Behind the Blueprint: The Master Planning Process That Transformed Druid Hills Golf Club

The untold story of the systematic approach that led to successful projects like The Clifton

Every successful architectural project has a backstory—the methodical work that happens long before the first shovel hits the ground. At Druid Hills Golf Club, that backstory began not with dramatic design concepts, but with Leo, the soon-to-retire facilities manager, walking into our first meeting carrying an extra-large armload of rolled documents from decades of past projects and with the Club’s desire to improve the member experience.

Leo had been with the Club for 25 years and had witnessed most of the building renovations and additions during his tenure. "Here's everything I could find," he said, spreading the impressive collection across the conference table. Some drawings were crisp and recent; others were faded blueprints from renovations long past. Each roll told part of the story of how the Club had evolved over the years, but none gave us the complete picture we needed to plan strategically for the future.

This is the story of how master planning really works—not the polished presentation version, but the detailed, collaborative detective work that turns good intentions into great projects.

Piecing Together the Puzzle

Leo's document collection served as our starting point, but it was just the beginning. We had drawings from different decades, various architects, and diverse renovation projects, all created for distinct purposes. Some showed the clubhouse as it was built during the 1990s expansion. Others captured the pool deck modifications from the early 2000s. The tennis building renovations had their own set of drawings. But what we needed was a unified view of how everything worked together nowadays.

The solution was methodical: scan the most recent documents for each part of the Club for reference, then organize a plan set based on existing conditions. After the projects were scanned, we could begin the real work of creating a unified view of how everything worked together today.

It sounds straightforward, but anyone who's worked with historic club facilities knows the reality is more complex. Walls had been moved, spaces repurposed, systems updated, and sometimes previous drawings simply didn't match what we found in the field.

We systematically documented every level of every building: the main clubhouse across three floors, the golf pavilion with its dual dining spaces, the tennis building’s mixed programming, and the pool facilities that had evolved through multiple renovations. By the end of this phase, we had created something the Club had never possessed: a complete and updated set of drawings showing existing as-built conditions as of 2022.

The Art of Strategic Listening

With the documentation complete, we proceeded to a critical phase of any master planning process: conducting interviews with everyone who runs the Club and those who use it regularly.

We interviewed representatives from all areas of the Club’s operations, including food service, groundskeeping, golf, tennis, member services, swimming, and facilities management. Then we met with sports leaders and member activity groups—from the tennis committee to the dining committee—as well as the families who used the Kids’ Corner most actively.

Having Joey Wheeler, the general manager, with us for these interviews proved invaluable. Between formal interviews, we could chat and brainstorm ideas. Joey would provide context about why specific spaces had evolved the way they had or mention operational challenges that might not come up in a structured interview but were crucial for understanding how spaces functioned.

"I never thought about it that way," became a common refrain as we moved through the day. The tennis committee had insights into family usage patterns that the dining committee hadn't considered. The food service staff understood traffic flows that weren't obvious to members. The facilities team knew which spaces required constant maintenance attention and which seemed to run themselves.

What emerged wasn't just a list of complaints or wish lists—it was a nuanced understanding of how member behavior had shifted and what opportunities might be hiding in plain sight.

Color-Coding Reality

The breakthrough moment came when we introduced our color-coding exercise. Working with large-scale printed drawings, we walked through every space in the Club, assigning colors to each program/activity and calculating their square footages. This allowed us to assess how much of each building was being used as member amenities, how much supported operations, and what was underutilized.

The visual impact was immediate. Seeing the entire Club mapped in this way revealed patterns that had been invisible when considering individual spaces or problems. We categorized spaces based on how effectively they served their intended purpose.

Some were functioning well, as evidenced by few complaints and regular, successful use. Others had potential but needed attention—areas that could work better with modifications or different programming. Then there were underutilized or problematic spaces that weren’t meeting member needs despite significant square footage or investment.

Committee Collaboration and Breakthrough Insights

Armed with color-coded plans and detailed interview insights, we scheduled a working meeting with the long-term planning committee to discuss the areas needing attention and brainstorm solutions. We presented three options for addressing the underutilized spaces, particularly around the pool area, and opened the floor for discussion.

