Pickleball courts are latest in $1.5 million worth of renovations St. at Cloud Country Club
Pickleball courts and front tees are the latest changes at St. Cloud Country Club – the culmination of two years and about $1.5 million in renovations.
“It was full down there last week every morning,” club General Manager Denise Lenaghan said of the courts, which were opened June 22.
In April, the country club debuted renovated locker rooms, pro shop, offices, a cards/meeting room, a digital golf simulator and rebranded their clubhouse restaurant to The View. The changes are thanks to two gifts from anonymous member families totaling about one million dollars for the interior renovations and about a half million dollars for the pickleball courts, according to Lenaghan.
“We’re very, very fortunate to have the amazing membership that we have, not just the member-donors, but the membership as a whole,” she said. “They’re very supportive – a very tight knight group – but also very welcoming to new members.”
She said the club is actively looking to grow and that members regularly drive from as far as Maple Lake and Willmar.
Much of the changes at SCCC have come since the March 2023 hire of Lenaghan, who was previously the GM of Granite City Food and Brewery in St. Cloud. Last December Patty Gaetz came on as the club’s membership and events director having before been in wine and liquor sales.
Both are excited to advertise the new and refurbished amenities for events.
The club added a patio in 2022 and regularly hosts social nights in the dining room, pool or on the course, which Gaetz said she heard from members is in its best shape ever.
“We’re working on pickleball leagues here,” Lenaghan said.
The St. Cloud Country Club has operated since 1911 on the west bank of the Mississippi River in southern St. Cloud. In addition to the 18-hole golf course and club house, the club has an outdoor pool, practice green and driving range. Front tee boxes were added this season.
The new pickleball courts at the St. Cloud Country Club are pictured July 15. An anonymous member gift of about $500,000 made the renovation from tennis to pickleball possible.
“People that join the country club are joining as much for golf and networking that inclusivity that you get when you join a club,” Lenaghan said.
There are over a dozen golf courses within a half-hour drive of St. Cloud with one other private club: Travelers Country Club in Clear Lake.
Others offering membership packages.
The pickleball courts in St. Cloud replace tennis courts that were rarely used. Lenaghan said there was no opposition to their tearing up to be resurfaced for pickleball. She added that a portion of the area could always be overhauled back, if demand for tennis reappeared.
Other pickleball courts in the St. Cloud area can be found at Central Park in Avon, at Rivers Edge Park in Waite Park, at Val Smith Park, Sta-fit and the Sartell Community Center in Sartell, and in St. Cloud at the YMCA, Calvary Hill Park, The Club-Total Fitness and Racquetball, Whitney Recreation Center.
Northern Paddles is a pickleball club that schedules daily morning play at several of the listed courts with president Kurt Lemke saying the sport continues to grow in the area.
St. Cloud CC’s sport, social and its full memberships offer access to its courts, which are available for reservation or free play during club hours.
This spring the Trackman iO simulator got up and running in what used to be basement office space. To make sure the tech fit, the foundation was cut 14 inches deeper.
Contractor Rice Companies, of Sauk Rapids, did all of SCCC’s work.
It will get more use during the offseason winter months and during rainy days, but club pro Brady Engen often uses the sim booth for club fittings, and it is always available for reservation. The software is becoming more common at courses and dedicated businesses and has dozens of games or can simulate championship courses from around the world.
“The technology uses infrared, doppler and a camera for its calculations; it’s the best one you can get,” Engen said. “You hit into a screen off of a turf mat and the software is up ahead of you. There’s more statistics than you can shake a stick at.”
There is more office space now, and slightly less room in the pro shop, though Engen said “Overall it is much more functional, much cleaner and much more useful.”
St. Cloud Country Club contracted with Rice Companies out of Sauk Rapids to do the work on the Clubhouse.
