Throughout the Naples, Fla., club’s $5 million renovation, members and residents who are traveling or living elsewhere for the summer are keeping up-to-date on the club’s progress through frequent blog updates and Facebook posts. The club’s complete renovation includes enhancements to the 53,000-sq. ft. clubhouse; plans to add bocce ball, an outdoor patio and a world-class spa; golf course updates; and the installation of a new irrigation system.
Quail Creek Country Club in Naples, Fla., is undergoing major renovations this summer and members and residents are watching the work from all over the country thanks to blogs and updated social media efforts, the Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press reported.
Jennifer May was hired as digital marketing specialist and she now keeps everyone up to date on the club and the community through a variety of popular technologies. Once a week, May blogs about the golf course and clubhouse renovations. She includes photos and videos and adds information about the tennis and fitness programs, and posts three to five times a day on Facebook, the News-Press reported.
“I am building a Facebook community and presence,” May said. “It includes local news, things in the club, quotes from people in tennis and golf, anything that will interest our members. It’s a natural progression. Everyone is online all the time. It keeps everyone connected especially when they go up North for the summer.”
Recently some doves nested by the cart barn and May has been posting photos along with comments from people about the nesting birds, the News-Press reported.
“It brings to life online what is going on in the real world,” May said. “It’s an extension of the lifestyle we are living.”
Bill Senter, a Quail Creek member, lives in Colorado in the summer and stays connected to his Naples lifestyle through technology, the News-Press reported.
“As we get older we have to stay relevant, we have to stay contemporary,” Senter began. “That’s what I like about Quail Creek. It makes it more relevant to the time we live in. We are not just pigeon-holed into an old custom corner.”
Senter has been following the renovations and news from Quail Creek through the technology May has put together, the News-Press reported.
“Even though there is a distance between Denver, Colo., and Naples, Fla., technology lets me stay excited about the changes at the club,” Senter explained. “I think it’s good for the membership and good for the club. It’s a win-win situation. It’s changing our lives in a good way. Watching the progress at Quail Creek is like watching a weekly TV series. You get to tune in and see what’s new. It’s pretty exciting.”
Ted Monty, managing director of Quail Creek Country Club, said it is unique to have a staff member solely dedicated to digital marketing and that is what makes Quail Creek special. With the big changes this summer, the technology becomes an even more important tool to link both year-round and winter residents with the latest news, the News-Press reported.
“We are working hard to differentiate ourselves,” Monty said.
Quail Creek is undertaking a $5 million renovation that is beginning with major changes on one of the two golf courses. All the grass is being killed, the dirt is being removed and new grass is being installed, along with a new irrigation system, the News-Press reported.
“The irrigation system was old technology,” Monty began. “We wanted to be better stewards of Mother Nature and use less water. Because of new technology we can put water where we want it and don’t have to put water in one area to get it in another area.”
Monty said this is the first complete renovation in the club’s history. Work is also underway on the 53,000-sq. ft. clubhouse. The clubhouse has an older, darker, formal look and that is about to change. Downstairs walls are being removed from a dark dining room that will soon open up to an outdoor patio, with plans that include adding bocce ball and a world-class spa, the News-Press reported.
“This is what the members are looking for,” Monty said.
C&RB’s July cover story focuses on how clubs use technology to enhance membership and entice new members.
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