The clubhouse at Stonehenge Golf & Country Club. (Courtesy Stonehenge)
For the first time since the 1990s, Stonehenge Golf & Country Club is fully in control of its own destiny.
The private, member-owned club at 1000 Furnham Drive in Chesterfield County recently brought its day-to-day management back in-house after breaking away from third-party golf course management giant Invited Clubs.
The move, which received overwhelming member support in a vote, means that all business decisions related to the club are now handled by its board of directors and general manager.
It comes as many clubs continue to ride a wave of momentum that began during the pandemic, when golf became a go-to sport during the era of social distancing, and has helped Stonehenge grow its membership base to 650.
TW Pulliam
“We just felt we were in a good spot to manage it ourselves and we couldn’t be more excited,” said TW Pulliam, the club’s general manager.
While it has been member-owned since its founding in the 1970s, Stonehenge had been managed and controlled by an outside party since 1995, when it struck a long-term agreement with ClubCorp, the predecessor to Invited Clubs.
But the club’s membership decided to terminate that deal early to gain more control in making changes and upgrades to the grounds.
And those upgrades have already begun.
Pulliam said near-term work that’s already been completed or is in the works includes new flooring at the pool, a new underground irrigation pump, an upgraded locker room, new lighting in the clubhouse and a facelift for the pro shop.
“Now we make the decisions through the board and they determine where we spend our money and we have a priority list and a bunch of committees and a long-range committee and we have a plan,” Pulliam said.
Membership director Matt Morris said the changes are adding to the club’s momentum in membership growth. He said the club has around 500 golf members and 150 social members, with a goal of hitting 550 golf members – the max its bylaws will allow.
“We’ve seen those numbers growing,” Morris said. “Richmond is a saturated golf market. There are clubs on a wait list for 2-3 years. We’re trying to get to that point. It’s a matter of investing in the club, where maybe that has been lacking in recent years.”
Morris said the continued growth of the surrounding areas of Chesterfield also bodes well for the club.
“With so many developments around us, it’s kind of a booming area. In my opinion, I feel like a wait list is inevitable,” he said.
A full golf membership at Stonehenge runs around $500, plus a $1,500 up-front stock purchase fee, which gives them voting rights and an ownership stake.
The club also offers corporate memberships for $405 a month, plus stock and initiation fees, along with a young professional (35-and-under) membership of around $350 a month and a social membership for around $130.
Morris, who came to work at Stonehenge in 2021, said being free from outside management and the growth in membership is driving a boost of the overall vibe at the club.
“In my four years-plus of being here this is the most positive I’ve seen the club,” he said. “It’s kind of a new era at Stonehenge”
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