The Fountiangove Club: A Phoenix of Sonoma County

The Fountaingrove Club (TFC), a BoardRoom Distinguished Club, is the heart of the Fountain Grove community, a neighborhood atop a hill in Santa Rosa, flush with a vibrant history and in the center of the Sonoma County wine country.

The Fountaingrove area was settled in the 1800s by?Thomas Lake Harris, the first of a wave of Utopians to come to Sonoma County. Harris established a commune on the site in 1875 called New Eden of the West, part of his Brotherhood of New Life project. The colony included 1,400 acres of land upon which he constructed several buildings, including lodging, a book press and a winery that produced 70,000 gallons of wine in 1886.

In 2017, the Tubbs Fire ripped through the city of Santa Rosa, taking with it 75 percent of all permanent structures on the club’s property. The fires were active for almost three weeks and destroyed club members’ and employees’ homes and businesses.

The club’s board and management team worked day and night to create a plan to rebuild the club and protect the remaining assets. Even though the club lost the entire golf course maintenance facility and equipment, the restrooms on the golf course and the entire 22,000-square-foot clubhouse, the golf course turf was saved by providing water pumped by borrowed generators through fire hoses.

Tubbs Fire Facts

October 8th to October 31, 2017

22 deaths

36,810 acres burned

5,643 structures destroyed

At the time the largest wildfire in California history, surpassed only by the Camp Fire in 2018 (153,336 acres burned).

Members were given a sanctuary amid a challenging environment by creating temporary facilities. In addition, the club partnered with The Salvation Army to provide personal toiletries and other supplies, as well as one-on-one counseling support for members, the Fountaingrove residents and employees.

“Luckily, our athletic center remained intact. In the chaos, the board and management team rallied to create a relief station at the center for members and our community as they returned to the area.?We worked diligently to create temporary facilities while we designed the new buildings,” said Mark Levitt, president at the time of the fire.

Moving quickly, within a couple of months of the fire, the club contracted BAR Architects (San Francisco, CA) to lead the vision and design process. The management team quickly released a comprehensive satisfaction membership survey and determined areas of improvement.

BAR took this information and participated in several member focus group discussions, encompassing the club’s many different constituents. Their feedback was used to create the clubhouse design.

“We worked extensively with the board and steering committee to not only take advantage of the wonderful site and course vistas,” explained Jeff Goodwin, BAR Architects principal.

“We also wanted to reimagine how the dining and gathering spaces could provide both intimacy for small groups and foster club culture and camaraderie amongst the diverse membership. All this was done within the context of an accelerated schedule and budget determined by the club’s insurance settlement,” he added.

If one were to ask what makes TFC tick, it is, and will forever be, the members. They have stuck with the club through the changes, the additions, the travesties and now, the club’s “New Beginnings.” Unfortunately, the sad reality is that TFC is known most recently for being devested by the wildfire in 2017.

The club is hopeful soon to be known for something much different, as it strives to be known for creative development, not only via the construction of new spaces but in new memories and being able to create a wanted “third place” for members.

"It took three years to build our new clubhouse and it was well worth the wait. We have expanded our dining areas and enlarged the outdoor space creating an area for our members to feel at home again. The building is our new social hub with beautiful Sonoma County views."

Mark Levitt, past president — 2016-2018

With the reopening of the clubhouse in December 2021, the new restaurant Summit Kitchen & Cocktails is doing just that already.

“We have seen so many more members at our new clubhouse restaurant than ever before, enjoying their time on the patio, fine dining in the private dining room or even just hanging out at the bar after a great round of golf,” expressed Leavitt.

As the seasons change, the club cannot wait to create even more memorable moments for members as the sun sticks around for a longer time in the evenings. The club’s goal and aspiration are to be the ultimate destination for members and their families.

“The Fountaingrove Club has always been a fantastic place and social hub. My family has celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations at the club. It has been a huge part of our life,” Leavitt added.

Located in the heart of Sonoma County wine country, the local activities are thriving, including wine tasting excursions, hiking the nearby trails, visiting the William Shultz Museum, taking an open Jeep ride through Safari West, or floating on a tube/raft on the Russian River.

Santa Rosa was recently dubbed one of “The 30 Most Fun Places to Live in the U.S.” by U.S News & World Report. Coming in 10th place is quite the honor! To be placed on this list, “the publication factored in how the 100 most populous metro areas ranked in nine other categories: visitors, parks and outdoors, restaurants, shopping, attractions, theaters and live music, sports, and bars and nightlife.”

As a BoardRoom Distinguished Club dedicated to the member experience, the TFC is creating memories with long-time members and striving to bring new families and individuals to the club. Upon meeting with potential members, representatives from the membership department are excited to show guests the view from the Summit K&C patio overlooking Fountaingrove Lake, the rolling hills of Santa Rosa and the Ted Robinson Sr. golf course. This layout is kept immaculate by golf course superintendent Andy Lindloff and his team of dedicated greenskeepers. So, if you happen to catch this view during sunset, it will take your breath away.

While events and gatherings remained on a hiatus because of the global pandemic, TFC is fortunate to hold outside golf tournaments and clinics on the golf course and driving range. One of the first things to open during the pandemic was golf and tennis, and the club made sure this became a haven for their members to get out of the house and enjoy.

The club developed a par course on the back nine for the athletic members (membership without golf privileges) to encourage a healthy lifestyle when everyone’s life was forced into a sedentary state. It is imperative to allow all members to utilize their club as they see fit, even if that means enjoying the lakeside landing on a cool Monday morning or walking/running the 5-miles of cart paths. After all, this is their “Third Place” and should be treated as such.

The mission at TFC is to create “One Club, One Community.” That remains the focus and ultimate goal for all the club’s activities and amenities.

The club’s dynamics are currently based on Troon’s values. TFC has been a Troon Golf Management property since January 2019 and the firm has done an outstanding job of supporting the club with consultation and onsite expertise to set up the temporary facilities and the design and interior décor of the new clubhouse.

Members come first, including the current board of directors and committee members, who are involved in most of the club’s strategic decisions, excluding day-to-day operations. A quality governance relationship is based on board and committees feeling they have a voice and are shaping the club’s current state and future.

They are the driving force behind encouraging members to be involved in their club. Without these important positions filled by equity members, the club would not be where it is today. The dedication of these members and their role in rebuilding the club to be better than it ever has before was quite a feat, and not one to be ignored but to be celebrated every day.

With the opening of the new clubhouse, they had the task of hiring and training a whole new crew amid a global pandemic. As a result, a decision was made to bring on a recruiter and make this a full-time position dedicated to building up the staff.

Caroline Wilcox, who has been with the club since our athletic center opened in 2004, was put on this important task. Not only did she complete this duty seamlessly, but she also made it look easy!

TFC currently has a sold-out membership and has started a waitlist for members to join. As the homes are rebuilt in the area, there will be an entirely new market of new members for years to come.

TFC is set up for success now and for years to come!??BR