Chicagoland is home to many prestigious and thriving private clubs. To remain relevant, satisfy members’ expectations, and enjoy a bustling year-round clubhouse, clubs must contend with competition as well as with Mother Nature. After an ambitious renovation/construction project, members of Highland Park’s Exmoor Country Club are enjoying unique amenities year-round, and the club is engaging families and sports enthusiasts as never before.
Exmoor recently unveiled its 19,320-square-foot complex that connects all its winter activities. The facility includes The Oakhouse, a warm and inviting casual dining and social gathering space that takes warming huts to the next level. The Oakhouse was undertaken with enthusiastic input and support from the membership, and is now a dynamic winter sports center that can operate year-round. At the same time, the club designed and built its indoor Golf Performance Center at the driving range that provides state-of-the art technology, group and individual instruction and practice areas 12 months a year.
Becoming a Truly Year-Round Club
General Manager Alan Slatin, CCM, who has been at Exmoor for 11 years, joked that Chicago has two seasons: Winter and August. With the pool open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, tennis season ending mid-September, and golf ending in late October, club members desired an updated facility for year-round recreational use. Exmoor focused on creating one fantastic complex to accommodate both playing and spectating its members’ winter passions:
· Paddle/Platform Tennis
· Curling
· Pickleball
· Ice Skating
· Cross Country Skiing
· Ultra-Casual (denim-friendly) “Sports Bar” Dining
· Children’s Activities and Recreation
Thorough Planning and Precise Execution
The board and key staff exercised due diligence in designing these new elements at Exmoor. Using results from two consecutive member surveys, adhering to the club’s ambitious “Exmoor 2020” strategic plan, and respecting its cherished traditions while envisioning a cutting-edge, one-of-a-kind complex ensured that the membership, the community, the sports leagues and the zoning officials would all be supportive. Carefully choosing a design—which went through 10 different iterations—the board was able to present a final plan to the membership that garnered 72 percent of the member vote.
The construction timeline was ambitious, with groundbreaking in mid-May and a mere 150 feet from the busy clubhouse and golf course. Slatin says his members were troopers throughout and the staff increased valet service and adjusted accordingly to keep members happy. By mid-November the full kitchen, new bar and platform tennis spectating areas were up and running. Slatin credits his architect, Peter Witmer of Witmer and Associates, and the construction crew from Altounian Construction, Inc., with successfully delivering the $4 million project on time and only 1 percent over budget.
Casual and Friendly Features
The Oakhouse is a warm and bustling venue that is attractive to both members and spectators of the platform tennis and curling teams. The number of teens, young adults and families that drop in and socialize has increased dramatically. The Oakhouse was designed to meet members’ lifestyles and, as such, features a two-story fireplace built with reclaimed bricks, 16 TVs, a 108-seat casual pub surrounding an open kitchen and a new full-service bar. Furthermore, 20-foot retractable doors open to a bluestone patio with a fire pit and grill. When the weather is right, the patio nearly doubles the seating and viewing space.
Exmoor’s property boasts several Heritage status trees (a designation determined and protected by city ordinances), but unfortunately one of these beautiful oak trees stood where the new facility was planned and needed to be removed. However, the club took measures to ensure that the new complex would honor the tree. Not only did they name The Oakhouse in its honor, but the lumber from the oak was kiln-dried and used throughout the facility. The bar top, viewing seats and much of the interior trim and moulding were hand-crafted from that oak tree, and the club is preserving a 38-inch diameter section of the tree to be displayed.
The Sporting Lifestyle
Exmoor Country Club’s members are active, with about 55 percent participating in tennis, curling or platform tennis (aka paddle) combined. According to Slatin, Chicago is the epicenter of the platform tennis craze, and Exmoor has a deep tradition and history with the sport, having one of the first courts in Chicago and being a charter member of the Chicago Platform Tennis League in 1972. Exmoor is proud to field five women’s teams and seven men’s teams in Chicago-area leagues. The club built five new paddle courts, and as a result, member involvement in the sport instantly grew 30 percent with more growth on the horizon. Furthermore, membership is increasing as athletes come to the venue for competitions and are impressed by the facility.
While platform tennis began in the 1970s, Exmoor members have enjoyed curling for more than 75 years. The winter sport maintains both a social and competitive presence at the club, which is currently the only active private curling club in Illinois. The enhancements to the facility only cement Exmoor’s reputation as having both an elite curling program and an unrivaled facility.
The rebuilding of five new clay tennis courts with state-of-the-art irrigation systems and room for future expansion will keep Exmoor’s tennis enthusiasts happy. Two courts are also flooded in the winter to provide an ice rink, which is popular with kids and families.
The Golf Performance Center is Exmoor Country Club’s answer to its members’ number one request. Now members enjoy a year-round golf experience, access to the driving range from three indoor bays, a putting green, practice facilities for both group and individual instruction, as well as instructional technology and video analysis equipment. With the construction of the Golf Performance Center, Exmoor members can improve their play and enhance their dedication to the game of golf.
The New Club Dynamic
Exmoor Country Club ‘s dedication and adherence to its Exmoor 2020 strategic plan is propelling the club forward. With a nod to its past and an eye to the future, the construction/renovation was a major piece of that progress. The club is enjoying increased member usage, most hearteningly by families and kids. The Oakhouse’s food and beverage program has been a success beyond their wildest dreams, and the new complex has made the club a high-energy year-round destination that is well positioned to expand on its recreational offerings consistent with the club of the future.
Club Trends Winter 2017