The Country Club of Fairfax, located in northern Virginia, falls within the orbit of a major metropolitan region with its epicenter in Washington, D.C. It’s a progressive area, populated by many well-educated, affluent and forward-looking families.
Those residing in this area have lots of choices: where to live, what schools to attend, which restaurants to patronize and which clubs to join. They are accustomed to having good choices. Because the pace of life can be fast and the pressures of modern life intense, these people are always on the lookout for smart lifestyle choices, ones that fill a multiplicity of demands and expectations. A premium is placed on convenience, informality and simplicity.
Shifting Gears
The Country Club of Fairfax—members refer to it as (CCF)—has survived and prospered in this environment because it has made the changes and adjustments that club members want, need and ultimately expect.
As the new century began, The Country Club of Fairfax, like many other clubs, provided golf as its core offering. But also, like many other clubs, CCF had a sense that things were changing and that the future favored a club with a balanced set of activities and facilities that delivered benefits to the entire family.
This perspective found tangible expression in the club’s decision—well over a decade ago—to build and expand their investment in a broader range of activities and the personnel and facilities to support them. One of the first beneficiaries was the pool and tennis programs. The complexes were rebuilt and the pool added resort-like features together with amenities like food and drink options that invite families and groups of friends to linger and luxuriate throughout the long summer season.
The impact on club life was immediate. “It exploded,” relates Brian Armstrong, CCM, the club’s general manager and COO. “It became the most popular place on the property. Everybody was at the pool; everybody wanted to hang out at the pool bar all summer long.”
The Next Big Thing
This revival of activity whetted the club’s appetite for more. It was time to move inside and consider if a similar overhaul of the clubhouse itself might be the next priority.
It seemed that the clubhouse vibe now paled in comparison to the energetic scene of club life being played out on the tennis courts and at poolside. The more sedate and formal atmosphere had its classic appeal—its elegance and its traditional old-south accents—but the clubhouse interior now seemed slightly out-of-touch with a more contemporary scene, which now included many younger members with children.
Preferences tilted toward a more fast-paced and informal style. The clubhouse was challenged to allow for more dining, activities and socializing, each blending seamlessly as plans, people and purposes shift and flow, coming together and then separating and perhaps re-engaging elsewhere—all against the backdrop of club life.
Updating the CCF clubhouse got underway about three years ago and now is virtually complete. The aim: to increase the value of club membership by better fitting the range of desires expressed in the increasing diverse lifestyles that are knitted together in one unique country club.
Dining Options
In addition to the striking features and facilities the new clubhouse will offer, the more than $7 million overhaul fits closely with the modern lifestyles that it will now accommodate. Many different dining and social possibilities are now facilitated and enhanced by the imaginative clubhouse design.
Classic club dining, with tableside service, remains as does more informal venues and outdoor options. The Country Club of Fairfax’s approach to food and beverage fully appreciates the social and nomadic context in when members eat and drink and have fun. A Starbucks-inspired café offers coffee and light fare after a workout or a quick catch-up that might require members to gather around a tablet or notebook screen.
With the increased pace of modern lifestyles and the preference for informality, the planners at CCF designed a clubhouse that accommodates and encourages members to come together in often unplanned and serendipitous moments, to move apart just as easily, and then come together in different social clusters.
Take, for instance, the challenge of family dining. Adult friends may want to visit, catch up and linger, while the kids are ready to move on their next adventure. The new CCF clubhouse uses clever design to resolve this collision of inter-generational priorities. Located just off the family dining room is the new youth lounge (already nicknamed “The Bunker”), amply stocked with the required equipment and technology for children. It’s now no problem at all and even encouraged for the kids to peel off early from dinner and remain out-of-sight—if not exactly out-of-mind—yet always within easy reach in the adjoining room.
A Club’s Ambition
Brian Armstrong and his team have a philosophy that is easy to understand, but a challenge to execute. For all its member families, CCF intends to be among its preferred places to be. This is especially true for dining. Armstrong recognizes that families routinely eat out and are often on-the-go. Therefore, he says, we must be among their very favorite places to go for food—“the top 2 or 3” is his aim. Does that mean great food? Healthy, kid-tested menus? Fast and convenient service? Multiple options in a engaging environment? “We’ve got to do it all,” explains Armstrong in matter-of-fact way.
And that is precisely what CCF is in the process of doing. Offering a pleasing range of options that are knitted together in a coherent and integrated design. For the members of CCF, there’s no place they’d rather be.
Club Trends Fall 2016