Lookout Mountain’s McLemore Club celebrated the opening of the McLemore Clubhouse on what appeared to be a dreary Thursday morning. But as the hours went on, the fog slowly rolled away and revealed a beautiful landscape below the new clubhouse. Duane Horton, CEO and president of Scenic Land Company, said this clubhouse will hopefully become “a village center for the community and guests.”
During a celebratory luncheon, some of the architects involved in the project addressed a crowd of guests and golfers.
Chief architect Bill Bergin placed attention on the course’s new 18th hole, one recognized by national publications.
“For those of you who don’t know, Golf Digest picked it as the best 18th hole in America that was built since the year 2000,” Mr. Bergin said. “God created this amazing spot, and we took advantage of it. In doing so, this clubhouse was allowed to move to the old 18th hole, and this is a fantastic spot.”
“Duane and his team gave us permission to take incredibly valuable land and build one of the most fun, little six-hole short courses you’ve ever played. It’s a good time, and it coordinates so nicely with everything that’s here.”
Roland Aberg, a principal architect with hart-howerston.com, brought the conversation back to Mr. Horton’s original point. He said the clubhouse will one day be the focal point of a larger collective on top of Lookout Mountain.
“This clubhouse isn’t just a clubhouse,” Mr. Aberg said. “It’s about making a village, because a place like this isn’t just residents. It’s also the visitors that come, and that sense of community or a village is what we were trying to do. The clubhouse also sets a precedent for how other cottages, homes, and landscapes are. So it sets the tone of how everything else is, and that is critical.”
Situated atop the mountain and overlooking the golf course, Mr. Aberg said the clubhouse’s location has something of a symbolic significance in relation to the rest of the community.
“This is kind of a junction of three landscapes,” Mr. Aberg said. “You have the native landscape, the rocks and woods and everything that frames McLemore. The second is the golf course landscape, the greens and tees and the playing area. And the third is the ornamental landscape, which is more refined and geometry. So this building is the connection of those three things.”
Mr. Horton, who is also president of the McLemore Club, said the day was a celebration of the clubhouse opening. However, he did speak, if briefly, about the hotel planned for the community.
“As far as the hotel, we’ve already signed a franchise agreement with Hilton for Collection, and we’ve already cleared the land for it and have the road access to it,” Mr. Horton said. “It will happen one day, but I want to talk about the clubhouse today.”
According to an informational packet provided by McLemore, the McLemore Resort “will have 245 guest rooms and suites, 10,000 square feet of conference space, a spa, rooftop lounge and numerous restaurant and bar options.”
The clubhouse overlooks the “Cairn,” described as a six-hole short course that helps golfers either warm up or cool down from McLemore’s acclaimed 18-hole course. It also has a bar and grille, featuring an expansive menu.