Case Study

Hawthorn Woods Country Club:

Redefining the Private Club Experience for the 21st Century

Opportunity

Luxury home and residential community developer Toll Brothers was building 600 homes in the northern suburbs of Chicago and required a successful private club to become the centerpiece of the development and ultimately help drive residential lot sales.  Seeking a partner with proven private club experience and a track record of success in the Chicago market, the client selected KemperSports to develop and operate what would become Hawthorn Woods Country Club. 

Action

In order to meet the client's goal of driving real estate sales, KemperSports immediately recognized the need to reinvent the private club experience to become a central, vibrant part of the growing, active community.  KemperSports understood that a more traditional golf club was not right.  Following careful market and customer needs research, KemperSports determined that prospective members wanted more than a place to play golf.  What this community's residents were seeking was a private club where they could build lifelong relationships, raise kids, and participate in a wide range of athletic and social activities.

As a result, in addition to an Arnold Palmer Signature-Design championship golf course, KemperSports developed a multi-dimensional 27,000-square-foot clubhouse, a Junior Olympic sized swimming pool, a separate tennis and platform tennis complex, and fitness facilities.  Additionally, KemperSports built a comprehensive suite of amenities and programming all targeted at delivering “More for Today’s Active Families.”  Knowing that families were looking for an all-inclusive private club experience, KemperSports carefully crafted the club’s dining facility to include family-friendly menu options and family oriented services such as take-out.  In addition, they created a full calendar of adult and family social events.

Results

Today, Hawthorn Woods is a thriving club that serves active families with a broad range of golf abilities and recreational interests.  Members report high levels of satisfaction with the club’s programming, events, sense of camaraderie, membership value and virtually all key aspects of the golf course.  With an outstanding referral rate, Hawthorn Woods enjoys a steady stream of new members and high rates of member retention.  In July 2008, Hawthorn Woods Country Club served as host for the 59th Illinois Open Championship, the largest, longest running and most prestigious event on the Illinois PGA calendar.

 

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