Country Club Plans Major Clubhouse Expansion
The Olney Country Club plans to nearly double the size of its clubhouse with a restaurant, sports bar, adult club room, and two indoor golf simulators, Olney Recreation Association President Landon Rowe revealed during an interview on the Olney On Air podcast.
Mr. Rowe said the association recently met with an architect to begin designing a high-end renovation and approximately 3,000-square-foot addition.
“We’re going to change the whole building,” he said. “We’re still going to leave the foundation of what’s there, but we’re going to change the operation of the building.”
Preliminary plans call for moving the pro shop to the front of the clubhouse, where it will be more visible to golfers arriving from the parking lot. The addition would include a restaurant serving members and their guests, with a bar incorporated into the dining area.
The existing “19th hole” bar would be redesigned with more of a sports-bar atmosphere, while another seating area would provide a quieter place for members and guests to eat.
The renovation would also include an adults-only club room with access to the bar and a cigar area. One indoor golf simulator would be accessible from the club room, while a second would be available through the pro shop. The simulators would allow members to practice or play regardless of rain, heat, or other adverse weather conditions.
Bathrooms would receive a complete makeover intended to give them the appearance and amenities of country-club locker rooms, potentially including lockers.
Mr. Rowe cautioned that the design remains preliminary and details could change as the architect develops the plans. The association wants to move quickly, however, and hopes to have the expanded clubhouse open by approximately August 2027.
“We’re operating on how quick can we get it done, but get it done right,” he said.
The clubhouse project is the latest phase of a transformation that began after Mr. Rowe became ORA president in 2020. At that time, he said, the association shifted from asking how the club could survive to considering how it could grow and improve.
Since then, the club has invested an estimated $1.5 million to $2 million in its facilities. Projects have included a $250,000 to $275,000 irrigation system, a new swimming pool, decks, landscaping, equipment, and concrete cart paths expected to total more than $600,000.
The club is also renovating its tennis courts for tennis and pickleball, adding a basketball goal, building a new cart barn and expanding its golf-cart fleet.
On the course, crews are enlarging the pond on No. 8, installing six professionally constructed sand bunkers and planning a covered driving-range bay.
Membership has nearly doubled since 2020, growing from approximately 70 to 75 full members to about 135, plus 18 to 20 social members.