A MidMichigan country club is pouring millions of dollars into renovation and expansion. The Midland Country Club is updating and growing to survive and thrive in the current economy.
The old Midland Country Club facility has run its course.
Eighty years of service and seven renovations have shown it's time for an upgrade.
General manager Steve Pedersen says, "It's really exciting." He says the new 90,000-square foot facility is not only a new building, but a new face and mindset for the new club.
Pedersen says, "We're focused very much on a family-centered environment, and that's what the new club is all about."
He says the "gentlemen's club" era has ended, which is making way for a younger, broader clientele.
Pedersen says of members, "They wanted daycare, which we will be providing. They wanted teen rooms for the kids, which we will be providing. They wanted a fitness center, which our new club has. Clubs country-wide that are doing this type of forward-thinking are the ones that are going to thrive and do well."
The new building is just a fraction of the club's total transformation.
Outside, dozens of workers are making the links more beautiful and challenging.
Fred Eddy, the project manager, says "There's a lot of new landscaping on the golf course, improved holes, new bunkers, improved greens, play will be more challenging than the past."
Par is now 70 for the course, two strokes fewer than before. and take a look at the improvement to the snake creek that slithers its way through the course.
The old building will be demolished for the new pool area, 5,000-square foot cabana, full kitchen, and splash area.
Eddy says, "Hopefully we're building a new legacy, if you will, for the Midland Country Club with the facility that we expect to be here for another 80 years."
The Midland Country Club currently has around 650 members. The expansion will allow for another 75 golf members and 75 recreation members.
The club will also have a banquet hall for weddings and gatherings and state of the art meeting rooms.
Completion for the new building is set for this April and the total renovation is expected to be complete in a year and a half.
