Member Clubs |
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CHRIS LANG ( 4 ) |
that has become an everyday destination for club members .
“ Sometimes , your mentality is that food and beverage are outlets within your club ,” said Dan Riker , who joined TDC as General Manager last July and has 20 years of experience in the private-club business . “ What we ’ ve tried to change over the years in these reinventions is transforming them into restaurants inside of a club , a true culinary experience .”
“ Everything from the décor , the furniture , the fixtures , to the craft cocktail menus . The visibility , everything down to the china , glass and silverware we ’ re using . What happens when we do these things right , and not just treat food and beverage as an outlet but as a true restaurant experience , we ’ ve seen it makes a world of difference .”
While the restaurant experience was important to members , so was the condition of the golf course , and specifically , the practice areas . The driving range had become problematic because of drainage issues . After even as little as an inch of rain , the range would become so saturated that the picker couldn ’ t go out to retrieve balls , which would get embedded in the soggy turf . That led to long closures of the range after storms .
In response , the new ownership team put $ 100,000 into golf-course improvements , mostly focused on the range and other challenging areas on the course . The range grass received a Shockwave treatment , helping to de-compact the soil , improve aeration and remove surface water . The club also removed trees along the seventh hole , allowing more sunlight to come through for natural drying on a part of the course that often had drainage issues .
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A full bar awaits patrons at Craft . Those who sit in booths get a personalized TV experience . Below : A $ 100,000 renovation addresses irrigation concerns at TDC ’ s driving range .
“ You can ’ t put enough drainage out here ,” said Bob Morgan , Director of Golf Course Maintenance . “ This place was built on a swamp . … Since the new Heritage has come on board , upgrading the irrigation has been a high priority . … We get new equipment every year . What I can say about the ownership is that they don ’ t back down . Whatever we need , we ’ re getting .”
Bill Sullivan , a longtime member of TDC who is now Chair of the club ’ s Board of Governors , said the new ownership group has changed the club from one “ just trying to get by ,” to one with forward thinking that is not afraid to put resources into projects to help the club continue to evolve .
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Sullivan noted that the club is seeking to diversify its membership while also focusing on retaining tenured members who have been at the club since the beginning . New offerings like pickleball leagues have added to the club ’ s programming . The addition of Ed Gill as Director of Instruction has led to a major surge in junior golf instruction and participation , he added .
“ They ’ ve done a great job from the top down , and it ’ s been a lot of fun ,” Sullivan said . “ Two or three years ago , we were close to leaving . But since Heritage took over , it ’ s really become the place to be .”
Riker said the improvements have paid immediate dividends in the form of a significant uptick in member retention and the fact that 75 percent of new members are coming from current member referrals . An improved club makes for happy members , which in turn leads to word-ofmouth addition to the membership roster .
“ The club will be celebrating its 30-year anniversary in 2022 ,” Riker said . “ You can see , as nice as the club and as nice as the golf course was , it certainly could use a renovation , a refresh . I don ’ t think the capital , the operating dollars , were there before to be able to do some of the things we ’ ve done . It was just a perfect opportunity .”
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