“Dos and Don’ts” for Successful Club Improvements Part III

As part of its “Outlook” Pulse Survey for 2026 that was conducted at the beginning of this year, McMahon Group asked club managers and Board members to identify the capital-improvement areas (beyond the golf course) that they feel are important for their club but had not yet been addressed. As shown in the table at right, survey respondents cited a number of different areas in their responses. 

In earlier issues of the McMahon report this year, we provided some “dos and don’ts,” based on our experience at McMahon helping clubs with their facility planning, that should be kept in mind to give capital-improvement projects the best chance for success in the areas that were at the top of the list (dining-room updates, adding/expanding pickleball indoors and out, fitness/wellness and casual bars/lounges). (For copies of those articles, call or e-mail Alison McMahon at 314-744-5040 or amcmahon@mcmahongroup.com)

Here are some thoughts for the two areas that are next on the list: sports simulators and resort-style pools.

As always, keep in mind that a key metric for successful facilities of any type should always be to create them in a way that offers opportunities for members to have meaningful social interactions around the programs and activities that the facilities provide. 

Sports Simulators

DO: 

Make an early determination of the simulators’ purpose and goals in your club environment. There are two primary drivers for simulators at clubs: 1) Golf Lessons and Performance and 2) Competition, Social Gathering and Extending the Club Season. These purposes can and do overlap, but the primary purpose will guide the effort to find the best place for the simulators in your building or on your campus.

Find a place to test the concept. We have worked with clubs that have put up temporary simulators in bag rooms, ballrooms, boardrooms, and pool snack bars. The early engagement with members can provide a test case for the best eventual final solution.

Treat simulator space in the clubhouse as a social lounge first, and a technology room second. Having some aspect of social gathering is important, even for training simulators. The space should be designed so it can be used at times for informal gathering and competition. The best-performing simulator rooms have comfortable seating, a bar or beverage service nearby, and sightlines that let non-playing members watch and mingle. A simulator bay tucked into a leftover storage room with no gathering space around it will get used, but it won’t build community. 

DON’T:

Assume one bay is enough. A single simulator creates a scheduling bottleneck almost immediately, once word gets around the club. Two to four bays seems to be the sweet spot for most clubs, to allow member-guest play, lessons, and league nights to take place without members feeling like they have to fight for tee times indoors.

Underestimate technology’s short shelf life. Simulator hardware and software evolve quickly, and the room’s architecture, wiring, and infrastructure should be designed so components can be upgraded or swapped out over time without a full renovation

Resort-Style Pools

DO:

Think beyond the swim program. Today’s most successful club pools function as a family and social hub—with zero-entry access, shallow lounging shelves, splash features for young children, and adjacent shaded seating and sunning areas that encourage members to stay for hours, and not just for laps or swim team practice. 

Locate properly sized food-and-beverage service areas close enough to the pool deck, so members don’t have to leave the pool area (or get fully dressed) to get a drink or a bite. 

A great pool bar has often become one of the most visited and popular social-gathering areas at many of our clubs, even for non-swimmers. 

Efficient and expand food-and-beverage service is one of the highest-return investments a club can make in pool-deck engagement and satisfaction.

DON’T:

Treat the pool as an isolated department separate from the rest of the campus. The most successful pool renovations we’ve been involved with are planned in coordination with adjacent fitness, tennis/pickleball, and dining facilities, so members can move easily between activities throughout the day, rather than experiencing the pool as a disconnected amenity.

Overlook operational realities like deck capacity, restroom/changing facilities, and support spaces when expanding a pool’s footprint. A modern resort-style club pool might have four or five times as much deck space as water area. A beautiful new pool that can’t comfortably support the crowd it draws—or that creates bottlenecks in service—will generate as many complaints as compliments.

In addition to the remaining items on the list on pg. 14, respondents to our Pulse Survey added many other areas to the list that they would also like to see improved, including: ballroom space, the golf shop, kitchens, the lobby, maintenance facilities, office space, overnight accommodations, parking lots, and tennis facilities and courts, both indoors and outdoors. 

In future issues of the McMahon Report, our Architecture column will continue to take in-depth looks at the “dos and don’ts” for these and other areas of the club that showed up on the Pulse Survey’s capital-improvement “wish list.” 

And don’t forget: McMahon Group experts are always available to come take a look at any area or facility at your club that you’re targeting for improvement, as part of our complimentary First Impressions Visit that includes a report with recommendations for how to best approach making an effective change. For more information and to schedule your First Impressions Visit, call or e-mail Alison McMahon at 314-744-5040 or amcmahon@mcmahongroup.com.