Holding the bag.

Ozaukee Country Club in Ozaukee, WI had a good problem. Golf Pro Rich Tock found that the amount of family golf play had increased dramatically. But the average family was storing three to four bags, versus the one bag per family that had been the norm in past years.

With 300 golf members, "We were trying to put 12 pounds of (stuff) in a 10-pound bag," Tort said. We had three or four bags per stall. It was that way for 14 years."

Then the club undertook a $7 million renovation that included new men's and women's locker rooms, a new pro shop, and revamping of the clubhouse. Rich Tock and Paul Anthony, CCM, general manager of Ozaukee at the time, decided to go for the gusto. They specified bag storage for 1,000 bags.

Jim Olson, AIA, was the architect manager on the renovation of the 80-year-old club for Zimmerman Design Group of Milwaukee, the project architect. "They needed a new men's and women's locker room," Olsen said. The locker rooms were at one end of the building and the pro shop was at the other end of the building. We put an addition on the North end that included locker rooms, pro shop, bag storage, and cart storage.

The club began to do its homework on the envisioned 1,000-bag bag storage room. Golf pro Rick Tock knew Paul Olsen, the president of Spacesaver Group, which is headquartered in Fort Atkinson, WI. "When we did the new building I went through their plant and did a tour," Tock said. Spacesaver designs, manufactures, and installs storage units used in everything from records archives to warehouses. The concept is designed to eliminate wasted aisle space. There is only one empty row, which is moved where it's needed by pushing some units together and pulling others apart.

Working with Spacesaver president Olsen and the Space-saver rep, the Ozaukee management team designed the bag space "down to the third of an inch," Tock said. Once they had the configuration they needed, they realized that it would be too heavy for the teenaged attendant to move. So they invested in the automated system. Now 1,000 bags can be stored in one neat, compact cube. At the touch of a button, an attendant can quickly locate or replace any given bag. Total cost of the system installed was $58,000.

The architects also spruced up the look of the bag room, realizing that even though frustrated members would no longer be helping attendants to cull through stacked up bags, they still might step into the entrance of the storage area.

Considering that the bag room revisions stemmed from increased family play, it's no surprise that the architects' charge in creating the locker rooms and renovating the dining room was to also address the less-formal, more family-friendly atmosphere of the club.

"They wanted to get rid of the 'Radisson Hotel look,'" Olson said, "while still being able to hold weddings and black tie events." The spaces in the club reflect that philosophy.

The men's locker room has a clerestory cathedral ceiling and "dark masculine" alder wood lockers with integrated benches. Both the men's and ladies' locker rooms have custom-designed lighting fixtures and carpeting.

The ladies' locker room has more feminine colors and fabrics. The lockers were pre-coated in a white finish, then a custom faux finish on doors was executed and lacquer coated by a local artisan.

Both locker rooms have lounges that can double as meeting rooms simply by closing doors that provide pass-through access. The men's lounge has a bar in it.

There are separate shower and grooming areas. "The women have dressing rooms just like in a department store," Olson said. "They wanted an area where they could just run in and change clothes if they wanted to."

Ozaukee General Manager Bernd Sturm, CCM is very impressed with the look and efficiency of the renovated spaces, and the speed with which the project came together. Construction started in October of 2002 and was completed by May 27, 2003--in time for Memorial Day.

Ozaukee's membership in all categories is now at 340. Golf membership, which at the time of the renovation was at 300--25 more than the clubhouse could comfortably accommodate--dipped slightly during the renovation because of the combined effects of a weak economy and an assessment for the capital improvements.

Now--just like the racks in its bag room--Ozaukee is ready to roll. Membership is climbing back up and the club is positioned to accommodate the growth with family-friendly golf and clubhouse facilities.