Clubs are finding new ways to innovate during winter, drawing members and guests of all ages for exciting programming throughout the often considered “slow” months. Regardless of climate, private clubs have instituted creative indoor and outdoor activities that take advantage of the weather, facilities and time available to create memorable experiences for members.
Family-Friendly, Holiday Events
Clubs are providing a wide range of child- and family-friendly events in the winter. Farmington Country Club in Charlottesville, Va., has extensive winter and holiday programming, hosting more than 10 winter and holiday events geared toward the entire family. Traditional youth events include breakfast with Santa with sing-a-longs and crafts for kids and adult beverages for the parents, photos with Santa and a family “ugly Christmas sweater party” with adult and kids’ menus.
Tavistock Country Club in Haddonfield, N.J., teaches young members cooking lessons with a Valentine’s Day cupcake class taught by a pastry chef, and this year the club will be hosting a Mary Poppins-themed children’s brunch. Park Country Club of Buffalo in Williamsville, N.Y., hosts themed-events geared toward boys and girls like its American Girl Brunch, a Superhero Brunch and “Tween Ninja” competition.
Snow
Winter often brings snow, covering the club and its courses for members to enjoy. Nearly a quarter of clubs with winter-programming offer ski-related activities such as cross-country skiing, reports a recent NCA-member survey. Sledding on the club grounds is also popular at many clubs during the winter. Several others offer snowshoeing. While these activities are often reserved for northern states, in Santa Fe, N.M., The Club at Las Campanas offers show snowshoeing lessons to its members.
Ice Rinks
Numerous clubs across the country offer ice rinks for members to enjoy. Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn., transforms its tennis courts into an ice rink and offers complimentary skating lessons for children as young as 3 years, skating parties, cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
In addition to the rink, Interlachen transforms the club’s tennis center into a “hockey lodge” during the winter months and offers snacks, cocoa and warm cider. Winter menu items include hot dogs, mac and cheese and chili. The club also hosts member-sponsored skating parties with catering, warm drinks and adult beverages.
Other clubs with ice skating facilities, either on a manmade ice rink or on a frozen body of water include Chevy Chase Club, which hosts its own hockey league, and Columbia Country Club, both in Montgomery Country, Md.; Valley Lo Club in Glenview, Ill.; Indianapolis; Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster Township, N.J.; The Country Club of Buffalo; Adirondack League Club in Old Forge, N.Y.; and Glens Falls Country Club in Queensbury, N.Y.
Curling
Curling has been a longtime tradition at The Country Club (Mass.). It was introduced to the club in 1898 and now more than 120 years later, The Country Club is still active in the winter sport.
The ice sport has been popular at the club, but after the recent success of the United States’ curling team in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, the game’s popularity has surged. Roughly 100 of the 1,300 members participate, with members taking lessons and booking the rink for company outings, birthdays for adults and children and team building events.
Inside the curling facility on the second floor is the Shot Rock Café, a cozy area for players to grab a drink after they play (as is tradition) and grab a bite. The café features a stone fireplace, big screen TV, bar and lounge.
The club’s quality curling facility has hosted international events, including Olympic playdowns and junior national playdowns. The club also hosts an annual curling and dinner event for their board and an employee tournament called the Dale Lewis Bonspiel, named after the club’s retired ice professional. Due to the size of the program, the program has a director and assistant.
Extreme Cold Activities
Some clubs truly embrace the cold months, offering events to brave members and their children that test their cold tolerance.
On New Year’s Day at Farmington Country Club, the club takes part in its own Polar Bear Plunge. Members of all ages are encouraged to take a dip in the pool and are awarded a commemorative t-shirt. A New Year’s Day brunch is also available during the event. Valley Lo also hosts a polar plunge for members in its lake.
Riverside Yacht Club in Riverside, Conn., near the Long Island Sound, tests its members’ limits with Frostbiting Sailing. Members in the Riverside Dyer Dinghy Association (RDDA) are year-round sailors. According to the club, the RDDA holds races every Sunday from October through March off the Cos Cob Harbor. Races are two hours with as many as eight starts depending on conditions. There are more than 80 boats in the fleet, which is divided into two divisions. Male and female sailors’ ages extend from the midteens to mid-60s.
