Source: St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Carrollwood, Fla. - Members of the newly revamped private country club that winds through Carrollwood Village will start seeing the grand plan come to fruition in 2005.
The new clubhouse, now under construction, is due to open June 15. The 20,000-square-foot building will have member dining areas, a fine dining room and banquet areas to host all kinds of parties.
"We'll be able to do large functions like sit-down wedding receptions for about 325 people, and stand-up hors d'oeuvre type receptions could have up to 500 people," said Dana Saad, general manager of Emerald Greens at Carrollwood LLC.
An outside terrace on the new clubhouse will overlook the golf course.
The massive renovations under way at Emerald Greens amount to much more than a few bandages here and there. The new owners are rebuilding the whole place from scratch.
"You can look at it as an entirely new club," Saad said. "Every hole, every building and every amenity is being redone.
"Obviously, Carrollwood is a nice residential community, and I think we'll be an asset to the community," said Saad, who worked as general manager at the country club in Avila before joining Emerald Greens.
The club will only be open to members. Nonmembers can rent the banquet rooms for weddings or other events if they are sponsored by a member.
Whereas the old golf shop was in a remote building away from the clubhouse, the new golf shop will be in the main building. The plans also include a snack bar and restroom area where golfers can take a break between holes.
The athletic complex, which features swimming, tennis courts, day spa and fitness center, also is under construction. The eight tennis courts, which are all clay and have an underground watering system, were recently completed.
Saad said the athletic complex will have its own 5,000-square-foot clubhouse to serve tennis players, exercisers and people at the day spa - a club within the club.
"It's going to enhance the Carrollwood community," Saad said. "It will be one of the centerpiece attractions of the area. When people move to Tampa and they're looking for a private club, they'll look at Carrollwood Village."