Plans are underway to bring a swimming pool, a children’s activity center, expanded fitness facilities, and other improvements to the Traverse City Golf & Country Club (TCG&CC). The project, dubbed the Family Amenity Capital Plan, was approved by the TCG&CC voting membership last week. According to CFO Diane Vanderveen, the TCG&CC will finalize plans for the projects this summer, with the goal of breaking ground in the fall.

"Now that we have a ‘yes’ vote, we can really get down to finalizing the plans,” Vanderveen says. “Our target is to start construction in the fall, and our goal is to have the pool open by the Fourth of July next summer."

Chatter about a new swimming pool at TCG&CC dates back years, as some young families lobbied in favor, while older members were content with the private club without new assessments. Vanderveen says the club has been actively pursuing pool plans since 2014, driven by the feeling that the community needed another family-friendly pool facility.

With the "yes" vote in place, the club can go ahead getting detailed architectural plans, though space has already been carved out for the swimming pool, which Vanderveen says will be prominently visible near the entrance to the clubhouse. The heated outdoor pool will feature multiple sections, including a "zero entry" segment for kids, a portion split into lanes for swimming laps, and a possible third section for more leisurely use.

Other parts of the Family Amenity Capital Plan include:

-- A children’s activity center, which will occupy the space on the lower level of the clubhouse that is currently designated as the fitness facility. Vanderveen says at this early stage, only preliminary ideas exist for how the space will be used or what specific attractions it might feature. The goal is to create something that appeals to all ages of children.

-- A revamped "19th hole" area for casual dining. In addition to dining options for all ages, the 19th hole area will feature several golf simulators for both recreational and year-round training. These machines will help golf teaching pros assess swing speed, analyze the mechanics of a golfer’s spin, and more. They will also allow guests to set up friendly competitions, from swing contests to "hit the target" games.

-- A new fitness center expansion in the east wing of the clubhouse. The space will likely be double the size of the current TCG&CC fitness center. The club also wants to create a more inspiring and welcoming space, with higher ceilings and an outside facing wall for strong natural light. The new fitness center will feature ample space for both cardio equipment and strength training machines. Vanderveen also says that the club is toying with the idea of using some of the extra space for exercise classes.

The TCG&CC membership includes about 400 households, with the total membership sitting above 1,000 with spouses and kids figured in. The voting membership, meanwhile, consists of about 200 golfing members. According to Vanderveen, the club had a high voter turnout for the May 9 Family Amenity Capital Plan vote. Roughly 90 percent of the voting membership was present, with 80 percent of those who voted in favor of the plan.

"We’ve been here for 100 years," Vanderveen says. "We celebrated our centennial in 2015, so we see the new amenities as a good beginning to the chapter of the next 100 years."