Country Club Shade Design Boosts Member Satisfaction

Country clubs pool areas are populated over the summer months as members flock to the comfort and activities they provide. Outdoor furniture options are numerous for country club design, and many go to great lengths to choose the right fit for their members.

Located in the exclusive North Hills community of Raleigh NC, North Hills Club boasts the area’s best and most progressive racquet facility, featuring twenty-two tennis courts, six pickleball courts, three padel courts, and a full-service racquet pro shop. Situated in Raleigh, North Carolina, North Hills Club offers racket sports, swimming facilities and dining opportunities to the club members and their families. Modern, casual luxury is an essential element to their experience, so when the day came to updating their shade protection offering, they needed something that would align with their progressive aesthetic.

Prior to discovering the Shadowspec range, North Hills Club had been making do with permanent shade structures and market umbrellas. This investment proved more hassle than it was worth, as Christine mentions the problem became clear that once they "had put some in-ground structures several years ago, but they were a lot more expensive and not as easy to use." and after a lot of trial and error they decided it was time to seek a better option.

Designing a home, away from home

As every established club owner knows, the key to a healthy membership base is a comfortable space for leisure activities of all kinds. So when North Hills noticed members were wanting more shade than they were providing.

“Whether they're coming for racket sports, the pool, for the restaurant and dining or social events, we just want to make sure they're always leaving here, wanting to come back again. A home-away-from-home.” - Christine Johnson, Director of Operations, North Hills Club

When they noticed existing shade solutions weren’t providing adequate shade or comfort for members, around the pool areas–finding a better shade feature became a priority,  around the poolside area.

With thirty poolside loungers and elevated areas requiring ample shade protection, they found Shadowspec Unity Quattro umbrellas provided the perfect design solution. Installed with oyster canopies and Shadowspec Space Grey frame finish, these ground-mounted umbrellas rotate to follow the sun and provide all-day cover.

Inspired design collaboration 

North Hills Club first connected with Shadowspec while at the CMAA Conference. This provided an opportunity to see the Shadowspec Unity in action.

"We brought in Shadowspec Umbrellas because we noticed, that around our pool, we didn't have quite as much shade as the members were wanting. We had put some in-ground structures several years ago, but they were a lot more expensive and not as easy to use. We can't ever take them down." 

Christine could see how much these umbrellas would enhance the country club pool’s offering and together with the Shadowspec team, she took on the challenge of creating something which could meet all their shade requirements.

“We chose Shadowspec because our General Manager saw them at the club conference and we were, just, very impressed by them. The ease of use and the way that they looked, because the look is very important to our members.”

Adding Shadowspec umbrellas to the poolside project revamp with new furniture and layout has created a great space member and their families can enjoy, all summer long.

Making member satisfaction a priority

We’ve found many private clubs and other high-end members-only venues are seeking reassurance their design choice is one that is fit for purpose. No body wants to find their choice is requiring ongoing maintenance or eating up staff time that could be spent tending to the needs of valued members. For this reason, we prioritise design principles right down to the designer frame colours and highest quality materials, alongside patented technology which enables staff to operate the umbrellas with ease.

“We wanted to make sure we had a really good product, and he seemed to like them. We looked into them, Shadowspec got great reviews on them and so we decided to go that direction.”

The Shadowspec Unity has no peer, it stands up to the elements and features an ingenious deployment system with no internal moving parts, or cables to break and best of all, no antiquated crank handles. Two Shadowspec Unity umbrellas with four canopies have a shade coverage of up to 36 sqm / 20sqft and can be deployed within 30 seconds. The same shade coverage, provided by individual centre pole umbrellas could take 30 minutes for a staff member to deploy. That is a lot of time stacked up over the day, every day. 

“Shadowspec Umbrellas have helped us with short-term and long-term goals, providing that extra shade that we wanted for the members. We've got a lot of young families, and it continues to get younger. So having shade around the pool is important and they have improved that.”

Clubs and hospitality venues are facing steep competition for foot traffic. Country club pools will always be popular for existing and potential members and their families. Creating outdoor spaces that are accessible, easy to use and comfortable is a key component of customer satisfaction and retention. Providing something just a little bit different.

Country club members expect shade and quality all year round and we’re proud to work with North Hills Club to deliver an experience that feels like a home-away-from-home. Would you like to add the Shadowspec Unity™ to your country club pool area?