kenney expects to have a return on his investment in two years.
Having blocks on hand and ready to go also helps Kenney train carving protégés like Sawgrass Chef de Cuisine Dean Bales. As an added bonus, the in-house capability makes it possible to freeze decorative items like flowers or fish inside the blocks (see photo at right), before they are carved into especially unique creations.
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