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Over 20 percent of part-time residents originally join as non-residents and upgrade to resident full membership once they move to the Northern Neck full-time so they can enjoy the amenities and friendships more fully.
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To make it easier to get a sense of the club, Indian Creek offers day memberships that allow guests to partake of all its facilities to help them decide for themselves.
You could say the Skipjack was a game-changer.
It was back in 2015 that Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club member Jones Felvey made an observation. Not only did the club’s bar feel dark, unwelcoming and dated to him, but members weren’t allowed to wear jeans there.
Rather than just complain, Felvey put his money where his mouth was, offering to match club funding dollar for dollar to renovate the space into one that was more welcoming, more casual and more befitting the members’ Northern Neck lifestyle. No longer were reservations required at the new
Skipjack Bar and, in a nod to 21st century mores, jeans were perfectly acceptable.
That, it turned out, was just the beginning. “The Skipjack spearheaded a renewed interest in the club,” says membership services director Megan Stephens. “Once it was finished, it changed the membership trend and we’ve had nothing but positive growth and enthusiasm since.”
Last summer, the Club opened the Willow Oaks Terrace, an al fresco dining patio with a fire pit and seating for 48 under a ceiling fan-studded pergola with a view of the night sky. Its outdoor kitchen boasts an open air outdoor kitchen where the Clubs Chef and Culinary team be interactive with members and cook a variety of menu items. The picturesque terrace overlooks the putting green, recently increased to twice its original size and is also used for the occasional croquet match.
“Our goal is to attract new members and stay relevant to current members,” Stephens explains. “Most of our members are forward-looking and the trend in clubs is for diverse dining.
People don’t want to eat at the same place twice a week, so the more options we have in dining menus, the better.” Besides the Skipjack, the club has fine dining in the Grill Room, a seasonal pool-side menu and banquet facilities for seated groups of up to 250.
Although the golf course is a club’s main asset, it’s far from Indian Creek’s defining feature. With 585 memberships—roughly 1,000 people—only a third are golfers. Proof, Stephens says, that socializing and dining are the main attractions.
The club hosts a variety of events such as a Memorial Day concert, Christmas celebrations, visits with the Easter bunny, an Independence Day party and a boat parade. One of the most popular is a dinner speaker series that pulls from the surprisingly rich pool of members who’ve had careers worth sharing in the military, government and diplomatic corps.
When rebranding after all the renovations, the club positioned itself as a place where lifelong friendships begin. Over 20 percent of part-time residents originally join as non-residents and upgrade to resident full membership once they move to the Northern Neck full-time so they can enjoy the amenities and friendships more fully.
The mission for the club isn’t to cater to 20-year-olds or 80-year-olds, but to make the club as welcoming as possible.
With the boating industry in its seventh consecutive year of growth and Indian Creek’s marina providing easy access to the Chesapeake Bay, the 35-slip marina plays host to members’ boats long term, as well as those who boat over for the day. “If you live down Fleet’s Point Road, it’s quicker to come by boat than car,” Stephens laughs.
Non-boaters can make new friends at the pool or on the outdoor and indoor tennis courts, the latter also being used for the growing sport of pickleball. People quickly learn that ICYCC is not the blue blazer concept of a yacht club.
To make it easier to get a sense of the club, Indian Creek offers day memberships that allow guests to partake of all its facilities to help them decide for themselves.
Once they’ve joined, members have the option to become part of the club’s committees, all of which are comprised of volunteers, as a means of spending time with others who have the same interests or background. The planning committee is dedicated to the club’s five-year plan which is ambitious yet realistic. Their goals include adding a fitness center, an indoor/outdoor golf practice facility, a dedicated pickleball court and many more items. Because, everyone agrees, a club can never have too many dining choices.
One of the most appetizing places members can meet friends old and new is at one of the club’s restaurants, where the Chef’s big city and boutique dining expertise benefits everyone who sits down at one of his tables.
With an abundance of seafood at our back door, ICYCC has little need to fly in fresh fish or oysters. Also near the kitchen
door is a mature stand of fig trees that provided over 200 pounds of fresh figs last year. The culinary team wastes no time in putting in a kitchen garden supplied with herbs, tomatoes, eggplant, and more, all of which wound up on the menu.
Improved amenities, a waterfront view and a first class chef putting out multiple menus. Welcome to Indian Creek Country and Yacht Club, a place full of quintessential Northern Neck charm.
“A member came up and told me he was playing the third hole when he heard an osprey overhead,” Stephens shares. “He looked up just as the osprey dropped a rockfish at his feet.”
Just for the record, it did not end up on the menu.
Want to know more about joining Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club?
Go icycc.com or call 804-435-1340 today.