By: Sharon Aron Baron
While we’re on vacation here is an article courtesy of the Tamarac Historical Society that residents of Woodmont Country Club may find interesting. This was dated March 12, 1977 when the Woodmont Country Club had just opened.
Is the truly private country club – one that’s owned and operated by its members – a vanishing species in South Florida?
It was, believe the creators of the first totally private club to open here in several years. Woodmont Country Club, which formally opened January 1, as a strictly members-only facility, is located in the newly developed residential community of Woodmont on University Drive midway between Inverrary and the City of Coral Springs.
Interior of the Woodmont Country Club – Courtesy of the Tamarac Historical Society (click photo to make larger)
“The lack of this type of country club in recent years,” says Woodmont Construction Co. President Eugene Toll, “has surprised and disappointed a lot of Florida newcomers. They’re accustomed to member-owned and member-operated clubs in the north. When they become residents of country club communities and/or join a country club in South Florida they usually find they’re in a semi-private or, in reality, just plain public situation.
“Many people I know that live in so-called country club developments have chosen to take memberships in outside clubs in an attempt to escape overcrowding.” he said. Woodmont country Club rules are set up to assure that residents of the 800 acre community will be the controlling member.
Only purchasers of an apartment home, villa, or single family home in Woodmont will be able to purchase a permanent membership.
“Residents have a year’s option from the date of closing on purchase of a $6,000 permanent membership,” Toll explained. “And that payment can be distributed over a five-year period dating from Jan. 1st, 1977.” Governing of the club will be in the hands of member-elected board of directors and committees.
As presently set up, permanent members pay $600 a year for us of the modernistic all-wood country club as well as for golf and tennis play. A $300 annual fee covers use of the country club and tennis courts only.
There are no social memberships available.
Non-residents can join as members on a year-to-year basis at a charge of $800 annually for club, golf and tennis privilege and $500 for country club and tennis only.
Even corporate memberships will be limited to four “named” persons and even the Woodmont staff can use the facility only with membership purchase.
With one of the most dramatic clubhouses in Florida, two golf courses and a tennis complex of 20 clay/composition courts, Woodmont’s facilities are among the most extensive in the area.
Both of the 18-hole course were designed by well-known golf course architects, Robert Von Hagge and Bruce Devlin, to preserve the thickly-wooded environment with its stands of cypress and pine. The par 72 Cypress course plays 7,016 yards from the championship tees. The shorter Pines executive course, which will be expanded to championship length in 1977, plays from 5,671 yards with par at 70.
The tennis pavilion not only includes the 20 courts – 13 are completed in the first phase – but a tennis pro shop plus locker and showers.
An informal restaurant, the Halfway House, provides light luncheons for golf and tennis players and is situated within the total complex dominated by the $2 million clubhouse.
Sharply angled roof lines of the impressive structure combine with an all-wood exterior to make it totally unique for South Florida. It’s positioning, too – on a knoll that rises some 26 feet above surrounding grounds – makes it a dominant facet of the community. Designed by Haack Groves and Associates of Fort Lauderdale, the contemporary clubhouse contains dining room and lounge on an upper level, where glass walls provide views of the green and far-flung golf course. On the lower level are card and game rooms, saunas, locker facilities and cart and club creates and esthetic continuity for the heavily wooded community.
Apartment homes at Woodmont, priced in the first phase from $38,000 to $53,000 are designed with eight units per two story building, the highest any structure in Woodmont will ever be.
First phase single family villas range in price from $51,000 to $68,500 for two and three bedroom styles. These clustered, detached residences will offer the maintenance-free living of the condominium concept.
Two, three and four bedroom single-family homes – available in one or two story designs are priced from $65,000 to $100,000 plus.
Woodmont also offers estate-sized single family lots of a half-acre each at an average selling price of approximately $45,000. Custom building in this area will be in keeping with the other architectural styling – through a strict architectural control committee – in the low-density community.
Fully decorated models of each residential type are located on University Drive, a mile and a half north of Commercial Boulevard.
