By Design - Fall 2015

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22 | By Design
One constant that exists in
club management is change!
Sooner or later, all clubs
must face the ‘renovate or raze’
dilemma. This applies to both the golf
course and clubhouse, and in both
cases a master plan can alleviate the
fear of such a vast undertaking and
actually make the process enjoyable
and rewarding.
From bid opening to grand opening,
a well-orchestrated process offers a
great opportunity to align a club for
relevance in the marketplace for many
years to come. Common questions
and associated answers are:
WHAT? A need to improve facilities
and have a plan for the future.
WHY? Losing revenues, property
values, members, employees and
reputation.
WHEN? Now—Planning costs little
compared to rebranding.
HOW? Go through a facilities master
planning process.
WHO? A team of specialists with a
proven track record of success in the
club industry.
The team approach works effectively
in master planning facility
improvements for clubs, including
the involvement of an American
Society of Golf Course Architects
(ASGCA) member, who can work
with the clubhouse architect to
ensure symmetry in clubhouse and
golf course design. The first step is
to recognize that problems attracting
new members affect the bottom-line
and are a threat to the club’s survival.
WHAT?
“We have a fine club just the way it is.”
“Why change a thing?”
“It works just fine.”
“I don’t use it enough to pay to
improve it.”
WHY?
Competition
New clubs are built and many are
updated every year, competing
for many of the same prospective
members. Each new or remodeled
club presents an alternative to the
amenities you have to offer.
Aging facilities
Many older facilities have not stood
the test of time, have not aged well,
or stayed current with industry
trends and have not evolved with
society’s changing lifestyle. With
the primary source of new members
coming from the existing members,
your club relies heavily on a
happy, satisfied, excited and proud
membership for future success.
There are new requirements for
today’s club amenities, including:
• Larger and nicely appointed
women’s locker rooms.
• Youth lockers and related facilities.
• Golf training studios.
• Short game practice facilities.
HOW?
A good master plan! A good architect
and golf course architect can help.
Most clubs meet annually to create
the club budget. A well-conceived and
executed facilities master plan can help
the leadership determine the useful
life of the facilities and whether the
time is right for a refurbishment, major
remodeling or replacement of facilities.
WHEN?
Now! Here are specific steps which
have resulted in successful master
plans for many clubs:
1. Member Survey
The member survey can be conducted
by the master planning team or by
a company specializing in those
overseeing conducting and evaluating
written member responses. Survey
results can be useful to both the golf
course and clubhouse.
2. Facility Evaluation and Engineering
Studies
A facility evaluation (complete
building physical) may reveal potential
code violations, insurability issues
and physical condition of the assets,
including: structural, mechanical,
Master planning | Brian Idle, Peacock + Lewis
A key to club
renovation
EXPERT VIEW
Brian Idle of Peacock +Lewis explains how a master
plan can alleviate the fear associated with change