The Shape of Things to Come

As fitness continues to become a vital component in club and resort life, fitness programming must continue to evolve.

by Diana Mirel (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
November 2007
 

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth and final part of a series on fitness in the club and resort environment. Part One, “Feeling the Burn,” appeared in the June issue; Part Two, “Equipped for Results,” appeared in the August issue, and Part Three, “Make it Work,” appeared in the September issue.

After a summer of scouting out fitness facilities throughout the area, the Houston Country Club’s Fitness Expansion Committee presented an expansion plan to the club’s Long-Range Planning Com-mittee. Although the club’s fitness center is only seven years old, the committee already recognized the need to boost its operations, after reviewing the reports and photos of what was happening at other clubs in the area.

The fact is, fitness in club and resort environments has exploded in the past several years, and there are no signs of it slow­­ing down. “Fitness centers within golf and country club settings can no longer be treated like a value-added extra,” says Jeffrey Keller, General Manager of Eagle Pointe Golf & Recreation Center in Mont Belvieu, Texas, and President of the Indepen-dent Health Club Networking Association. “You need to have something that is not just going to be a bonus for members, but can actually pull in new members who might not  otherwise come to your club.”

Further, fitness centers are becoming cornerstones of club and resort life. “Developers, owners and Boards of Directors are hopefully starting to see that fitness can be a revenue-producer and a big part of the club lifestyle,” says Shayne Kohn, Spa & Fitness Director at Old Palm Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens. Fla. According to Kohn, who is also Vice President and a founding member of the Club Spa & Fitness Assn. (C&RB, September 2007, p. 58), fitness is the fastest growing revenue-producer in clubs.

One Stop for All Needs
Because most people no longer have the time or patience to go to one location for a fitness class, another for lunch and yet another for a massage,  clubs and resorts now have the opportunity—and are expected—to be all things for all people.
“We are a time-starved, over-programmed society, and fitness is becoming ubiquitous in country club and resort settings,” says Gregory Florez, spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise, and CEO of FitAdvisor.com. “It is a much better return on people’s time to do everything in one place.”

While this demand for one-stop shopping has put fitness on the club and resort map, a trend toward overall healthy living is catapulting it to the front and center of club life. “People of all ages are starting to realize fitness is a lifestyle,” says Kohn. “Potential homebuyers used to come in and just look at golf or tennis, and maybe the restaurant. Now, you can’t compete if you don’t have a fitness center.”

Bootcamp at Eagle Pointe GC combines military-style resistance and circuit  training to keep the mind stimulated and the body challenged.

Savvy Programming
But not just any fitness facility will suffice. Members and guests are demanding time-efficient, yet effective fitness programming. While traditional group fitness programs focused on one type of exercise (such as step aerobics or spinning classes), there is now a trend toward “express fitness” classes that allow members to work many different muscles in a time-efficient manner. For example, “fusion fitness” classes—integrating cardiovascular, strength, flexibility and relaxation into one 30-to 60-minute class—are becoming increasingly popular.

The same two-birds-with-one-stone thinking has spurred a gradual transition from traditional weight lifting to functional training and sport-specific conditioning, accor-ding to Marty Miller, Spa and Fitness Director at Woodfield Country Club, Boca Raton, Fla.

Additionally, the trend toward linking fitness with golf and tennis, to help improve members’ games, is clearly here to stay. “As more information comes out about popular tennis and golf players who do Pilates or other sport-specific fitness programs, members are beginning to see the benefits to their games,” says Kohn.

To bring this trend to its members, Old Palm GC now offers golf Pilates and golf yoga. “We work very closely with our golf pros,” says Kohn. “They might work with a client and find that he or she has a slice or is tight with his or her backswing. So they’ll send the client to us and say this is what this person needs to work on, and we’ll know which muscles to stretch and strengthen.”

Houston CC hopes to attract more women by following the formula of the successful Curves chain.

This shift in focus has also influenced a new generation of equipment. Clubs are now complementing traditional strength-training machines with stability balls, bands and medicine balls, which allow users to explore a wide range of exercises for a variety of physical needs.

Win-Wins With the Next Generation
Along with changes in adult programming, kids’ programs are also attracting more attention. To help fight the childhood obesity epidemic, clubs are focused on creating interactive and engaging fitness programs that often revolve around technology. Some clubs are bringing in interactive video games like “Dance Dance Revolution,” while others are setting up health and fitness-based podcasts and vodcasts that cater to the younger generation.

“If you are engaging the kids and teens, it is a twofold win for the club,” says Keller. “You get a family membership instead of an individual membership, so there is a short revenue gain. And if you are effectively engaging the kids, you’re creating future members for the next generation.”

