Change is never easy, but what truly matters will stay constant…. “Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” ~ John D. Rockefeller

Dear Countryside Members,

As we finished up moving out of the Clubhouse and into our temporary facilities, I took this picture at the end of a few very long days of moving. Though the Clubhouse and Dining Room are now void of furniture, people and the daily hustle and bustle of activity, it’s still full of nearly 40 years of memories and those memories will remain even when the Club reopens in the Fall of 2024.

Change in any situation is never easy. It’s even more difficult when things have been a certain way for a long time or when there is a lot of tenure within an organization or community and especially when there is a financial aspect to the change. When I joined Countryside 5 years ago one of the things that I found most attractive was the amount of tenure within the community and among the employees. It’s impressive and the amount of tenure within families such as legacy members is impressive. I remember my first year and how many times an owner introduced themselves to me and shared how their parents were owners and they grew up coming to Countryside and ultimately became owners themselves. It’s really something special and this is the reason I’ve mentioned this in past communications - this is not something you see regularly.

We’ve seen tremendous change during my time here and before my time here and the stability and tenure of our Employees and our Members has remained very strong. I think one of the most important points that we should all stay focused on over the next year as we embark on this major change, is that our people (our Members and Employees) are what created the 40 years of memories.

Though the next year will be difficult, inconvenient and very different – we’ll be creating memories together.

Though transitioning back into the newly renovated club will be difficult, different and new; we’ll be creating memories together.

And though, the Club as we know it will be gone, the memories we have were created together by our people and will last a lifetime – this will not change.

The point is, though we’re embarking on a major change that will be very different for all of us, the two most important things that make a Club and Community special will remain constant – our Members and our Employees. 

Closing with a reference to the quote I shared at the start…The Club was good – it will be great. Our people are great and will continue to be great!

OUR COUNTRYSIDE HISTORY

•   Barron Collier initially owned the land where Countryside is today.

•   U.S. Homes began building Countryside in 1986 for the use and enjoyment of 1133 Members of which 850 are golfing Members. The first Owner occupancy was on Province Way in April 1987 and the first single family home closing occurred in August 1987.

•   Arthur Hills designed the challenging 18-hole golf course and January 9, 1988 was the inaugural golf tournament. The course was renovated with many new design features by Gordie Lewis in 1999. There are 850 Members with golf privileges.

•   The Clubhouse and Dining Room opened in February, 1988.

•   U.S. Homes turned the development over to the Members in April, 1991– the same day they announced bankruptcy.

•   Countryside became a completely private community on October 1, 1994.

•   Significant additions/improvements to our facilities include:

•   Dining room storage room addition October 1993

•   New Golf Shop and remodeled Admin. Office January 1995

•   Expanded Driving Range area September 1996

•   Lakeview Lounge casual dining area October 1996

•   Road Privatization and security gates 1996- Oct.1997

•   New chipping/pitching practice area October 1997

•   Golf course enhancement May 1999

•   Lakeview Lounge renovation July 1999

•   Clubhouse Pool renovation July 1999

•   Clubhouse Lobby renovation August 1999

•   Exercise Building renovation August 1999

•   Wait-station renovation July 2000

•   Opening of Non-Smoking Bar in MDR November 2001

•   Clubhouse Kitchen renovation September 2003

•   Fitness Center renovation September 2003

•   New Roof 2004

•   Dining Room, Lounge & Office renovations 2004

•   New Air Conditioning 2004

•   Restroom renovation 2005

•   New Multi-Purpose Rooms 2005

•   Thorguard Lightning Prediction System 2005

•   New Carpet & Furniture in Clubhouse 2005

•   Converted 3 tennis courts to Har-Tru Surface 2005

•   Fire Line 2006

•   Office remodeled 2007

•   Improvement of Davis Blvd. Entrance 2007

•   Installation of Fountain 2008

•   New Carpet & Furniture in Golf Shop 2008

•   Refurbishing of Annex Multi-Purpose Room 2008

•   Resurfacing of Countryside Drive 2009

•   New equipment in Fitness Center 2010

•   Both the Lakeview Lounge and C-side Bars were renovated including replacement of equipment and cabinetry 2010

•   Tee markers were updated with the “C” logo and reduced in size 2010

•   Refurbishing of Golf Shop 2011

•   Planting of trees along Countryside Drive 2011

•   Painting of the interior of Clubhouse 2011

•   Carpeting replaced in Dining Room and Lakeview 2011 Lounge

•   Refurbishing of website 2011

•   Rocking of Lake Bank between 8 tee and 1 fairway 2011

•   Fiber optics infrastructure implemented 2012

•   Administration Office refurbished 2012

•   New tables, chairs, room dividers and decorative accents to Dining Room and Lakeview Lounge 2012

•   Replacement of Community Association Signs 2013

•   Addition of the Vision and Mission Sign at Clubhouse entry way 2013

•   Lake Management System Elevated 2015

•   Tennis and Bocce Complex 2017

•   Wellness Center 2017

•   Four Seasons Dining Room 2017

•   Lobby Refurnishing 2017

•   Club Fountain Renovation 2018

•   Redesign of website 2018

•   Carpet replaced in Dining Room and Lakeview Lounge 2018

•   Golf View Building Renovation 2018

•   Complete Golf Course Kipp Schulties Redesign and Renovation 2019

•   Dining Room Service Area & Kitchen Renovations 2019

•   Golf Shop Aesthetic Update – New Carpet, New Counter and New Paint 2019

•   Golf Course Maintenance Facility Renovation 2021

•   2023 We embark on Countryside 2.0. The future is bright!

 On behalf of your entire Amenities Team; we’re looking forward to the future and creating great memories together,

Joe Smith

General Manager / Chief Operating Officer