Country Clubs
How to Plan Your Club's Capital Project
As country club memberships have become increasingly popular amongst young families and other groups during the pandemic, it has become necessary for many clubs to consider a variety of facilities improvement projects.
Preliminary Project Planning
These capital projects come with substantial risk: financial, operational, and most importantly, member enthusiasm for the results. Projects go awry when budgets and schedules are unrealistic or key factors are not accounted for. When beginning to plan with limited information, the biggest question you may be asking is, “Where do we begin?”
To achieve your vision and minimize risk, it is crucial to start the project with realistic budgets and schedules. Early budgets are particularly important for clubs as they become the basis for membership assessment. These budgets are often derived from conceptual estimates and may not capture the full scope of the project, account for escalation and inflation, or factor in contingency.
Realistic Early Budgets
A realistic, early budget from the outset can not only protect your project but save money in the long run without sacrificing quality or your vision. B&F Project Managers begin every project by making sure the budget, schedule, and scope are in alignment. We also collaborate with our in-house Cost Estimators to stay informed of the cost impact of certain design decisions, drawing on their expertise about market conditions to make sure the project can stay on budget.
Aligning the Schedule
Developing a schedule alongside the budget is a similarly crucial step in the early stages of a club project. If you control the schedule, you also control the budget. By taking the big picture into account, B&F schedules serve as a guide throughout the project, rather than a moving goal post that requires continued adjustment.
We ensure that there is time built in for collaboration between the Board and user groups, Owner review and approval processes, cost cutting, and permitting and approvals from local municipalities, among other milestones. Just as there needs to be a reasonable budget contingency, schedules need to be practical and allow for things that to not quite go according to plan.
Once you have a solid foundation on which to begin your project, you can move forward with confidence to achieve your goals, work within your budget, and receive rave reviews from club membership.
If you are planning a club project — or are in the midst of one and have questions — reach out to us using the form linked below.