After extensive renovation, Lindero Country Club is reaching for a new identity as it markets itself more widely as a destination place for the public. When David Smith purchased the 70-acre Agoura Hills-based golf course facility in 1994, it needed major fixing up. He renovated the golf course, built a driving range and made minor changes to the club. He also allowed the course to be open to the public, catering largely to families and offering membership on a lower-end price scale. It wasn’t until years later that Smith decided to build on this by creating a completely new image for the club. Smith has finally transformed the property, spending about $1.15 million on the upgrades at the club’s restaurant, banquet facility, kitchen, patio, pool and tennis courts. While renovations were completed in August, the club has just recently started more focused marketing to the community. “A year and a half ago, I made a decision to change the business model of Lindero County Club,” Smith said. “I was looking to become a destination for non-golfers.” Instead of a restaurant that serves cheeseburgers and hot dogs and that is only open to golfers, the club now features the Hideaway restaurant, which is open to the community and offers a more elaborate menu. The restaurant’s former line cook was replaced by a locally-acclaimed chef. The kitchen has doubled in size, and on the patio, cabanas, new tiles and a pizza oven have been added. New division The club has even launched a special events division, which focuses on booking events such as weddings, birthday parties and business seminars for a couple hundred people. Before the club makeover, the only events that took place there were those occasionally put on by golfers, Smith said. While the overall improvements consisted of some light construction, Smith said most of the changes involved new fixtures, such as furniture, carpeting, lighting and decor. Another change includes a much larger combined restaurant and banquet staff, which has increased from about five employees to about 40. Part of Smith’s decision to change his business model was due to the fact that Lindero Country Club’s membership had been suffering. Membership has dropped at the club by about 50 percent over the past 10 years. “I’ve seen the game of golf and the business of golf in the United States trend in the wrong way for at least five to seven years,” said Smith, who has been in the golf business for more than 30 years. “So, I realized the golf business model was broken.” Business outreach In recent months, Lindero Country Club has been more actively reaching out to local non-profits, businesses and business groups. It has hired a public relations company to help with getting the word out, and it is offering a 10 percent discount to businesses that book events at the club in 2011. “We’re aggressively trying to grow our partnerships with businesses in the area and in the community that we would like to have partnerships for on an ongoing basis,” Smith said. So far, companies such as Dole Food Co., Merrill Lynch and Mosaic Marketing Partners LLC have already held functions there, along with various non-profit groups. Chris Kolodziejski, president of Mosaic Marketing Partners in Camarillo, said the food and service are what stood out. Now that the country club has upgraded its visual appeal and amenities, Smith said golf course membership is set to rise. The club will maintain its initiation fee of $750 and monthly use fee of $125 for a family, or for four corporate designees, until the first 100 new memberships are sold. After that, the initiation fee will likely increase by about $500 and the monthly fee will likely only increase slightly, Smith said.
Owner Changes Lindero Country Club Business Model
