Virginia Golfer September / October 2014 | Page 23

TOP LEFT: The elegant facility includes a dramatic
vaulted oval ceiling with recessed lighting and a
sparkling chandelier. BELOW LEFT: Members and
guests can find a quiet space to read in the library of
the new clubhouse.

50-mile radius of the Arlington and Fairfax
properties. Over 90,000 rounds a year are
played on the club’s 54 total holes, and both
facilities have expansive practice areas as well.

RIGHT TIME FOR AN ADDITION
According to retired Admiral Joe Barth,
chairman of the club’s board of governors,
there had been ongoing discussions about
building a new clubhouse going back to the
1990s before the membership voted overwhelmingly to approve a new project. The
plan was a part of a $72 million renovation
that included work on the golf courses at
both locations.
“At a club our size, it was hard to get a consensus,” Barth says. “The old clubhouse had
definitely seen better days, and it was a choice
between renovating or building a new one.
Finally, after many years, we got the vote of
the membership to build. We had more than
a two-thirds majority.
“We had enough seed money, and we took
out a $40 million loan that will be paid off
over 20 years. The members are assessed $60 a
month over that time period, and we still have
sufficient capital funds to do whatever else we
want to do. The Arlington clubhouse is our
crown jewel, and we’re very proud of what’s
been done. From a business standpoint, it’s
also helping us quite a bit.”
Admiral Barth said that when a friend informed him recently that his daughter was
thinking about getting married, he laughed
and then told him “you better book a (banquet) room right now and go tell her to find
someone to marry in a hurry.
“We’ve had a tremendous increase in the

w w w. v s g a . o r g

number of events that want to use the facility,”
he says. “It’s become a very popular place.”
According to general manager Patrick King,
one of the major factors in deciding to build
from scratch was the ability to keep the old
clubhouse operating while the new building
was under construction.
“It allowed us to keep all our employees
working as opposed to layoffs or reduced
hours,” King says. “Our members thought
that was extremely important. We have 600
employees at the two facilities, and they all
stayed in their jobs.”
Construction on the project began in January
2011 and was completed on Nov. 1, 2012.
At that point, the old clubhouse was torn
down and replaced by a parking deck, though
bricks from that building were used on several
walkways, and members were also given a
souvenir brick. More importantly, some of

the furnishings, fixtures, paintings and other
memorabilia from the original clubhouse were
also used to decorate the new one.
“Yes, the project was a little daunting,” says
King, who has worked at the Army Navy for 13
years, most of the last three as general manager.
“You don’t know what you don’t know, and you
really do learn something every day. We had
a number of balls in the air, dealing with the
construction, the staff, parking, and we had
to keep all our operations up and running as
best we could.
“We’d already had a three-year period of
work on the golf courses when construction
for (the clubhouse) started. But we never
stopped golf. We did (renovations on) nine
holes a year, so we always had golf on both
properties.”
And now they also have a showcase clubhouse that has won awards for being environmentally sound, with expanded parking facilities, more tennis courts and vastly expanded
dining and banquet facilities.
“We wanted something where, when you
walked in the door, it didn’t feel like a brand
new building,” King says. “We obviously
wanted to incorporate the tradition of the club,
especially the military culture and heritage. I
think we’ve done that. I would say our members are definitely pleased with everything.”
Ike’s irreplaceable implements included.
A longtime sportswriter for The Washington
Post, award-winning journalist Leonard Shapiro
is a regular contributor to Virginia Golfer.

From the veranda on the
back of the clubhouse
overlooking the ninth
green of the Red Course,
members and guests
can enjoy a 19th hole
beverage, snack or meal
and view the Washington
Monument as well as
air traffic from nearby
Reagan National Airport.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 | VIRGINIA GOLFER

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