Course of the week: The Georgia Club transitions to private club

By Golfdom Staff| July 16, 2019 0 Comments

The Georgia Club, located in Statham, Ga., will transition from a semiprivate club to a private club on Nov. 1. The Georgia Club is a 27-hole master-planned community that includes a golf course, a 42,000-square-foot Georgian Clubhouse and pro shop, a swim park and fitness center. With more than 1,300 acres in total, the community has grown to 400 occupied homes with a plan to continue the growth.

Photo: The Georgia Club

Bobby Jones Links was hired in July, 2011 to manage all club and grounds operations. Bobby Jones Links’ initial goals were to pull the club out of the previously incurred $2 million debt, elevate and maintain the club’s premier facilities, offer great service, increase rounds and revenues, operate the facilities efficiently and professionally and position The Georgia Club as a premier golf and club experience in Georgia, all while reducing the operating deficit.

Over the past eight years, Bobby Jones Links has made enhancements to The Georgia Club facilities, retrained the staff and repositioned the club to allow prospective members the privilege to enjoy the offerings through a semiprivate club experience. Membership structure was enhanced, and the annual rounds of golf increased from 17,200 to 38,000 with a membership growth of more than 700 percent. The club has also secured coveted accolades including being named the number nine course on Golfweek’s 2019 “Best Courses You Can Play” and being featured as Architectural Digest’s 2019 “Most Beautiful Clubhouse in Georgia.”

Along with membership growth, The Georgia Club has seen an increase in occupied homes in the development since the management transition in 2011. In addition, The Georgia Club was acquired by Pan-Pacific Fairway in December of 2015. There are currently 10 neighborhoods and approximately 400 occupied homes in the development, with an additional 450 homes to be built in the upcoming years. The interest for the new communities has created waiting lists for future neighborhoods. The developer is on a schedule to complete 30 to 40 homes by 2020.

Photo: The Georgia Club

As a result of The Georgia Club’s influx of new members and residents within the community, the club now has the resources to transition into a top-tier private club that offers its members more accessible tee times, less crowded greens and an overall elevated experience.

“This impactful level of growth in membership and home sales showcases the strong need in the Statham community for an exclusive golf and club membership experience,” said Kaitlin Looby, vice president of marketing and sales of Bobby Jones Links. “Achieving this milestone of transitioning to a private club is a testament to The Georgia Club’s members and neighbors who make the club one of the premier communities in the Southeast.”

The Georgia Club’s facilities will continue to be available to nonmembers for privately hosted special events including weddings, banquets, reunions and golf tournaments.