Interlachen Completes Pool-Tennis-Fitness Center and Clubhouse.
What makes a good facility project, a great one? It fills its membership and results in a waiting list. It skyrockets club usage. Money appears out of nowhere from rising initiation fees and rising revenues. It becomes the club of choice in its city. All of the above are what has happened at Interlachen Country Club in Orlando.
Three years ago some visionary club presidents and soon to follow presidents along with a strong general manager and a visionary in the restaurant business, Gene Lee (CEO of Darden Restaurants, Inc.) came together to transform Interlachen Country Club. What was a good club with tired clubhouse, pool and fitness facilities has become the showcase for what a club must do to propel itself to premier position in its city.
It all started under club president Ryan Burrow who began by having a vision for the future. An overall facility master plan was developed, and from it was selected upgrades and additions to the facility aspects most important to members especially to those members under age 56. These improvements included totally new, state-of-the-art swimming pool complex, doubling the size of fitness facilities, adding a new, Panera-type, quick-casual grill and bar with inside/outside capabilities, new croquet lawn and finally a playground for children. By rebuilding the above freestanding complex adjacent to the existing tennis courts, tennis participation has skyrocketed too. And the final phase of the $10 million project opened for Thanksgiving with a completely rebuilt main clubhouse kitchen and upscale casual dining area. WOW! What a project.
The project was funded by an $88/month capital fee. Over the year of construction 73 new members joined the club, 17 potential members are in the que to join, and the junior golf category has a waiting list. Over $2 million dollars of new initiation fee and capital payments were collected during the construction year, even with facilities still under construction.
Club Presidents, John Kelly and Tim Dwyer held the course to produce the beautiful pool/tennis/fitness complex shown in the above drone photo. General Manager, Barry Herman and founding club member, Bob Secrist, managed the design and construction process. Interior designer was provided by Ferry, Hayes & Allen Designers, Inc. and construction was by Brasfield & Gorrie. McMahon Group provided the master planning and project approval presentation. We tip our hats to the leadership of this fine club.
