The club’s membership has approved plans for the project, which is expected to break ground in the fall. Elements of the project include a new zero-entry swimming pool, a children’s activity center, a revamped 19th hole area for casual dining, and an expanded fitness center.
Plans are underway to bring a swimming pool, a children’s activity center, expanded fitness facilities, and other improvements to the Traverse City (Mich.) Golf & Country Club, the Traverse Ticker reported.
The project, dubbed the Family Amenity Capital Plan, was approved by the club’s voting membership last week. According to CFO Diane Vanderveen, the club will finalize plans for the projects this summer, with the goal of breaking ground in the fall, the Ticker reported.
“Now that we have a ‘yes’ vote, we can really get down to finalizing the plans,” Vanderveen said. “Our target is to start construction in the fall, and our goal is to have the pool open by the Fourth of July next summer.”
Chatter about a new swimming pool at Traverse City G&CC dates back years, as some young families lobbied in favor, while older members were content with the private club without new assessments. The club has been actively pursuing pool plans since 2014, Vanderveen said, driven by the feeling that the community needed another family-friendly pool facility, the Ticker reported.
With the “yes” vote in place, the club can go ahead getting detailed architectural plans, though space has already been carved out for the swimming pool, which Vanderveen said will be prominently visible near the entrance to the clubhouse. The heated outdoor pool will feature multiple sections, including a “zero entry” segment for kids, a portion split into lanes for swimming laps, and a possible third section for more leisurely use, the Ticker reported.
Other parts of the Family Amenity Capital Plan include:
—A children’s activity center, which will occupy the space on the lower level of the clubhouse that is currently designated as the fitness facility. At this early stage, only preliminary ideas exist for how the space will be used or what specific attractions it might feature. The goal is to create something that appeals to all ages of children.
—A revamped “19th hole” area for casual dining. In addition to dining options for all ages, the area will feature several golf simulators for both recreational and year-round training. These machines will help golf teaching pros assess swing speed, analyze the mechanics of a golfer’s spin, and more. They will also allow guests to set up friendly competitions, from swing contests to “hit the target” games.
—A new fitness center expansion in the east wing of the clubhouse. The space will likely be double the size of the current fitness center. The club also wants to create a more inspiring and welcoming space, with higher ceilings and an outside facing wall for strong natural light. The new fitness center will feature ample space for both cardio equipment and strength training machines.
The TCG&CC membership includes about 400 households, with the total membership sitting above 1,000 The voting membership, meanwhile, consists of about 200 golfing members. According to Vanderveen, the club had a high voter turnout for the May 9 Family Amenity Capital Plan vote. Roughly 90 percent of the voting membership was present, with 80 percent of those who voted in favor of the plan, the Ticker reported.
“We’ve been here for 100 years,” Vanderveen said. “We celebrated our centennial in 2015, so we see the new amenities as a good beginning to the chapter of the next 100 years.”
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