VIENNA Avalon Lakes to combine with Squaw Creek

Members will have their choice of two courses.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
VIENNA -- Avalon Lakes Golf Course now has the country club atmosphere it has been missing, a top official says.
The Howland course is combining with Squaw Creek Country Club, which will become the social center for members, said Ron Klingle, chairman of Avalon Holdings, the parent company of Avalon Lakes.
Members will be able to play both courses, but the key is the other opportunities that open up for Avalon Lakes members, he said.
Avalon will pump $3 million into upgrading and expanding the Vienna course's clubhouse and entryways.
The ballroom will double in size. Dining and bar areas will be improved. The addition will house a new pro shop, golf cart storage area, restrooms and snack bar.
The deal also provides Avalon members access to Squaw Creek's swimming pool, tennis courts and meeting rooms.
Providing such amenities was crucial to creating a top-notch club environment, and there is no room at Avalon Lakes in Howland to provide them, Klingle said.
Squaw Creek improvements
He said minor improvements to the Squaw Creek course are planned during the next year or two, including elevating some tee boxes and improving the rough.
Avalon Lakes is leasing Squaw Creek for 50 years in exchange for the improvements.
The Giant Eagle LPGA Classic will continue to be held at Squaw Creek.
Klingle said he considers Avalon Lakes to be at full membership now, with 600 members. About 400 are paying $1,000 a year and $50 a round, plus $15 for a cart. The rest are paying $3,000 a year with free golf, except the cart fee.
Adding Squaw Creek should easily add a couple hundred members, he said.
Klingle and Dale Damioli, president of Squaw Creek, said they expect all or nearly all of Squaw Creek's 145 members to join the new club. It will be called Avalon Golf and Country Club, but each course will continue to use its original name.
For $1,000-a-year members, play at Squaw Creek is $25 a round, plus $15 for a cart. For $3,000-a-year members, both play and the cart are free in Vienna.
The plans include free use of swimming pool, tennis courts, club tournaments and practice ranges. There are no minimum restaurant purchases or year-end assessments.
Other rates
Avalon Lakes also has added a family plan for $4,000 a year, an intermediate plan for $2,400 a year and created new public rate fees. The public can play Avalon Lakes for $135, plus cart rental, and can play Squaw Creek for $85, plus cart rental.
Damioli said Squaw Creek officials started searching for a partner a year ago because of looming financial problems. Club membership has been cut by more than 50 percent in the past 10 years, he said.
Klingle said adding Squaw Creek will not affect Avalon Holding's other companies, although it said in a quarterly financial report this year that it was evaluating its "strategic direction."
Avalon Holdings operates Dart Trucking and several companies related to waste disposal and managing landfills. The company has lost money for three straight years but has spent $11 million to renovate the Avalon Lakes course and build a new clubhouse.
shilling@vindy.com