OT - Best Newer Clubhouses

[MClutterbuck]

1. Which are the best clubhouses built in the last 10 years? Functionality and architecture wise.


2. Would the answer change if the course in question had very low volume of play?


3. Which are the best clubhouses under 500 square meters - 5400 square feet?

[Jeff Schley]

I haven't been, but a colleague of mine was at the new Bighorn clubhouse and he said it was amazing.  $70 million!

Why so much money? Once you read about these features, you'll get the idea: The structure includes four "penthouses," ranging in size between 5,200 and 6,800 square feet—or about quadruple the size of your first apartment—sitting within the clubhouse to be used by members and their guests. The 80,000-square-foot clubhouse is built 1,000 feet above the floor of the valley to create ideal vistas of the desert, with interior and exterior travertine walls that were imported from Portugal and floors made with limestone imported from Peru.

Must be good to be rich.

[Jeff Schley]

Not to your question, but I really love the front of Medinah's clubhouse.

[Adam Lawrence]

Castle Stuart. Brilliantly conceived in terms of the flow of people through it (enough seats in the bar to accommodate an hour’s worth of tee times because research shows that golfers stay in the bar for an hour at most after their round). Brilliant little details such as eye-level windows above the gents urinals with a great view over the links. And all contained within an excellent Art Deco style building, perfect for its seaside location

[MClutterbuck]

Castle Stuart. Brilliantly conceived in terms of the flow of people through it (enough seats in the bar to accommodate an hiurs

Adam, I agree, Castle Stuart is a fantastic club house for what it is, a daily fee course with high volume of visitors. It would not be the best example for a member course with less play, probably.

[Clyde Johnson]

If size and low volume of play, but not '$' are constraining factors, then Tara Iti; Cheshire Architects.


Otherwise, the clubhouse - exterior, architecture details, interior design, outlook - and whole spa, guest accommodation complex at South Cape Owners Club, South Korea; Mass Studies. I'd expect fashion mogul/owner JB had a decent say in all of that too.

[Conley Hurst]

May River has an incredible, though quite small, clubhouse. I would imagine that they don't get tons of play, so it works quite well. The open-air architecture fits perfectly into the landscape. I couldn't imagine anything else behind the green there on 18.

[John Kavanaugh]

M,


Is that the logo of your new course. Something about it takes me back a few years. Love it.

[Wayne_Kozun]

How many clubhouses have even been built in the last ten years?  Many of the best courses built in this era have been resort courses like Cabot and Streamsong.

[Lyndell Young]

Cliffs Mountain Park has really neat rustic style  understated clubhouse. Probably less than 5000 feet with a wrap around porch overlooking course. Dining /Bar area has  nice golf courses views as well. Bigger not necessarily better!

[Tommy Williamsen]

Ballyhack has a wonderful, relatively compact clubhouse for its small membership.














Of course the clubhouse is augmented by seven cabins.

[Mark Pritchett]

Though a little over ten years old, Chechessee Creek is the best modern clubhouse I have seen. 

[Jeff Schley]

Quail Ridge in Boynton Beach, Fl. opened a new clubhouse in December as per this article for $23 million.

[Jeff Schley]

Eugene Country Club redid their clubhouse last year for almost $12 million. Also unveiled a new logo which I think is cool too that I can't upload.

[MClutterbuck]

M,


Is that the logo of your new course. Something about it takes me back a few years. Love it.

Yes, the logo is a Southern Beech (Nothofagus) tree prevalent in our Nature Reserve. Called a Lenga in local language. Simple. Thanks for the comment. 

[MClutterbuck]

Thank you for all the input on clubhouses.


Would having the putting green right on the clubhouse be considered a plus for most people? I am thinking about folks putting while waiting for their food, or post lunch. I am also thinking about sheltering the putting green from prevalent winds with the structure. Allow for some practice with bad weather.

[PCCraig]

After the previous clubhouse burned down about 8 years ago, the Kiawah Island Club rebuilt their River Course clubhouse. It's incredible:



Most incredible is the Men's Locker Room:

[Tommy Williamsen]

Though a little over ten years old, Chechessee Creek is the best modern clubhouse I have seen.

I agree. It is just splendid. I love the nice cozy locker room and the comfortable grill room.

[Tom_Doak]

I get to see a lot of over-the-top clubhouses in my travels.  The last two were Nanea and Kohanaiki in Hawaii -- the first one probably in the size range you asked about, the latter 70,000 sq ft and $70m.  They were both great for their respective situations.  Everything we saw in South Korea was off the charts, too, in one way or another, but NOT small.


Clyde mentioned Tara Iti and I think that clubhouse [and how it integrates with the golf course] is a big reason the course has been so highly ranked.  A lot of it is indoor/outdoor, because the weather in N.Z. is so good.  Most architects are afraid to get the clubhouse too close to the course, so it winds up being too far away, and not part of the course.  We worked hard to avoid that.


P.S.  Now that Bel Air has finished rebuilding their golf course, they are in planning to tear down and redesign their clubhouse (!).  I have not seen a plan, but based on the various people they've spoken with, I'd guess it is going to be pretty spectacular.

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

Probably more than 10 years old but I really liked the Dunes Club clubhouse. Function over form.

[Joel_Stewart]

Vintage Club is quite impressive both in size and the architecture.

[Jamie Pyper]

How about a vote for the little guy at the other end of the spectrum? I've seen no better "functionality" in a recently built clubhouse then Machrihanish Dunes cozy little gem. A staff of one does it all from taking green fees to having your hot soup and sandwich (only one choice) ready at the turn.

[John Kirk]

I'm not as well traveled as many here, but the best one I've seen is at Tara Iti.  The course, clubhouse and facilities are so well organized.  The clubhouse is luxurious, low profile and understated.

[Michael George]

A couple in my travels:


Ardglass - oldest clubhouse in the world.  Feels like you are walking into a medieval castle.  Great small bar and patio overlooking the first tee.


Scioto - it has a great low key grill room on one end and the pool bar on the other end.  In between, a barber shop, laundry service and a lot of history. 


Martis Camp - great western clubhose with a great grill room overlooking the 18th green.  I have seen fancier, but none that were as tastefully done.

[MClutterbuck]

Clyde mentioned Tara Iti and I think that clubhouse [and how it integrates with the golf course] is a big reason the course has been so highly ranked.  A lot of it is indoor/outdoor, because the weather in N.Z. is so good.  Most architects are afraid to get the clubhouse too close to the course, so it winds up being too far away, and not part of the course.  We worked hard to avoid that.

Tom, is that the Club House in the middle of the course and no parking space? I would love to do something similar.