Oakwood Country Club soon will reopen after a $4 million revitalization.
David North, manager and executive chef, said he plans to be open Sunday for Mother’s Day. The new club was designed by Spangenburg, Phillips and Tice, of Wichita, Kan., and constructed by Henson Construction, of Enid.
“It’s completely different than the old club. It’s smaller and more efficient,” he said.
Although smaller by square footage, the new club has the appearance of being large due to the open feeling created by the scale of the ceilings and windows, he said. North said there are 102 windows, all facing the golf course. The old club was 33,000 square feet with much unusable space. It was built in 1947 and added to three times over the years. The new club is 18,000 square feet, he said.
The front entrance has 8-foot doors, with ceramic tile throughout, except in the ballroom and other specialty rooms. The ballroom can be separated into two rooms, complete with a projector and sound system for private meetings.
The dining room has a capacity of 220, and there are 520 reservations for Mother’s Day.
Demolition of the old club began April 11, 2009, and construction took about a year. North and his staff have spent the last three weeks moving in. They still are waiting on some custom pieces.
“This is a $4 million project and it was paid 75 percent cash from the members. We’re still an equity club, meaning the members own it,” North said. “There will be some clubs close this year, but Enid is still doing well.”
The value a country club brings to a community is in its use by corporations to help recruit employees, North said. The club is part of a community of people who want to belong and enjoy a club atmosphere, quality golf course and restaurant, he said.
“It’s being used as a recruiting tool,” North said.
Membership is growing after being down for a period of time. There currently are 360 members, he said. Interest in membership has increased since the construction started, he said. The club remained operational during the work, and North said all services and activities continued, including the Perry Maxwell-designed golf course. The dining room moved to a different location. North credited the membership with the vision to construct the new club.
“The members saw it as a good feature and they are behind it and share the vision,” he said. “Their reward is seeing the club with their kids.”