When it comes to developing or expanding golf courses, clubhouses and related facilities, the worlds of public and private ownership differ widely.

Taxpayers fund public projects. Thus, municipal, park districts and forest preserve district officials must be careful not to spend unwisely or too lavishly. Yet they still must construct a quality facility that will provide appropriate recreational opportunities to constituents and generate enough income to pay its way.

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A construction project done with public funds is a "constant balancing act" and requires much evaluation, says Chuck Szoke, director of the Channahon Park District. Channahon owns and operates the Heritage Bluffs Public Golf Club.

Szoke says there are three questions board members and executives must keep in mind:

1. How much can the agency reasonably afford with today's dollars?

2. What is the actual quality and what is the perceived quality?

3. How do maintenance costs fit in?

Look for a return on investment, adds Ed Clift, executive director of the Byron Forest Preserve District, which owns and operates Prairie View Golf Course.

With taxpayers footing the bill, budget constraints are always a reality. But even given limited funds, where should public entities nonetheless be careful not to pinch pennies when designing a clubhouse operation?

Dan Nicholas is a principal at PHN Architects in Wheaton, which specializes in the design of recreational facilities, including golf course clubhouses. He cautions that there are times when the phrase "penny-wise, pound-foolish" applies. At the same time, there are areas where owners should not overspend.

Storage

Owners need storage of all kinds, for food and beverage operations, merchandise and off-season staples, such as tables, chairs, patio furniture, tee mats and ball washers. "Storage is always important," Nicholas stresses. "But because it's square footage, it's one of those things that's easy to eliminate in the programming phase if money is tight. Then, nine times out of 10, officials come back at some point and say, 'I wish I had more storage.'"

"In just about anything you build, storage is probably the number one thing," says Szoke. "It's expensive space that doesn't generate money for you directly. But, sooner or later, you have to have it, and usually you don't have enough. It's an ongoing struggle in building design and space utilization."

Clift offers a different perspective. "If I have to scrimp, in all honesty it would be an area of staff usage, out of sight of the public: custodial storage and closets, staff offices, areas for food storage and pro shop storage. If the board only gives me so much money, the place where I don't want to scrimp is an area the public uses. I'm a pretty firm believer that I don't want the public to suffer by scrimping on the dining area, or the bathrooms, or the pro shop. People should have a pleasant experience while they're at our facility."

Flooring

Use your head when it comes to feet -and invest some cash in flooring, says Nicholas. "Golf course facilities usually experience a huge amount of foot traffic. And most of that traffic involves golf shoes, which tend to bring in much more debris and foreign materials," he says. He advocates high-quality flooring, whether carpeting or a hard surface: "You need something that will stand up to a lot of use." Pro shops and dining areas will probably require carpeting, but most districts will opt for hard surfaces, such as ceramic or porcelain tile, in entry areas and washrooms. "It's important to get the right material," says Nicholas.

"I think it's always wiser to spend the money to get quality, when it comes to equipment, flooring and those kinds of things," agrees Clift. "It's just going to last longer." Byron officials opted for 20-year rubberized floor squares near the

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concession and deli areas. The dining room, pro shop and locker rooms are all carpeted.

Maintenance and replacement have to be considered during the initial design phase, Clift says. The answer may be that yes, officials do want carpeting in high-traffic areas, "but if you had to struggle to get the money in the first place, it may be just as difficult to get that carpeting replaced in two years," he says. "Maybe it's better to put in something else, so you don't have to go back for more money."

Furniture

"The furniture will take use and abuse," says Nicholas. "While this is usually the province of the interior decorator and not the architect, I do recommend districts purchase something that can stand up to a lot of use."

Beyond sheer usage, Nicholas urges directors and officials to consider other practical factors. For example, officials should look at chairs that can be stacked so they can easily be moved. There's a big difference between storing 40 single chairs, each of which takes up roughly 4 square feet of space, and those same 40 chairs, stacked in four towers of 10 chairs each. With some careful furniture selection, an agency can do more with less space.

