One hundred and fifty new members have joined the venerable Wilmington, Del. property since it was acquired earlier in 2018 by a new ownership group that includes a member of the du Pont family. Bulldozers could be on the grounds as soon as this fall, the new owners say, to begin work for $18 million in planned investments that include a golf training facility with “a very social aspect,” and the addition of three swimming pools, a new 17,000-sq. ft. fitness center and possibly four new tennis courts.
In the two months since Ben du Pont and Don Wirth revealed they were buying the DuPont Country Clubin Wilmington, Del. (http://clubandresortbusiness.com/2018/04/dupont-heir-buy-dupont-cc-make-18m-updates/),150 new members have joined what had been an institution whose membership rolls were withering, the Wilmington News Journal reported.
And now that the purchase from the DuPont Co. has closed, the News Journal reported, the business partners of Rockland Sports—the official company name for their new venture—hope their $18 million in planned investments and upgrades will lead to a wave of even more members.
“The way to do that is not to have a $20,000 initiation fee,” du Pont said. “The way to do that is have a bunch more families join.”
Over lunch at the club, which was founded about 100 years ago, the duo revealed more details to the News Journal about their plans.
Du Pont, a venture capitalist, said bulldozers could be on the grounds as soon as this fall to begin some of the planned changes, and initial plans have already been submitted to New Castle County.
Phase 1 of the project involves transforming the 18-hole Montchanin practice course. The driving range, which is a car ride away from the main clubhouse, will be relocated to the Montchanin course, which will likely be cut down to 11 or 12 holes, the News Journal reported. The goal is to turn Montchanin and the area around it into a modern training facility.
At the center of that facility will be a newly constructed golf training center, complete with six bays equipped with TrackMan technology allowing for simulated play both into a screen and—when the garage-style doors lift open—out onto the range.
The bays will be heated and allow for play year-round, the News Journal reported, and the room will also contain a bar and fireplaces. “There’s a very social aspect of it,” du Pont said.
The practice facility’s upgrading will also allow for a more robust junior program and the potential for a full-scale golf academy, the News Journal reported.
Phase 1 also includes the addition of three swimming pools and a 17,000-sq.-ft. fitness center just off the clubhouse area, the News Journal reported. There’s also the potential to add four more indoor tennis courts, to up the indoor total to ten.
The new owners see these moves and others, such as raising the bar in terms of food quality and modernizing the outdoor dining area, as only the start, the News Journal reported.
“If you’re a fan of 1970s motif, you might be depressed,” du Pont said of coming upgrades to the Legends bar.
The new ownership has already launched a new mobile app that provides members the opportunity to make tee times and see what’s going on at the club, the News Journal reported.
Other minor changes have come on the business side, such as eliminating contract positions. Previously, the club had about 40 employees and 200 contractors working in various roles. Now, Rockland Sports employs about 240 people, and the owners said that as the club expands its offerings, more positions will be created, the News Journal reported.
“Where do you go from there? What’s the best thing for the members, the community and the business?” said Wirth, a former DuPont Co. Vice President.
Down the line, du Pont said he sees an opportunity to add a field house, which could make indoor soccer, lacrosse and basketball all possible, the News Journal reported.
“We have the space, and it fits within our mission of being sports- and family-centric,” he said.
No changes are now planned for Brantwyn Estate, which is the former home of du Pont’s grandfather. It now operates as an upscale wedding venue, and the new owners said they’d like to see more such events held there.
Wirth’s son, Rob, the longtime Tennis Director at DuPont CC, who is helping with the transition, said the estate hosted about 70 weddings this year, the News Journal reported, and the club’s management hopes to raise that to 100 to 120 per year.
It’s possible, du Pont told the News Journal, that a high-end spa or a boutique hotel could be added one day.
“We’re long-term focused,” he said. “Neither of us are looking for big checks in the near term. We want to reinvest. After Phase 1, we’ll see what we learned and see what we think we’re missing and keep investing.”
For now, the News Journal reported, that means steady membership fees. Dues will remain unchanged at least through 2019, and beyond that, du Pont said prices would be consistent with inflation.
Right now, with some initiation fees cut in half, a Gold member, in the top tier of membership, has a $2,500 individual initiation fee and monthly dues of $370, the News Journal reported. Bronze members, who have access to Montchanin, pay $1,225 upfront and then $196 a month. And social members right now have initiation fees waived and a price of $94 per month.
The 150 new members have brought the total membership close to 2,000, the News Journal reported. At 2,500 members, the club will be in better financial stability, du Pont said.
Like many other clubs in Delaware, the facility has struggled to make money in recent years as new generations have become less willing to pay sometimes hefty dues. When du Pont joined the club over a decade ago, he said there were more than 5,000 members.
The new owners think catering to families will make a difference.
“We’ve listened to a fair amount of experts who say families are looking for more things to do together over shorter periods of time,” du Pont said. “It used to be that hitting balls on the range was an appetizer. Now it’s more of a main course.”
Members and nearby residents will have the opportunity to see fireworks at the club on July 7, the News Journal reported, and Du Pont said he looked forward to seeing the show over the landscape referred to as the gateway to Delaware’s “Chateau Country.”
And he reiterated what he vowed in April: There are no plans to build homes and no plans to lease or sell any portion of the property.
“I think there are so many fun things we can do for the county and the community, long before we would think of selling anything,” he said.
To read the News Journal’s full story, go to https://www.delawareonline.com/story/money/business/2018/06/14/dupont-country-club-wilmington-members/690032002/
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