To bring more kids into its mix, Eagle Pointe has established a youth-certification program, in which fitness staffers lead kids ages 12 to 15 through a month-long class that focuses on setting up and using equipment, designing a basic fitness program, gym etiquette, and safety. At the end of the month, the kids must pass both written and practical tests to get certified to use the facility.

The program has been hugely successful. Currently, the club offers three sessions per week, running about 24 kids through the program per month. “This program keeps the kids and parents happy,” says Keller. “Additionally, there is an extra fee of service for this, so if the parents want their kids to engage in these sorts of things, they have to pony up for the month to go through the class.”


Ladies First
While golf and country clubs have traditionally been male-dominated, women are quickly catching up—and in some cases passing the men—particularly when it comes to fitness. Bolstering female attendance, therefore, is clearly essential to future fitness success.

In some locations, though, there is still an untapped segment of the female market. For example, Patti Coughlin, Fitness Director at Houston CC, hopes to reach out to women who do not frequent the facility regularly, through a setup that mimics the popular “Curves” chain.

“We would like to have an area that has circuit training for ladies in their 50s and 60s, where they could come in for a two-hour period and get 30 minutes of circuit-training exercise,” says Coughlin. “We are still missing that group of women aged 58 to 70. Some are coming in and working out on the bikes, but I would like to get them away from the bridge tables, and into a fitness program.”

At Bradenton CC, “Fit & Firm Forever” classes feature lasts 45 minutes and a variety of resistance training and weight-bearing exercises to build strong bones, maintain posture, and keep muscles from going from firm to flab.

More Than Thinner Thighs
The biggest trend sweeping through fitness facilities is bringing health, wellness and lifestyle to the forefront. “It is no longer just about thin thighs and losing weight; members are interested in things that really balance their lives,” says Florez. “You’re seeing a lot more Pilates, yoga and other programs that speak to a much more well-rounded lifestyle beyond fitness.”

Kohn agrees. “As a whole, a lot of clubs are getting away from fitness and really moving toward wellness and lifestyle,” she says. At Old Palm, the fitness department works with food and beverage operations to host a variety of wellness events for members, such as health lectures, luncheon seminars and healthy cooking classes.

When incorporating this kind of holistic programming, fitness personnel must extend beyond just personal trainers. In fact, nutritionists, physical therapists and even life coaches are making their way into fitness operations. Tomorrow’s fitness programs will be tackling everything from time management and nutrition to exercise on the road and relaxation, along with more traditional weight loss and toning programs.

Let’s Get Physical
A key piece of holistic programming is physical therapy. “Medically based fitness programming draws in members and keeps them from joining a run-of-the-mill gym down the street,” says Keller. “If it is on-site, the likelihood is they will use more and more services there.” Additionally, leasing on-site space creates another revenue source for the club.
When the sauna in Houston CC’s ladies locker room caught fire a couple of years ago, the club saw a silver lining. Rather than rebuilding the sauna, they rebuilt the space as a physical therapy room. Today, a physical therapy clinic leases the space and offers services exclusively to club members.

Clubs that do not have the space to provide on-site physical therapy can still embrace this trend by partnering with local physical therapists. Old Palm GC, for instance, has a partnership with a group of therapists whose facilities are located just outside the club’s gates. “They usually come in and do lectures for our members, and then when our members need an appointment, we can get them in there pretty quickly,” says Kohn.

Future fitness programs will tackle everything from time management and nutrition to exercise on the road and relaxation.

Workouts Beyond the Walls
In our mobile, on-the-go society, people expect to now have what they need at their fingertips—and fitness is no exception. Thus, club fitness programs are tapping into technology, to be able to also offer services to guests and members outside the property. “Personal trainers and fitness professionals are now expanding their services to provide Web-based and distance-based coaching and training via e-mail, because people are much more mobile and they travel often,” notes Florez.

Trainers and fitness professionals are also putting together programs that incorporate at-home equipment, DVDs and exercises, to supplement time at the club when at home or on the road. 

Staying linked to members at all times also opens up a world of retail opportunities. While golf and tennis shops have long been a part of club and resort operations, fitness retailing has a promising future. Many clubs are setting up new shops with fitness apparel, nutrition bars, headphones, home exercise equipment and other products. “It provides another revenue source, while being very authentic,” says Florez. “It speaks directly to what people want and need.”

Well-Rounded Instructors, Too
As holistic fitness continues to be the wave of the future, a growing need for qualified and educated fitness staffers has emerged. “The level of personal trainer is going up substantially,” says Woodfield CC’s Miller.

Many clubs are now beginning to look not only for trainers and health professionals who are certified, but also for people with degrees in health and wellness. And many properties are willing to foot the bill for continuing education for their fitness staff, to ensure top-notch, on-trend service.

“Your staff has to be willing to work hard and they have to be on the top of their game, which means you can’t just hire anybody,” says Keller. “Long gone are the days of hiring ‘weekend workshop’ personal trainers.”