Fitness & Performance Centers:
Build It and They Will Come

Katie Stowers is the Director of Fitness and Sports at The Clubs of Kingwood (Texas).

They say, “If you build it, they will come.” That famous movie line from Field of Dreams was re-energized when Major League Baseball recently hosted a baseball game in a cornfield in Iowa. With the way the golf industry has been going during the pandemic, the same philosophy definitely applies.

The Clubs of Kingwood offer five championship courses at our primary location, and another 18-hole layout at our Deerwood campus. Our fitness and sports complex is comprised of five pools, 23 tennis courts and six pickleball courts, not to mention a full fitness facility. We have nearly 3,000 members to whom we provide a positive experience through fitness programming, one-on-one personal care and an environment that allows them to grow and strengthen, while maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Our state-of-the art, top-notch facilities aid greatly in that mission.

We recently implemented a golf and fitness integration program with the goal of getting more golfers into our fitness center to experience the other health and wellness amenities afforded them as members of our club. We’re collaborating with our PGA Professionals to bring awareness and education to our golfers on the range through our “Swing & Mobility” program. It is important for us to draw attention to the benefits that golf fitness can bring to their golf game. Our main goal is to get them in the fitness center.

To attend to those golfers who migrate from the course and range, we have a special golf-specific group class area where we work on strength, endurance and core. Combine that with more than 70 group fitness classes per week, and fitness center equipment such as ellipticals, stair steppers, treadmills, recumbent bikes, upright bikes and a full circuit of weight training equipment, and members can completely alter their lifestyle with some dedication and commitment.

Our expert staff consists of 30 group fitness instructors, nine personal trainers, full tennis staff, pool staff and even service representatives who ensure classes are scheduled correctly and members’ inquiries are answered in a timely manner. We’re bringing back Yoga for Golfers this fall and will be implementing Pilates Reformer in 2022.

Though we do have an older membership, we are trending younger as new members come on board. This bodes well for the many great health and wellness amenities we offer that may have been under-utilized by our more traditional long-term members.

Our beautiful fitness center was built in 2010 with the goal of bringing a new outlook to club life at Kingwood. The years since have been a boon for golf fitness, with PGA and LPGA Tour Professionals leading the way in this area. We’re seeing excitement and a new energy around our fitness offerings, proving that they will come – they just might need some coaxing.