With the committee’s institutional knowledge and our fresh perspective from the interviews, we could think strategically about the areas that weren’t performing well. Why wasn’t the Kids’ Corner working optimally? What would it take to make the women’s lounge truly serve its membership? How could the pool facilities better support the families who had become such an essential part of the Club’s identity?

The committee members brought decades of experience in understanding club culture, member preferences, and what had been tried before. We carried out a systematic analysis of current conditions and explored alternative approaches based on successful projects at other clubs. Together, we designed solutions for the underutilized spaces and proposed strategic additions to maximize the use of the existing facilities.

The breakthrough came when the committee decided to move forward with Option 2A, which proposed tearing down the existing, single-function Pool House and building a new structure hosting different activities: pool bathrooms, an event space, the Kids’ Corner, and lots of storage. The program evolved into a combination of improved and expanded pool facilities with the fitness functions that were cramped in the clubhouse basement—becoming the genesis of what would eventually be called The Clifton.

But it wasn’t our recommendation. It was the committee’s strategic thinking, informed by the systematic analysis we had facilitated.

From Analysis to Strategy

By fall 2022, we had transformed months of documentation, interviews, and collaborative analysis into a comprehensive master plan. The plan addressed improvements across the entire Club, but more importantly, it provided a strategic framework for making decisions about investments over time.

Some recommendations were immediate and relatively inexpensive—such as programming changes or minor modifications—that could improve the member experience quickly. Others represented significant capital investments to be implemented over multiple phases. But every recommendation was grounded in real data about member needs and operational realities.

The plan identified specific opportunities for each area of the Club: expanded family dining, improved circulation in the clubhouse, expansion of the popular terrace dining across the back of the Club, elimination of the costly summer tent currently used to provide covered dining, improved tournament viewing terraces at the Golf Pavilion Men’s Grill, better after-hours access for the tennis building, and the consolidation of pool and fitness functions into a new building that would better serve the Club’s evolving demographic.

The Foundation for Success

What made this master planning process successful wasn’t any single insight or recommendation—it was the systematic approach that built confidence in every decision.

When the time came to move forward with major projects, Club leadership knew they were addressing genuine priorities identified through careful analysis and broad input.

Between the master plan and Phase I construction, the realization that the building site represented the last available expansion area on the property led to an enlargement of the construction scope. The project evolved to include a fitness center and group fitness rooms, pool bathrooms, pool laundry and storage, and a flexible event space that could be used during pool season and beyond by relocating the pool fence. Meanwhile, the Kids’ Corner would relocate from the lower level of the tennis building to the former basement workout area in the main clubhouse—solving multiple problems with one solution.

The committee could evaluate options confidently because it had comprehensive data about member needs and operational requirements. The board could approve significant investments because it understood how each project fit into a coherent long-term vision. This foundation of strategic planning is what transformed a simple observation about the pool facilities into The Clifton.

Why Process Matters

Master planning isn't glamorous work. It's systematic, methodical, and sometimes tedious. It requires patience from clients who are eager to see dramatic changes and discipline from architects who might prefer to jump directly to design concepts. Most importantly, it demands a collaborative and committed approach between design professionals and the Club.

A smaller group involved in the process can leverage diverse ideas and demonstrate to the broader membership that alternative approaches were thoroughly considered before arriving at the current recommendations. This vetting process creates buy-in that extends far beyond the committee room.

As the success of projects like The Clifton demonstrates, this careful upfront work lays the foundation for investments that truly transform the member experience—not because they’re architecturally impressive, but because they address real needs identified through listening and analysis.

In today’s competitive club environment, successful capital investments require more than good design—they need strategic confidence. The master planning process gave Druid Hills something invaluable: certainty that they were making the right investments for the right reasons at the right time. That confidence becomes a competitive advantage that enhances the member experience for years to come.

Jones Pierce Architects believes the best architectural projects start with listening and systematic analysis. Our master planning process helps clubs understand their opportunities before making significant investments. Contact us to discuss how this approach could benefit your organization.