Woodmont Fully Invested In Its Future
Mark Schmidt said he is an avid golfer, so the new look at Woodmont Country Club is something the club’s owner is proud of.
“I am thrilled we have a beautiful golf course with 27 holes and 4-month-old greens on one nine, 1 year on another nine and 2 years on the other nine,” said Schmidt, who has owned the property for 15 years. “The golf course is in wonderful condition and the clubhouse is brand new.
“It is a pleasure having a brand new clubhouse and enjoying the fruits of my labor and everybody else’s labor simultaneously.”
Woodmont is semi-private, although Schmidt said there is a possibility of going to private after the season.
Schmidt noted that many business journals are documenting that the golf course business has fallen on some pretty hard times.
Schmidt said approximately $7.5 million was spent on the improvements at the Tamarac facility, including new Champion Bermuda greens and the new 16,000-square-foot clubhouse, which has a pool and portable pool bar. There was also were landscaping and tee box upgrades.
“The value of golf courses has been tied into the best-use concept, which is residential,” Schmidt said. “You are sitting with multiple golf courses closing at the end of the season … and in addition to their closing, they are not putting any money into it to date on those golf courses.
“On the contrary, Woodmont opened the new nine holes this summer,” he said. “The clubhouse is 6 weeks old. The swimming pool is 4 weeks old. The CO (certificate of occupancy) on the cart barn is two weeks away, even though it’s complete. The situation that we have is that everything we are doing is new and shiny.”
The inside of the clubhouse has a large banquet area that seats 342 people, with dividers. A full-service restaurant and lounge overlook the ninth hole. The fitness center has 20-foot windows that allow you to work out and see the No. 9 green. In addition to the elliptical machines, bicycles and treadmills and state-of-the-art equipment, there is a men’s locker room with 301 lockers and a ladies’ locker room with about 160.
Schmidt said they will upgrade more tee boxes and bunkers this summer. The Pines course has new fairways and Celebration tees and greens. There will also be more coquina added to the course.
“We would like to have our members and our new members and the golfers come out and appreciate what we have done,” Schmidt said. “We have gone the opposite of everybody else. We have already built the homes. Now we want to see the golf course improve and the local community and golfer embrace Woodmont and play it.”
Nine of the 14 tennis courts at the country club, which will house the Cañas Tennis Academy, should be open by early January with the remaining five expected to be completed around February.
Schmidt said he is proud of many things that he has done in business, with Woodmont certainly on the list.
“It is a pleasure to have this clubhouse open and entertaining, and I guess one of the proudest moments will be my granddaughters’ b’not mitzvah here at the end of Memorial Day. We will have all of our family and friends and everybody here for that event.”
Director of Membership Ellen Singer has been working in private clubs for 17 years. She made the move to Woodmont in November because she believes in the future of the club.
“The demographics in this area are families, and that is what we will be all about,” Singer said. “We are going to add many social events on the calendar, including kid’s clubs, nine-hole scrambles, men’s and ladies’ clubs and an under-40 membership. We already have Happy Hour every day, themed dinners and will be adding brunches. With the new clubhouse and the new greens, we just have to get the buzz out there again that we are open. Everything was built for the future.”
Singer said they are offering customized memberships that will suit all lifestyles, including golf, social and family memberships.
The inside of the clubhouse has a large banquet area that seats 342 people, with dividers. A full-service restaurant and lounge overlook the ninth hole.
The fitness center has 20-foot windows that allow you to work out and see the No. 9 green.
In addition to the elliptical machines, bicycles and treadmills and state-of-the-art equipment, there is a men’s locker room with 301 lockers and a ladies’ locker room with about 160.
“The big thing that has been going on is corporate and charity golf tournaments,” Singer said. “We have been hosting many tournaments and look forward to the NFL Charity tournament in late January.”
That Jan. 29-31 event – in advance of the Feb. 2 Super Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens – will feature an NFL Pairing Party and Jazz Night, a tournament with a 10 a.m. shotgun start that includes a BBQ lunch and awards, and then a Casino Night. The beneficiaries are the McDole Miller Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease and the Bahamas Relief Fund.
Among the more than 40 pro athletes scheduled to be in attendance are Hugh Green, O.J. McDuffie, Franco Harris, Tim Brown, Eddie George, Mark Duper and Mark Clayton along with Vinny Testaverde.
“One of the things I learned being in the private club industry as long as I have is that it is about the greens, the camaraderie and the pace of play,” Singer said. “Having the three nine-hole (courses) and limiting the outside play is a huge benefit. It adds value to your membership.”
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Write to esinger@woodmontcountryclub.net or call 954.722.4300, ext. 4, to schedule a tour, preview round of golf and learn about the new, introductory memberships.
