Here is an article that updates the progress on the newest private course near Chicago. Click on the link to see the pictures:
http://www.golfcoursenews.com/news/news.asp?ID=4109Standing out in a crowd
By Margaret Hepp
4/17/2008
Imagine the ideal setting for a new country club: a dense population, full of potential members; a rich history and culture; awe-inspiring scenery; sprawling land ripe for development. In today’s market, it’s almost impossible to find such a location where demand for a private facility is high. But three partners in Chicago have done just that, and for the first time in more than 80 years, construction is under way for a private, 18-hole family golf facility just outside the city.
Opening in the summer of 2009, the Chicago Highlands Club in Westchester, Ill., is a par-72 course set on 270 acres with clear views of the city skyline. Construction of the Arthur Hills design began in 2007 on the property, formerly a landfill. Incredibly, there are 4.1 million people within a 15-mile radius of the site, says club owner John Baxter, a commercial real estate developer.
“It might be the No. 1 location for a new private club in the entire country,” Baxter says. “Within a 15-mile radius, we have more than the population of 21 or 22 different states in the country. We’re the first private family club to be built since 1926, and we’ve signed 100 families already without a single ad.”
Charter memberships and first flight golf memberships are sold out. Second flight golf memberships, requiring a fully refundable, noninterest bearing membership deposit of $120,000, are available until completely subscribed. Annual dues are projected at $9,300 and include unlimited family use of the golf course, practice facility and golf instruction, as well as full use of recreation amenities. The club will feature a pool, tennis courts, ice skating rink and bowling alley. Acreage is about double that of the average private course in Chicago, Baxter says.
“The members who have been in here are shocked at the amount of land that’s here,” says superintendent Michael Heustis, a recent hire. “A large number of people who live in the surrounding area don’t even know this is here.”
The former Chicago Golf Club assistant superintendent will move from the country’s oldest 18-hole course to the country’s newest. Heustis first heard about the position in the summer of 2007, though the job wasn’t posted officially until November.
“I decided that was go-time,” he says. “I basically went on the attack and told myself I was going to channel all my efforts to see what I could do with this.”
Thomas Healy, golf course owner and operator based in the Washington, D.C., area, interviewed Heustis and a handful of others for the position in January 2008. Healy, Baxter and third partner, Joseph Hills, narrowed the number of candidates to 14, then four.
“The level of quality among the candidates was unbelievable,” Baxter says. “It’s like American Idol when you have four great candidates who are so good. You know they’re all going to be successful. It was tough to pick one, but Michael was just a fantastic candidate. He’s so energetic and enthusiastic.”
After a third-round interview in February, Heustis received a surprise phone call on his drive home.
“I was literally only a couple miles down the road from my third interview, and they called me and offered me the position,” he recalls. “It was a lot of work. I haven’t put that much time and effort into anything in a long time, as far as a job application goes. We put together chemical programs, fertilizer programs, equipment budgets, labor budgets, operating budgets, grow-in budgets – and that was all just for the interview.”
Heustis was one of several assistant superintendents interviewed for the job. Healy and Hills opened public golf courses successfully in Maryland with assistant superintendents in charge, Heustis says.
“Opportunities are few and far between right now for assistants,” Heustis says. “I feel pretty fortunate.”
Well-aware of the responsibility resting on his shoulders, Heustis feels confident about the club’s position in the market and its future and is eager to continue progress.
“It’s been an exciting project,” he says. “Obviously, with any new construction or renovation, there’s a lot of work to be done. That’s what I signed up for, and that’s what I’m looking forward to. A lot of great people are on board. Together, we’re going to create a great facility.” GCI
Follow Michael Heustis’s transition into his new superintendent role in the July 2008 issue of Golf Course Industry.
Thursday, April 17, 2008