Weather conditions range from balmy breezes and warm water in October to snow and ice in January and February. Sailors are allowed on the water until the wind chill drops below minus 10–15 degrees or if the wind is more than 25 knots. While conditions can be intense, safety is a high priority and several crash boats are available to aid sailors in need. Through these events, boaters can stay sharp during winter months with practice and clinics. The club also provides “lunch and learn” events with soup and sandwiches and keeps the bar open for sailors returning from their races.
Competitive Shooting
Clubs also use the winter time to enjoy competitive shooting. In the Philadelphia area, the hobby is popular at clubs and even features an annual tournament, according to Golf Association of Philadelphia Magazine. Club shooting activities typically include skeet and trap.
At Philadelphia Country Club, the club converts its cart barn into a trapshooting area, equipped with a lounge, furniture and decorations. The club also has a locker room to store guns and other shooting equipment, and even features a trophy case and taxidermized golden bear. Some area clubs, such as Huntingdon Valley, operate their gun program from the driving range.
Each year local clubs participate in the “Hospitality Bowl,” a regional championship for Philadelphia club members to test their skills. The Union League Golf Club at Torresdale hosted (and won) the 2018 event.
Philadelphia-area clubs with competitive shooting programs include Aronimink Golf Club, Huntingdon Valley Country Club, Philadelphia Country Club, Philadelphia Cricket Club, The Union League Golf Club at Torresdale and Waynesborough Country Club. Other clubs that offer shooting in the winter are Rumson Country Club, in Rumson, N.J.; The Country Club of Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y., Medinah Country Club; and The Kirtland Country Club in Willoughby, Ohio.
Indoor and Outdoor Golf
For clubs in the southern part of the country, golf remains a popular club activity during the winter. However, clubs in colder climates have found several ways to keep their golfers engaged. Golf simulators like those at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., and The Midland Country Club in Midland, Mich., allow players to get strokes in year-round. Golf performance centers are sprouting up at clubs as well, such as those at Chevy Chase Club, Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., and Interlachen Country Club, offering data and guidance to help golfers improve their skills. Olympia Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Ill., even features its own indoor golf tournament.
Non-southern states still utilize the outdoors for golf. Farmington Country Club hosts several fun sporting activities including the TrackMan Winter challenge, which pits golfers against each other to hit 15 shots at targets that are scored based on accuracy and distance control. The event has a men’s and ladies’ winner.
Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, has held a one-hole, two-club winter shootout for nearly 40 years. The tournament, called the Licklider One-hole Shootout, hosts roughly 20 to 30 two-man teams that are created through a blind draw. After lunch, five or six teams head out at a time to play a short hole. One club must be a putter and if it snows, only the greens are plowed. Inside the club, competition continues in the form of a putting contest that involves turning a small plate upside down and trying to get the ball to rest on top of the plate. According to Scioto General Manager Greg Wolf, CCM, CCE, the event is a fun way to gather golfers together before the holidays.
Racquet Sports
Paddle tennis is one of the winter month’s most popular club activities. Nearly 55 percent of clubs in the NCA survey that indicated that they have winter-specific activities said they offer paddle tennis at their clubs. Much like with indoor golf facilities, paddle tennis is a great way to keep racquet players all of ages active and engaged year-round.
Indoor tennis is a popular wintertime activity as clubs throughout the country, such as Chevy Chase Club, St. Louis Country Club in St. Louis, The Kirtland Country Club, Farmington Country Club and Greenville Country Club in Wilmington, Del., provide enclosed facilities for members to enjoy.
Indoor Swimming
Clubs are ramping up indoor swimming activities, too. Scioto Country Club and The Union League Club of Chicago boast indoor swimming programs. In addition to indoor swimming programs, Valley Lo offers swim lessons, lifeguard training and water polo during the winter.
