Seeking to shape up his club's membership appeal, manager Scott Jaccard turned a small space into a marketing dynamo.

Plenty of private golf and country clubs added a fitness area and/or spa to their clubhouse in the '90s. In some instances the facilities were lavish--reflecting those who were young or young at heart and with discretionary time and money to spend on their physical and mental well-being.

Over the past few years, clubs have struggled with the decline of golf and an oversupply of golf courses leading to trouble maintaining membership levels. Madelyn Hochstein, founder and president of DYG, Inc., a national trend research firm, told managers attending this year's CMAA Conference that their members have shifted personal priorities from a "quality of life" emphasis in the '80s and '90s to a search for a "valuable life" anchored in spiritual and ethical values.

Part of that shift encompasses a focus on physical and mental balance: The harried professionals who belong to a middle-tier golf or country club are working out, doing yoga, meditating, and engaging in activities that allow them to focus on their families. So while a club fitness center might have been window dressing in the last decade, it's now a critical benchmark for potential members considering a club and existing members evaluating the worth of the membership.

When club consultant Bill McMahon of McMahon Group did a walk-through at Forest Hills Country Club in Clarkson Valley, MO in late 2002, he suggested as much to General Manager Scott Jaccard, CCM. Forest Hills found itself in a tough competitive battle with fee courses and other clubs for members. "You've got to differentiate yourself," McMahon told Jaccard. "There's not a club near you that offers fitness."

Clarkson Valley is an affluent suburb of St. Louis, MO where corporate commuters play tag with deer every morning and evening. Forest Hills, incorporated in 1963, calls itself "The Family Club of Choice." Forest Hills' Championship Course, designed by Chick Adams and later renovated by Dick Nugent, was home to the Ladies' Professional Golf Tournament's Michelob Light Classic for six years. Forest Hills also has a nine-hole course, which is used by members and their families. Members are typically corporate executives and small business owners.

"We were trying to bring in a younger member, and we noticed that as prospective members were coming to the club, while the husband was the primary golfer, we really needed something for the non-golfing spouse," Jaccard said.

The other part of Jaccard's challenge lay in the areas of finance and his existing membership. The promoter of the LPGA event--which had once been a boon to the club--had begun encountering financial difficulties, and tournament committee had declined to host a diminished event. With an average member age of 58, Jaccard had a tough sell on his hands in developing the center.

If ever there was a test of the "Manager as Leader" paradigm, this was it. Jaccard needed to make a directional adjustment in his club's culture without throwing money at the problem. He put on his leader's hat, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work.

The departure of the LPGA had freed up some space that had been used for tournament offices and storage. By combining that space with part of the area surrounding a snack bar, Jaccard was able to round up 1,300 square feet without paying for new construction. As a bonus, members using the fitness facility could grab something to eat or drink after their workout.

Jaccard and the club's long range planning committee interviewed several firms before engaging consultant OrthoTech Sports Medical Equipment based in Collinsville, IL. Tom Johnston, account manager for OrthoTech, gives Jaccard and his committee high marks for having a clear vision for Forest Hills and for bringing in a consultant early in the game.

"What Scott has done is realize that fitness is no longer a luxury for a club, it's a necessity. He's taken a small space and converted it into a functional and competitive fitness center," Johnston said. "People are no longer looking for a multi-gym and a bike. Instead of having your members going to another facility for fitness, you create a mini version of a gym with full circuit training, full cardio, and some free weights."

Jacaard's concept of using the fitness center as a carrot to entice younger members into Forest Hills provided marching orders for OrthoTech in designing the center. "You want to focus on your membership base. Who's going to be using it--who you're trying to target," Johnston said. "One of the things you have to do at times in clubs is focus on the membership age. In the case of Forest Hills this is a way of capturing that younger membership market."

Even the physical look of the space reflects that youthful bent. "It looks kind of like a Starbucks," Johnston said, "with an open commercial ceiling." Within the mirrored walls and rubber flooring that complete the confines of the compact space, Forest Hills has placed a Nautilus circuit; Star Trac elliptical machines, treadmills, and spinning bikes; Intek dumbbells; a Cardio Theater audio/TV system; and a Flex Smith machine.

The Smith machine and the lack of extensive free weights other than dumbbells reflect Jaccard's approach toward staffing the center. Other than a part time receptionist May through October, the fitness center has no staff dedicated to its operation. During the off-season, members can sign themselves in to train. The Smith--an upper body machine which allows controlled bench presses, squats, and other lifts that would normally require a spotter--limits the liability exposure the club would have with unsupervised heavy free weights.

That is not to say that there is no help for members wanting assistance with their workouts. An orientation session is mandatory before using the center. While Jaccard handles some of those sessions, most are eagerly undertaken by three contract personal trainers, who find that introducing Forest Hills members to the center results in continuing revenue for them.

There was no capital assessment necessary to create the fitness facility. The $72,000 construction cost and $60,000 for equipment was funded out of the club's cash flow.

Was it effective in attracting new, younger members? The Forest Hills fitness center may not have been the sole factor driving new membership applications, but Jaccard feels it has served its intended purpose. The center opened in May 2003. By May 2004, when this article went to press, the average member age had dropped from 58 to 55 and Jaccard was preparing to bring 19 new member names to his next board meeting.

And how have the club's older members reacted to the fitness center? "They were very wary when we were building it," Jaccard said, "but now they're using it."