In a landscape when many clubs are struggling, it’s nearly unheard of for a club to not apply maintenance fees to members. With each new facility or renovation come even more assessments, and the fees can add up to the point that continuing …
In a landscape when many clubs are struggling, it’s nearly unheard of for a club to not apply maintenance fees to members. With each new facility or renovation come even more assessments, and the fees can add up to the point that continuing membership may no longer make fiscal sense.
Breaking yet another mold, Dormie Network, a nationwide network of top-ranked private destination golf clubs, has pledged that full member privileges include no assessments. An easy promise to make if there are no plans to expand access or improve facilities, but the network has already made significant improvements to each of its six clubs, with plans for major capital improvements in 2021.
The network’s portfolio, as of 2020, includes Ballyhack in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Roanoke, Virginia; Hidden Creek on the Jersey Shore; Top 100 Victoria National in Newburgh, Indiana; off-the-grid ArborLinks in Nebraska City, Nebraska; namesake Dormie Club just outside Pinehurst, North Carolina; and Briggs Ranch set in the Hill Country of San Antonio, Texas.
A network like this one naturally draws golf purists, but the improvements made and ongoing are often focused on the experience outside of play: each facility is designed with unmatched hospitality in mind.
Standout renovations and new construction include a complete renovation of ArborLinks’ clubhouse in true prairie style, a new wine room at Ballyhack to complement the club’s vino program and tasting menu, and expansion of Victoria National’s putting green to nearly double the size at 15,000 square feet. A slew of new cottages at Briggs Ranch and Dormie Club has converted both clubs into true stay-and-play destinations, and Hidden Creek will also quadruple lodging in 2021 in the form of three new mansion-style lodging houses.
Improved facilities help Dormie not just compete with the traditional country club model but surpass it with seasonal chef-prepared cuisine, specialty cocktails and sommelier-chosen wine, and a standard of at least 60 beds on site. With plans to expand to as many as a dozen clubs covering all regions of the country (and potentially international locales as well), Dormie Network increases member value each year with additional travel opportunities and amenities.
Headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, Dormie Network is under single ownership and provides full membership access to each club with no greens fees, carts fees, annual assessments, or reciprocal play arrangements. With a membership that encourages travel and camaraderie in an exclusive yet comfortable atmosphere, every club will feel like your home club. Learn more at dormienetwork.com/golfweek.
