COUNTRY CLUB RESERVE STUDIES


Swimming Pools

Swimming pools have ongoing maintenance requirements that are typically completed on a weekly or monthly basis and covered by a vendor contract. Other expenses related to pools are longer term and very costly which can disrupt the financial position of the country club and the membership's experience for prolonged periods if the project is not adequately planned for (preferably in the off season). Some of these longer term expenses are: 

 

  • Resurfacing of the pool approximately every 10 years
  • Tile & Coping replacement approximately every 20 years
  • Pool Deck resurfacing approximately every 20 years
  • Re-plumbing / re-piping the pool plumbing approximately every 40 years (coincide with pool deck repairs/replacement)

Additionally there is much more frequent pool expenses related to the mechanical equipment such as pool pumps, chemical systems, filters and heaters which need replacement on a more regular cycle and tend to vary in useful life based on the size & usage of the specific pool. These items may or may not be included in the reserve study as they are mostly lower costs items and may be below a threshold amount set by the Client and instead covered in the annual operating budget.   

swimming pool

tennis courts

Tennis Courts

Longer term tennis court resurface and replacement expenses are very dependent on proper installation of the court to begin with. It is extremely important the country club have a qualified vendor install tennis courts to ensure adequate base materials are present and drainage is adequate. With the proper installation and materials used tennis courts can expect to have regular cycles of resurfacing and eventual replacement at the time frame indicated: 


  • Resurface & Repair the courts approximately every 7 years
  • Replace the courts approximately every 28 years*


*Note that replacement of the tennis courts can be extremely costly with full replacement being much more expensive than an overlay over the old court. It is often difficult to determine which will be required in the early life of a court but as it ages it will become apparent if there are ongoing drainage issues or base issues which cause large cracks to form with time. 

 

Some country clubs decide against resurfacing the courts on a time scale of the above frequency but it has been our experience that these are also the courts which have a higher likelihood for the need for full scale replacement instead of just an overlay. This can usually be attribute to water intrusion issues and drainage which is not rectified on a regular cycle along with the court resurfacing and causes longer term and more significant damage to the aggregate base below the tennis court surface. 


Clubhouse / Recreation Building

The central meeting place, event location and often the first impression of a country club is the club house. As with any building there is ongoing maintenance needs to keep everything operational and in working order for the membership that relies on this central location for parties and meetings.

 

Longer term and more costly building and site components should be taken into consideration so that the repairs can be coordinated with the seasons and around the high use periods of the clubhouse. Common building and site components to fund for in the reserve study include: 

 

  • Roof Replacement of composition shingle every 20-25 years
  • Exterior paint over wood surfaces approximately every 5 years, fiber cement every 8 years
  • Interior paint surfaces every 8-10 years more often for high use areas like a recreation room
  • Carpet replacement approximately at 10 years
  • Asphalt parking lot reseal and restripe every 5 years
  • Asphalt overlay approximately every 25 years 
clubhouse

kitchen remodel

Functional Obsolescence

As a country club ages there will be a shift in the appeal and desirability of the facilities. Clubhouses will often have an outdated look and have undesirable smells from years of events. While the facility may be fully functional country clubs that do not have ongoing cycles of remodeling of the facilities will find that they get used less and less over the years. This is known as functional obsolescence and is often an issues with older country clubs with boards that are divided on how it should be addressed. 


Based on our experience with many communities we typically recommend the bellow remodel schedules to meet membership expectations. 


  • Kitchen remodel at 20 years
  • Bathroom remodel at 20 years
  • Cosmetic remodel of recreation / meeting rooms at 20 years


There is often a divide in the Board of country clubs when voting to conduct these remodels. Some members will see no reason to remodel a kitchen and bathroom which are still functional even though outdated. This can often be attributed to generation appeal differences and the desire to keep dues as low as possible. It has been our experience though that refraining from these updates will result in membership which does not use the facilities and eventually the loss of membership as it is not worth the expense for them. 


With adequate planning and budgeting for these updates / remodels the impact on dues will be minimal, another reason to have a reserve study completed early on for a country club and not after all these items need to be addressed.