The Rob Report

All in the Family

WHEN I FIRST BEGAN the process of joining Club + Resort Business, I sat in the Rocky River, Ohio offi ce and talked about trends I was seeing in the club industry. This was pre-COVID, so there were certainly a lot of clubs closing and golf courses being redeveloped.

Each morning, Joe Barks and I would gather stories from across the country for our daily newslett er and be forced to come up with another word for “close” … such as halt, shutt er, cease or fold. It was depressing from afar, but devastati ng for those directly aff ected—employees and members.

That was the negati ve, but I’m a glasshalf-full person and chose to focus on the positi ves. As a member of the Mayfi eld Sand Ridge Club, I was seeing an emphasis on family-oriented programming. Our club was far from “your father’s country club.” From brunches with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, to a vibrant swim team and youth camps, Mayfi eld had something for every member of the clan.

A family focus isn’t exclusive to Mayfi eld, of course. It’s quite simple to fi nd examples of this shift in every corner of the country.

Our Contributi ng Editor Pamela Brill writes about how clubs have embraced their youngest members in a feature beginning on page 18 (A Room of Their Own). She spoke with Matt McConnell, Membership Director of Treyburn Country Club in Durham, N.C., and Rick Dente, COO/General Manager, at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton, Fla.

“With our membership conti nuing to grow and our hopes of bringing younger families in, we did feel it was a priority to have a more welcoming kids’ room for them to enjoy,” McConnell explains.

And the renovated space at St. Andrews was targeted directly at tomorrow’s members.

“This locati on strengthens our commitment to kid-friendly faciliti es and serves as a backdrop for year-round kids’ acti viti es” Dente says.

The trend goes beyond today’s youth, however. Look no further than this month’s Top Ranked Aquati cs and Pools feature on page 14. The Bald Head Island (N.C.) Club renovated its Aquati cs complex and unveiled the facility in the summer of 2019. An existi ng saltwater lap pool was joined by new slides and plunge pool, kiddie splash pad and playground, a zero-entry leisure pool, and cabana bar. Talk about something for every member of the family!

Open April through October, the complex conti nuously sees an 84% occupancy rate each day, even with 20-minute intervals allocated to clean between guests, maximizing sanitati on.

Playgrounds and resort-style pools are great for the kids, and poolside lounging can be a relaxing way to spend the day for Mom and Dad, but how about those who like to work up a sweat? Sure, clubs have traditi onally off ered golf and tennis (and more recently pickleball), but Mizner Country Club in Delray Beach, Fla. is taking physical acti vity up a notch ... or fi ve.

When Director of Fitness Daniyel Gavrilov joined the club a year ago, he launched a program called “Wellness Without Walls” to get members moving and hearts pumping. As part of this initi ati ve, he brought in DEKA FIT, a new sport started during the coronavirus pandemic two years ago by Spartan Race when the extreme wellness platf orm couldn’t hold its regular events.

“The vision I had was to revoluti onize fi tness and wellness in a country club setti ng,” Gavrilov says. “I want to help people make fi tness a part of their everyday lifestyle.”

Read more about the program and all it entails on page 32 (Stepping Outside the Norm).

Today’s clubs are truly a third base for members—joining home and work. They can include not only your favorite spa or gym, but also your family’s go-to restaurant and vacati on desti nati on.

Today’s clubs are truly a third base for members—joining home and work. They can include not only your favorite spa or gym, but also your family’s go-to restaurant and vacation destination.

Rob Thomas • Editor

rthomas@wtwhmedia.com