Glen Armstrong, Somersett Golf & Country Club board president speaks at the ground-breaking of the new clubhouse for the northwest Reno residential community.
For Blake Smith, founder of the Somersett master-planned community, development of the project is almost complete.
The final piece of that puzzle is the Somersett Golf & Country Club, where its ground-breaking ceremony was held on Wednesday, May 18.
“We started back in 1991 and had to buy 48 different parcels to create Somersett,” Smith told those in attendance at the ceremony. “A lot of locals came up to me and told me it’s not going to work. You can’t build on the north side of the (Truckee River). We put this vision together and it did work.”
The 17,853-square-foot clubhouse will feature multiple dining areas, a bar, golf shop, locker rooms, members only lounge, a multi-use room, meeting room, kitchen, offices as well as an outdoor patio and underground cart and bag storage.
The facility will cost $3.1 million and is expected to open in Spring 2017. Michael Thomsen of Tectonics Design Group was hired as the architect on the project and Dennis Banks Construction will serve as the general contractor.
Smith bristles when people call Somersett a subdivision, and insists it’s a residential and golfing community.
“People used to come up to me and ask ‘how is the subdivision going’ and to me a subdivision is a place where’s there’s just houses,” Smith said. “A community is where people can interact and engage with one another. Any amenity such as this clubhouse is only going to make it better.”
Smith spearheaded development of the master planned golfing community situated in northwest Reno that includes 3,700 homes built on 3,000 acres of land. The community also includes The Club at Town Square, a 24,000-square-foot, $9 million facility, which includes restaurants, plus recreational and fitness facilities.
The clubhouse will be the centerpiece of Somersett’s 18-hole, par-72 championship golf course. The clubhouse, to be located just off of Championship Trial, will also accommodate several special occasions such as weddings or group outings.
“Building a clubhouse to provide our members with the complete country club experience they deserve has been a goal of ours for some time,” said Glen Armstrong, Somersett Golf & Country Club board president. “This clubhouse will be spectacular and we are thrilled to be breaking ground today.”
Also on hand for the ceremony was former LPGA golfer and Reno resident, Patty Sheehan, who has experienced firsthand playing on the Somersett course.
“The addition of this new clubhouse is going to enhance everybody’s experience at Somersett,” Sheehan said. “All the amenities at the clubhouse are going to be spectacular. It’s taken a lot of drive and determination from all the board and staff to make this happen.”
Somersett Golf & Country Club currently services 350 members, two-thirds of whom are Equity Members, and has the means to service up to 450 members. It also serves as a practice facility for the University of Nevada, Reno golf team.
For membership opportunities, contact Tammy Carvajal-Van Lydegraf at 775-787-1800, ext. 702. More information can also be found online at: somersettgolfandcountryclub.com.