Space Allocation

Golfers carry golf bags. That may seem obvious, but it's a fact district officials might overlook in the space-planning phases. "Even though it's discouraged in clubhouses, many golfers will still be passing each other with golf bags," says Nicholas. "Clubhouses need larger circulation areas than other facilities. You need generous space so people feel comfortable moving in and out."

Beyond interior circulation areas, such as corridors and access aisles, architects and district officials also must consider outdoor gathering spaces and site circulation.

"Think about how golfers come into and access your facility," advises Nicholas. "How do you handle bags? How do you provide for security of the bags? How do you manage and provide for cart circulation, staging and storage? Where do golfers place pull carts after a round? You don't want to scrimp on the space you need for these functions."

Site Planning: Think Ahead

In order to expand, The Byron Forest Preserve District had to takedown the roof and some of the walls of its original PrairieView Golf Course Clubhouse, which was built just five years prior to its remodeling. When planning a project, the district worked to assure that further expansions are possible with much less disruption.

Clift cautions that given current industry trends, it's difficult for him to encourage anyone to build or expand at the present time. But, having given that warning, he advocates leaving room for future expansion. "If you're building or expanding a clubhouse, do not crowd your building because funds restrict you to a certain size structure," he advises. The time could well come for expansion.

When Byron built its golf course in 1992, funding constraints mandated a very small clubhouse. Several years later, Byron ended up having to tear down the roof and some of the walls in order to expand. "We only kept two walls," says Clift. He says instead of remodeling, it probably would have been cheaper to demolish the original structure. "But it was only about five years old, so we couldn't do that politically," he says. Byron was able to double the size of its clubhouse at that time. But the district also worked to assure that further expansions are possible with much less disruption. "We've planned two possible additions. On one side we'll only have to eliminate a walkway, and, on the other, we only have to move a patio. Whatever you do, don't crowd the building because then you're stuck," says Clift.

Things change. As a facility grows, its needs may grow, too, agree Szoke and Nicholas. "You have to be a little generous with land allocation near your clubhouse. Don't scrimp on open space," says Nicholas. "If district officials want to expand the clubhouse or the parking lot, if they want to add amenities to the golf course, that might be difficult if everything's built up."

Overall siting and positioning of elements on the site is critical. Frequently, the entire site is designed: course, clubhouse and other facilities. "Then you lengthen a hole or two and before you know it, you've eliminated some free space around the clubhouse, even though you're working with hundreds of acres," says Nicholas. "You can end up with a lot of conflicts. You could have a great outside dining area, for example, but you're on top of the first tee."

Look at your site with an eye toward the future, urges Szoke. "Try not to design or site the facility to preclude expansion opportunities. Leave room for expansion both on the site itself and to generate a minimal amount of disruption as is possible to the current facility." Heritage Bluffs started out in a trailer "because we weren't sure exactly where we wanted to go," he says. The permanent facility came about 18 months later, in 1993. Then, just four years later, Channahon began a large clubhouse expansion with additional space for all operations, including the kitchen, dining areas, storage and pro shop. "And the kitchen still doesn't have enough storage," laughs Szoke.

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The original Heritage Bluffs clubhouse started out to be a trailer. The Channahon Park District didn't build this permanent facility until 18 months later, after the district had a better idea of how the public would use the facility.

At the same time, the district left room for the years ahead. "A public agency is going to be a little more fiscally conservative on a lot of these issues," says Szoke. "That makes it all the more important to leave opportunities for enhancement, if that is shown to be appropriate or possible, financially."

Maintenance

Don't scrimp on maintenance, says Nicholas. "It's not a construction cost, but it really needs to be planned for. There's really no such thing as a maintenance-free facility, even if there are lower-maintenance finishes and materials. If you don't pay now, frequently you'll pay much more later."

