LEWISVILLE, Texas — Castle Hills, a premier mixed-used development in North Texas, signaled a major milestone over the weekend with the announcement that its golf club, The Lakes at Castle Hills, is becoming fully private on May 1, 2014.
The announcement, made at an annual gala member tribute event at The Lakes at Castle Hills’ clubhouse, caps an incredible rise in the club’s fortunes after reopening in September 2011 as a semi-private club, which has continued to flourish.
The club will continue to welcome new members as the May date approaches before transitioning to a member-only country club. The change coincides with the opening of a new 4,000-square-foot fitness center further enhancing the club’s amenities in addition to this year’s additions of tennis courts, resort-style pool, and upgraded indoor and outdoor dining to complement the renovated Jay Morrish-designed golf course.
“Taking the organization private has been part of our plan for The Lakes since Bright Realty assumed ownership in 2010 and management in 2011,” said Chris Bright, chief executive officer of Bright Realty. “The significant course renovations and recent addition of club amenities have been extremely well-received. The clubhouse will also undergo a major renovation bringing The Lakes to the next chapter of being an exclusive private club.”
Since reopening just over two years ago, The Lakes has added a growing membership attracted by the core golf course and enhanced and planned amenities for the club, located in one of the fastest-growing parts of North Texas.
“These are Tour quality greens here every day,” said longtime PGA Tour player Brandt Jobe, who makes the Lewisville course his home facility when he is in town. “People want a nice course when they come out and play and that’s what they have here. Tour players come to play at a course for a reason and they leave for a reason. I think they’re doing it right here.”
“I can get a lot done when I come out here to work on my game,” added PGA Tour player Martin Flores, who recently returned from an early-season Tour event in Asia. “I want to work on all parts of my game and that is something you can do here. Going private will only help them get better.”
PGA Professional Chris Martinez, who serves as The Lakes general manager, said announcement of the club’s transition to fully private brought an excitement to our staff as much as it has to the membership.
“Bright Realty’s long term plan for the club continues to unfold in the scripted direction and the past two years are a great testament of that,” Martinez said. “It’s a huge milestone for us and our many members and something we are quite proud of.”
While the club transitions to its upcoming fully private status, they will continue to add members while still being opened to limited outside play.
Already rated as one of the top golf courses in North Texas, the course was originally opened in 1999 as the Golf Club at Castle Hills. It was closed in May 2011 for extensive renovation and opened that September as The Lakes at Castle Hills.
Currently there is water on 17 of the 18 holes as well as Arkansas crushed quartz bunker sand and premium Mini Verde greens. The 245 acreage was originally Bright family farm land.
The Lakes continues to receive extremely favorable reviews from members, their guests and golf patrons. The facility was awarded Renovation of the Year by Avid Golfer magazine and a finalist in the Renovation of the Year by Golf Inc. magazine.
“Taking the club private will only add to the overall experience. It will allow us to continue providing this kind of environment, as well as an outstanding level of personal service, which I hear from members is unmatched from experiences they’ve had at other clubs,” Bright said. “They appreciate being greeted by name at the valet and that the bartender knows their preferred drink.”
Over the last two years, the course has hosted premier golf events including The Bright Realty Texas State Open along with the PGA Tour qualifying events including Web.com PGA Tour 1st Stage Qualifying and HP Byron Nelson Championship Pre-Qualifying and Monday Qualifying Tournaments, which continue in 2014.
“Not many courses are transitioning from semi-private to fully private, offering the type of customer service experience, quality course conditions and high quality club amenities that we do. We’re certainly proud of the progress our organization has accomplished to date and we look forward to achieving the many positive milestones we have set forth for our staff and member experience,” Martinez said.
For more information on The Lakes at Castle Hills, part of the Bright Realty portfolio, contact Chris Martinez at the club, (972) 899-7400 or chris.martinez@thelakesatcastlehills.com. For information on club membership contact Nancy Donoghue, Director of Membership at nancy.donoghue@thelakesatcastlehills.com or Scott Fahey at Scott.Fahey@thelakesofcastlehills.com.
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