Heron Lakes Country Club will become semi-private in early 2018, according to its new management, Bloom Golf Management of Pass Christian, Mississippi.
The change was recently announced along with a plan to renovate the golf course and clubhouse. The renovations began Monday, Nov. 20, company spokesman David Spence said. It will be the third renovation in course history, according to a statement from Bloom.
“Earlier this fall, Bloom Golf Management entered into an agreement to bolster the 18-hole course designed by Harold Stallings in 1954,” a statement reads. “The Heron Lakes subdivision, started in 2000, allowed course designer Earl Stone to create four new challenging holes surrounded by six lakes. Heron Lakes then renovated all 18 greens in 2004, converting to Champion Bermudagrass.”
Semi-private means the club’s golf course and event space would open to the public, while there would still be a private side to the clubhouse, Spence said. Like many other public links, the golf course will charge greens fees, although Spence didn’t elaborate on costs.
“We’re fine-tuning all of that,” he said. “We want to get the word out that we’re under new management.”
Heron Lakes features a 46,000 square-foot clubhouse, 5,000 square feet of banquet space, several dining options, an Olympic-size pool, nine tennis courts and a fitness center.
Already known as one of Mobile’s premier special event venues, there will be more opportunities in 2018 to host weddings, meetings, office parties and the like. The newly renovated facilities can accommodate from 20 to 400 guests, according to the statement.
“We are excited for the opportunity to restore Heron Lakes to prominence in the Metro Mobile area and the renovations should go a long way in doing that,” Russ Bloom, president of Bloom Golf Management, said in the statement. “A renewed commitment to service and to the golf experience are our top priorities.”
The change is occurring after a vote of the club’s top-level membership. Councilman John Williams, a Heron Lakes member who also represents the area on the City Council, said the affirmative vote happened about three weeks ago. Williams said with membership levels where they were, it was time for the change to semi-private.
“It’s hard to make it as a club,” he said. “It was a bunch of guys trying really hard to run a business. The club has been losing members and losing money for years.”
As for the residents of the nearby neighborhoods, including Heron Lakes, Williams said many wanted the club to open up to the public.
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