In 2007, Tom Lehman and his golf course design group renovated the North Oaks Golf Club course to make it more challenging for low handicappers and more playable and fun for the average golfer. Now, the club is renovating the clubhouse with something similar in mind — enhancing the experience for all members and guests.
“We’re doing a $4.5 million renovation of the clubhouse facility, including updating the exterior of the building, adding a couple buildouts, and re-appropriating all of our dining spaces,” says Phil Anderson, North Oaks Golf Club general manager. “So, it is a fairly big overhaul in resetting the clubhouse to match up with our members’ expectations for desired experiences.”
The clubhouse exterior will get a facelift with new siding, all new windows and doors, a new roof, and a beautiful stone base around the entire perimeter.
“The clubhouse is 27 years old, so we’re trying to get all of our infrastructures in place in the event that we add additional amenities,” Anderson says.
Great Course Views from Every Angle
Members and their guests will see the new look as they enter the clubhouse and are greeted at a concierge desk. You may even notice the new view of the golf course as you walk down the hallway of the golf club.
“We really opened it up,” Anderson says. “There’s a lot more natural lighting. A lot more transparency. When you walk down the hallway, you are going to see the golf course immediately. We have taken down some walls to make it an engaging, open, and welcoming area. I think members will be shocked to see how much the clubhouse has opened up.”
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A Dining Experience for Everyone
The new clubhouse boasts several different dining experiences for your next date night or family night out.
The "Wine Room" will provide an intimate and formal setting for business entertaining or an evening of fine dining.
If members are looking for a more casual dining experience, they can stroll down the hall to the bar and grill, which has been expanded and includes a vaulted ceiling. The bar will feature 12 tap lines (as opposed to the four it previously had) dedicated to local craft beer, and the grill will have a menu full of delectable dishes.
But the club took it a step further by creating another dining space that caters specifically to families. The area has televisions and a family-friendly tableside space that includes multi-generational activities. With the three different dining options, Anderson says everyone will feel welcome in the clubhouse.
“Whether it's the Vikings game on Sunday, or gathering with family, friends, or someone from our community for lunch, we want to be your go-to spot because you are going to have all components you could ever want here,” Anderson says. “We can provide a bar and grill-type setting on the outdoor patio, a family dining experience with the kids, or a romantic wedding anniversary in the wine room.
A Great Patio View
The outdoor patio, the crown jewel of the project, will double in size to accommodate 110 people for pre- and post-round viewing. It will expand toward the course, include additional gas fire pits and create a stadium-type viewing area around the 18th green, which sits in a natural bowl.
“We like to think we have the best golf club patio view in the Twin Cities,” Anderson says.
The entire project is on schedule and is slated to be finished by Memorial Day weekend (with one of the dining spaces opening sometime before that). And since none of the renovations are on the course, it won’t affect the course’s opening this spring. However, by the end of Spring, North Oaks Golf Club will have a new look all around.
