5 Ways That Clubs Are Reinventing the Summer Experience
by Mark Diedrich, AIA
Summer means something different depending on where your club sits on the map. For many, it’s peak season, with families present and demand high. For others, particularly in markets like South Florida where membership can thin by 60-75% between Memorial Day and Labor Day, summer is the season for maintenance and construction.
Regardless of scenario, low-overhead, high-impact programming that activates existing spaces and deepens engagement is important as clubs compete for members’ time. Leading clubs are using existing spaces in new ways to create fresh experiences.
Here are five summer amenity trends gaining momentum across the industry.
Pop-Up F&B
Food trucks aren’t just for festivals anymore. Mobile and pop-up dining concepts bring variety and convenience to members. For many clubs, it isn’t about expanding food and beverage offerings, but delivering them in flexible ways.
At Watersound Club in Northwest Florida, a restored 1958 Chevrolet Viking with a wood-fired oven sits near the 12th tee at Camp Creek Golf Course. The daily complimentary offering rotates constantly, from flatbread pizzas to Thanksgiving-inspired sliders. This model lets clubs try new ideas without permanent infrastructure.
The Poolside Bar: Your Most Valuable Square Footage
Few amenities generate as much revenue or satisfaction per square foot as a well-designed poolside bar. Cabana bars are social hubs, functioning as destinations rather than service counters: seating, shade, casual menus and frozen drinks encourage members to stay and socialize.
These venues deliver exceptional returns because they leverage existing activity centers, often becoming among the most heavily utilized, highest revenue-generating spaces on the club campus.
Turning the Driving Range Into a Short Course
Driving ranges often sit idle during summer afternoons. One intriguing trend is transforming the range into a short-course experience.
Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta converts its range several times a year into a 5-hole short course on Sunday afternoons, a 30-minute loop drawing members who might not otherwise use the main course.
Balsam Mountain Preserve in Western North Carolina took this further: a short course called Palmer Park, named after Arnold Palmer, was built into the range design for afternoon use. Shorter, more approachable experiences increase participation and give families an activity that fits modern schedules.
Summer Camping on the Golf Course
Clubs are finding creative ways to turn portions of their golf courses into family gathering spaces after play concludes. One compelling concept: overnight family campouts, with tents along a fairway, folk guitarists, ghost storytellers, fire pits for s’mores, then breakfast in the clubhouse the next morning. It’s a simple, low-overhead idea that creates memories.
Dive-In Movies
Dive-in movies are an increasingly popular summer staple. A large outdoor screen near the pool lets families watch movies, combining entertainment, food and beverage and engagement into one evening.
At Ansley Golf Club in Atlanta, an upcoming poolside LED wall will double as a scoreboard for swim meets and entertainment for movies and sports.
What’s Next
Clubs are more than places to play golf, tennis or pickleball. They’re where traditions are created and relationships strengthened.
Memorable experiences come from creative programming, thoughtful design and strong understanding of how members want to spend their time. Engagement isn’t driven by capital projects alone. Activating existing amenities can strengthen participation and generate incremental revenue. Sometimes the greatest value comes from seeing familiar spaces in a new way.