Twin Hills undergoes expansion
Date: 5/1/2014
By Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.comLONGMEADOW – In a time of economic uncertainty for the golfing industry, Twin Hills Country Club has not only been able to remain strong, but grow in recent years.
The private golf club has embarked on a multi-million expansion and improvement project for both its dining and golfing facilities that, while not yet completed, has already resulted in more revenues and additional memberships.
“I was at a local convention recently and you heard a lot about how clubs are struggling. We’re certainly not struggling,” Twin Hills General Manager Atillio Cardaropoli said. “We started this project last year and we’re about 80 percent complete at this point. The response has been terrific. When I first took over in 2009, this club has 80 members. We now have more than 300.”
Cardaropoli explained that keeping membership between 300 and 400 people was ideal because it allowed for a more leisurely experience that members appreciated.
“With 300 members, we’re still small enough that you can come any time and get a tee time,” he said. “You don’t have to call; there’s no waiting. You can just come and play.”
The centerpiece of the construction project was a renovation and expansion of the club’s banquet facilities. While updating some existing parts of the building, a new section was recently completed that adds approximately 20,000 square feet of space for events.
“One of the main purposes of the renovations was to generate more events,” Cardaropoli said. “We have an ideal location here in Longmeadow with great views and now we can offer rooms of all different sizes for parties as small as 10 people to as large as 700 or 800.”
Outside of the large banquet room, the outdoor patio overlooking the course was also expanded to double its size, something Cardaropoli said is very attractive to wedding parties, especially as outdoor weddings gain popularity.
He also noted that each banquet room contains its own bar, lending to a sense of privacy and intimacy to events that take place there.
“There could be three different parties going on at the same time and you wouldn’t know it,” Cardaropoli said.
For members, the club’s 19th hole was also completely renovated and expanded, giving it less of a bar-like ambiance and more of one resembling a restaurant.
Outside, the club is putting the finishing touches on a renovation of the in-ground swimming pool and the area surrounding it. In addition to improved pool and locker facilities, a new kitchen is currently being constructed that will exclusively serve pool patrons.
Last, but not least, the golf course has been undergoing continuous work over the past several years, which will continue.
“We’ve made a lot of improvements to the course, specifically putting in new traps and tee boxes,” Cardaropoli said. “We have been working on two to three holes a year and have about seven or eight holes complete. It’s all very weather dependent, so we don’t have an exact schedule on how many we’ll get done a year.”
For more information on Twin Hills Country Club, visit
www.twinhillscc.com.
