Pinehurst planning new $20M Members Club with a view
Triangle Business Journal - by Chris Baysden
PINEHURST - Pinehurst LLC executives are set to spend as much as $20 million to build a new Members Club, complete with a third floor overlooking the famed No. 2 course and designed to better reflect the tradition of the resort.
The existing 40,000-square-foot club, built in 1970, has become dated and will be torn down. "We really would like to bring it up to standard, or up to speed," says Don Sweeting, the executive vice president of golf and club operations at Pinehurst. "It will be magnificent."
The new Members Club would be no larger than the existing one, but a third floor would be added that would offer members the chance to sip their cocktails and admire No. 2, which has hosted two men's U.S. Open tournaments and is on the schedule for a third in 2014.
The Members Club is attached to the 50,000-square-foot Resort Club, which was built in 1898. That structure is a historic landmark and will not be altered, says Pinehurst spokeswoman Janeen Driscoll. In fact, the new Members Club will be designed to better blend with the architectural style of the Resort Club.
"It will look like it's all one clubhouse instead of two separate facilities," says Driscoll.
Pinehurst Resort is a 2,000-acre playground for adults that serves 4,400 members. The resort is home to hotels, a spa and eight golf courses - the most famous being the Donald Ross-designed No. 2.
The new Members Club would offer lockers, a lounge, a private pro shop, a family dining room and private check-in for golf. Members now check in at the Resort Club, where the pro shop is open to visitors to the resort.
Atlanta-based Rabun, Rasche, Rector and Reece has been selected as the project's architect, while R.J. Griffin & Co. will be the general contractor.
Driscoll says the facility has needed upgrades for a decade, although not all of the members were thrilled with the idea to begin with. "I think they have had some concerns that their dues would go up," says Driscoll.
Sweeting says members don't need to worry. "We will not be assessing the members for the new construction at all," he says.
Pinehurst dues range from $80 a month for a social membership to $325 a month for full privileges, which include access to golf, tennis, swimming and lawn sports facilities. To join, one has to own property in the town of Pinehurst. Initiation fees are $40,000, although a new member can join for as little as $12,000 if they buy a piece of property that has an active membership attached to it.
Pinehurst officials have been discussing the construction project since the beginning of the year and have presented some preliminary drawings to town officials. The project won't get a full green light until the contractor gives Pinehurst a final estimate. Guesstimates now range from as little as $10 million to as much as $20 million.
That means the timeline is still up in the air, with next spring being the earliest construction could start. The project would take at least 18 months to complete.
Pinehurst has a long and storied history as a golf-centered resort. Boston philanthropist James Walker Tufts began assembling the land that would constitute the resort in the 1890s.
Pinehurst LLC is owned by the family of Robert Dedman Sr., the deceased founder of ClubCorp Inc., which until recently owned a stake in the resort.
Latest News |