Agencies remain limited by funding availability, however. For example, it may be better in the long run to buy a heating and air conditioning system with a longer life expectancy, or with higher efficiency levels, says Szoke of Channahon. "But it can prove difficult to justify the upfront cost. Add the life cycle cost evaluation of these systems into the planning process," he suggests.

At the Same Time, Don't Overspend, Either

While there are places not to scrimp, there are also a myriad of ways to overspend, points out Nicholas. Two of the more prominent budget busters are food service operations and the pro shop.

Don't Oversize the Kitchen

Public agencies may want to consider starting out small when it comes to food and beverage operations. Officials could begin by planning to support the golf clientele only. Then, if the club starts getting more lunchtime patrons and begins booking plenty of golf outings, expansion is possible. "It's best not to have a 'build it and they will come' mentality," says Nicholas. "Put in the essentials first, then let the clientele and the demands of that clientele lead you into expansion and embellishment of those services. First and foremost, do what you have to do to service your golfer. If there are spin-offs from that, that's great."

Channahon started out with a small dining operation, able to serve perhaps 30 to 40 people. Only after the clubhouse

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Cannahon's pro shop started small. Then, when the course proved popular, the district added 800 square feet.

started attracting lunch and business traffic did Channahon begin planning an addition. The district added 1,300 square feet for a new formal dining and meeting room, as well as an expanded and remodeled kitchen. "We added seating in a separate space, enabling us to do two events at a time, instead of just one," says Szoke. "Then we needed additional kitchen capacity to produce that volume of meals and to support our menu. But we waited until we had the market demand. That's critical. Space is too expensive not to use to optimal effect." .

Scale the Pro Shop Appropriately

It's easy to oversize the pro shop, warns Nicholas. In general, public golf courses are not "destination" courses. That means clothing and clubs generally aren't big sellers; instead purchases at public facilities tend to be impulse buys of golf balls, gloves, tees, hats and other general supplies. Public courses need to stock accordingly.

Officials must consider merchandise purchase practices and storage space needs, too. Frequently, clubs purchase pro shop merchandise just once a year. Then, instead of storing some of the merchandise — lack of space could be an issue — everything is put out on the sales floor at once. Nicholas advocates enough space to store some items. This enables rotating the stock. "That way, there's always fresh merchandise," says Nicholas. The most cost-effective public pro shop, he suggests, is likely to be smaller, with more utilitarian storage space.

The Channahon Park District added 1,300 square feet for a new formal dining and meeting room, as well as an expanded and remodeled kitchen only after the clubhouse started attracting lunch and business traffic.

As it did with kitchen and dining facilities, Channahon started small. Then, when the course proved popular, it added 800 square feet to the pro shop, providing more retail options for golfers, who were delighted.

But Szoke points out that an expanded pro shop might not pay out for every facility, especially one too close to a discount sporting goods store. Clift agrees: "We're 12 miles from Rockford where there are two or three golf discount houses. We can't match their prices." Clubs located in more rural areas may be one of the only suppliers and thus may want a larger pro shop, "because you might sell more than I would," says Clift.

Know Your Market

Most of the recommendations, say Szoke, Clift and Nicholas, come down to a simple, but vital point: Know your market.

"Public courses serve a different market than private courses, especially the high-end ones. The needs of one are different from the needs of the other," says Nicholas.

"Always be aware of the competition. Know your market position," advises Szoke.

"You've got to know your environment and what else is there," stresses Clift. "Whether it's banquet facilities or the pro shop, you need to know your competition. If you happen to be in an area where the closest large town is 90 minutes away, you may want a bigger pro shop. If you're in an area where there are no banquet facilities, and other factors are in place, you may want to look at a facility that serves 400. Spend your money where you can get a return on it. And only you know that. An architect, an interior designer does not. Start with the county level and work down, analyzing what's out there. You have to know what's going on in your area so you don't waste money."

Beth Bales is a writer affiliated with PHN Architects, which specializes in the design of recreation facilities such as golf course clubhouses, recreation centers and aquatic centers. See www.phnarchitects.com.

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