by Fred Seely
Editorial Director
The multi-million dollar renovation of Marsh Landing’s clubhouse is on schedule for a September opening, says the club’s general manager, Bruno Couturier.
Only the golf shop will be in the same place when the clubhouse opens as every other interior wall was removed. The work started over a year ago.
“It’s coming out beautifully,” said Couturier during a tour last week. “It will be worth waiting for.”
The basic frame is the same with the addition of a new dining room built over the outdoor patio which overlooked the ninth green.
“We wanted to have better views of the course,” said Couturier, showing off the large windows that give vistas of the ninth hole and, across a marsh, the first fairway. “We also needed better dining and bar service for our members.”
The old bar, a small room which placed the patrons’ backs to the view, is radically different with a large horseshoe bar and an expanded seating area. It’s adjacent to the new dining area.
The ballroom is the old dining room but expanded.
“We can seat 250 for a meal,” said Couturier, “and probably 300 or so for a stand-up function. We’ve needed the extra capacity for parties and receptions.”
The front of the club has a major change — only one door. The original clubhouse had two doors, one into the dining area and one into the lobby and golf shop area. As a result, many visitors got sidetracked when they came to play golf.
“We sealed off the door leading to the dining area so there’s only one way in,” said Couturier, also pointing out the addition of a ramp for handicapped. The handicap access previous was on the other side of the clubhouse.
The new entrance leads into a small lobby with a concierge desk. The new men’s locker room is to the left — it had been to the right — and has been expanded to include enough room for food and bar service. The pro shop is adjacent.
The ladies’ locker room is down a corridor to the right, just past a suite of offices.The corridor then leads to the dining areas.
The expansion includes an extra kitchen to serve the banquet area.
Jacksonville’s Ted Pappas was the architect and The Angelo Group is doing the work.
The construction is scheduled to be finished by Sept. 1 and a grand opening will be Sept. 9.