Hickory Hills Country Club set for facility revamping

RENDERING PROVIDED BY Hickory Hills Country Club

Hickory Hills Country Club plans to overhaul the private facility, with a new three-season patio being among major renovation work.

Hickory Hills Country Club plans to start renovating the private east-side Springfield facility in the fall, with plans also in the works to overhaul its 18-hole course.

Gabrielle Martin, the club’s director of marketing and membership, said major renovations include an expanded pro shop to include a health and fitness center and a new three-season patio. Martin declined to disclose planned renovation costs.

“All of the interior is basically getting a full facelift,” she said. “We are taking several of the spaces that are quite underutilized and converting them.”

Among those conversions will be a new executive conference center, as well as reworked activity, gaming and event space, Martin said. She said the club also will transform its current pool locker rooms for more of a “spa feel.”

“Probably one of the biggest components is going to be the three-season patio,” Martin added. “We currently do have outdoor patio space, but we’ll be extending that and making that something that can be utilized year-round.”

She said the new patio will include a double-sided fireplace, additional linear fire pits, heaters, fans and a separate bar with televisions.

“It’ll also include kind of a roundabout, which is really unique for our golf carts,” Martin said. “On the turn, (golfers) can come in, just park their carts and come on over for a beer and a burger.”

The renovations are being funded mostly through club operations. Martin said Hickory Hills has about 640 member families and a staff of roughly 100 employees.

“Our members have been very involved in this process,” she said, noting the renovations were directed by a member survey, member focus groups and outside consultants. 

In addition to a new health and fitness center, she said, the expanded pro shop will include an indoor golf simulator and increased cart storage.

“We’re hoping to make this a nine-month project,” Martin said. “We’d like to be done in the spring, so we can tackle phase two, which is the golf course master plan.”

She said the club will tackle one wing of renovations at a time to not disrupt daily operations. A redo of the golf course remains in the planning stages, Martin said.