Darts
Great Oaks Country Club in Rochester, Mich., hosts a popular dart league during the winter. The men-only program was created as a way to give members a place to go to while the course was covered in snow, said the club’s former General Manager Traci Bichalski. It started with just 12 teams and two dart boards but quickly grew to support 24, then 60 teams and 8 dart boards. The club offers a buffet during each of the 9 weeks the league runs, but players often show up early to grab a drink with other members. Organically, a member became the “Dart Commissioner” and keeps track of scoring on a large monitor and emails the league on a weekly basis. At the end of the year, the club hosts a party and invites the members’ wives. This past year the club paired its championship with a chili cookoff.
Card Games
Cards is a great way to attract members to the club. Kensington Golf & Country Club in Naples, Fla., offers a variety of games for members to enjoy in a fun environment. Players often gather after dining at the club and take part in games that includes the couples mixed bridge and ladies duplicate bridge, which sees as many as 80 participants. The club also offers lessons that increase its pool of players.
Roughly 15 percent of members at The Country Club of Coral Springs in Coral Springs, Fla., play card games, including gin rummy and blackjack. The program has been an important part of member engagement. At Hampton Hall Club in Bluffton, S.C., at least 50 card players meet each week to take part in the games, and there is an annual Mahjong marathon tournament, which raises money for charity.
Charity Events
At the Detroit Athletic Club, the club hosts its Miracle on Madison party, a fundraising event for the Salvation Army. The
2018 event featured a petting zoo, games, crafts, a visit from Santa Claus who arrived in a Detroit Fire Department firetruck, Christmas tree decorating and more.
In Florida, clubs in the Boca Raton area, including St. Andrews Country Club, Addison Reserve Country Club, Mizner Country Club and Boca Grove Country Club, team up each year to aid local religious groups’ efforts to feed area residents— most of them children. This past year the group donated 4,000 Thanksgiving dinners.
Themed-Events
Beach Point Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. hosts several fun, summer-inspired winter events. Every Wednesday in the summer, the club hosts a grill night fully equipped with checkered table cloths, all-you-can-eat lobster, cobblers, strawberry rhubarb pie and other warm weather favorites. The club decided to bring the popular event into the winter, hosting it either indoor or outdoor with the same summer menu on an occasional Saturday. The winter event brings roughly 140 to the club, including members who typically only frequent the club in summer months, said General Manager Randy Ruder, CCM, CCE.
The club also hosts Winter Lodge Night, another warm weather-inspired program. In the summer, the club hosts an event featuring two acoustic guitar players. The club received feedback that in addition to the summer festivity, the guitar players fit the feel of a winter ski lodge. Now, for the last three winters, Beach Point Club turns its ballroom into a winter lodge, featuring the two performers. The event includes hearty cold weather dishes like knackwurst, bratwurst, venison, boar, a variety of chilis, fondue and other dishes. The ballroom is decorated in lodge-like fashion with multiple TVs displaying warm fires (in lieu of actual fireplaces) and quilts are hung to take the place of bear rugs on the wall. Further, attendees are asked to dress as though they just came back from the slopes. The festive night draws roughly 200 members, including young members who usually visit the club in summer months.
Clubs also host numerous themed parties during the winter months. At Springdale Hall Club in Camden, S.C., the club hosts Robert Burns Night on January 25 in honor of the poet’s birthday. The club celebrates “everything Scottish,” said General Manager
Richter Elser. Hors d’oeuvres and malts start the poetry-themed night and the meal begins with striking the haggis with a dagger (and a reading of Burns’ famous poem, “Address to a Haggis.”) The night features poetry readings, and “toasts to the lassies, toasts to the lads and a toast to the bard.” Attendance at Burns night has grown from 36 in its first year to an expected 80 in 2019.
Winter Wonderland
Winter months, while traditionally slow at many clubs, offer numerous activities and ideas to keep members of all ages engaged and excited. Whether indoor or outdoor or in warm weather or cold, there are a plethora of opportunities available to clubs to provide interesting seasonal programs that make your club an attractive winter destination.
Phillip Mike is NCA’s senior communications manager and a regular feature writer for Club Director. He can be reached at 202-822-9822 or [email protected].