Written by Haley Parnell, LINK nky reporter
A kitchen fire was catastrophic for the restaurant at Pendleton Hills Country Club in July 2021.
Owner and President of Pendleton Hills David Bay gave a Facebook live update on Jan. 19, where he addressed the outreach from the community after the fire and the new changes coming to Pendleton Hills.
“I was just amazed at the outpouring after the fire, people reaching out saying how sorry you are to hear about what happened,” Bay said. “All the incredible support has just been unreal.”
After the fire took place, a survey went out to Pendleton Hills Country Club members and past golfers at the beginning of December to get their opinions on the new developments. Bay said the survey was broken down into three sections. The first section asked people how they were doing before the fire. The second section looked at improvements they could make, and the third section was about long-term housing being built.
Bay said the housing developments would be three to five years down the road.
A resident of the Butler area and Pendleton Hills Country Club member, Nila Harris, said she thinks it’s great that the club is considering housing developments. She mentioned assisted living as being a part of the survey and noted that there is not much around the area which would prove beneficial.
Bay said they are about 90% through the design process for the reconstruction of the clubhouse. Once that is completed, the next step will be architectural drawings.
“Some of the things that we wanted to improve on the restaurant when it’s coming back is it needs to be bigger, but it also needs to be divided into two general areas, Bay said. “As it stands right now in the design, we have part of the restaurant that is more family dining. It’ll be a little bit more quiet—a little bit more laid back. And then the other part of the restaurant, which will be the bar end, will be where it’s louder. More TVs, a lot of commotion, people coming in and going out.”
Harris said, “I like the way he talked about the restaurant being divided into a family area and then the bar because I think if I had little ones, that would be important to me.”
Another area that is being redesigned is the pro shop and a more convenient golf cart setup. Bay said you would get your golf cart as soon as you arrive from a new barn built to keep the carts. Then you will be able to drive the cart straight inside the pro shop, where you can take care of your golf business and have more accessible loading.
A new daycare will be going in for golfers to bring their kids to the course. They are also looking into making it free or at a discounted price for staff.
Harris said, “I personally wouldn’t use the daycare because my kids are grown, but I just think that is something very nice and convenient for the golfers and for the employees.”
Bay said a desire for more entertainment was in the feedback from the survey. An event center that people can use for weddings and concerts is part of the new development plans, and within that building, a 40-room hotel will also be built. Â
Harris said the hotel would be convenient for guests in the area.
“We’ve had graduations and stuff; I’ve had out-of-town family that really didn’t have any place to stay. So, I think that is very nice,” Harris said.
“I’m hoping that we will have an answer on exactly when and be able to get started by late spring, early summer this year,” Bay said.
As for the openings of the new additions, Bay predicted sometime in 2023
