Spread across 418 acres of beautiful, natural land in Newburgh, Ind., Victoria National Golf Club offers a world-class golfing experience and is praised as a go-to destination for golf purists. With its brand new, million-dollar cottages, the club’s prestige goes far beyond the green.
Designed in 1998 by golf course architect Tom Fazio, Victoria National has since acquired an award-winning reputation. In 1999, it was recognized as “America’s Best New Private Course” by Golf Digest, and currently holds the 35th spot in the magazine’s listing of the nation’s top golf courses. Also, the course placed 11th in this year’s Golf Digest Index’s “Top 50 Modern Clubs.” The addition of the new cottages allows the club to cater to an even wider range of clientele for a number of events. “We’ve become what we like to refer to as ‘America’s Private Retreat,’” says director of sales and marketing Brian Stock.
For the past 10 years, Victoria National has had two, 3,600-square-foot cottages — each with four bedrooms — available for overnight stays. In April of this year, two more were added for a total of 16 rooms, and the original cottages were completely refurbished. The interior of the structures, designed by Y Factor Studio, are sleek, stylish, and comfortable — comparable to any five-star establishment, Stock says.
Inside the newer cottages, each bedroom has an iPad, allowing guests to surf the Internet from the comfort of their beds, and each bathroom is equipped with a spa shower sporting five showerheads with steam control. All of the cottages include a living room area with a flat screen TV, a fireplace, and bar. Screened back porches provide beautiful views of the golf course, and the kitchens come fully stocked with food and drink items requested by guests upon booking, not to mention concierge service.
While the cottages can provide excellent lodging for club members after a day of golfing, Victoria National also is marketing toward local businesses. “We’re providing our membership and their guests with a value-driven corporate retreat experience,” says Stock. The cottages can be an important “relationship tool” for businesses, he adds, allowing co-workers to connect with each other and clients in a luxurious, relaxing environment. The local business community has embraced the idea of the cottages, using them for company retreats, cocktail events, board meetings, holiday parties, and more.
Typically, the cottages can be rented no longer than two weeks, but through the Private Residence Club, members of Victoria National can have what general manager Steve Munch refers to as “fractional ownership.” This allows members to purchase a certain number of nights each year in which their cottage of choice is available completely to them. “The beauty of that is you’re only paying a fraction of the cost, but you have access to and utilization of a million-dollar property,” says Stock. Packages are available for 32, 60, and 140 nights. This concept already is popular among members, as 16 of the 22 available offerings have been sold. Being part of the Private Residence Club also allows members to book cottages up to eight months in advance, as opposed to the 30 days granted to non-members.
Always striving to improve the club, Stock and Munch reveal plans to upgrade the cottages in January, adding eight additional bedrooms with two queen-sized beds in each by spring 2013.
Stock and Munch firmly believe that what they offer at Victoria National cannot be matched by any facility nearby. “We’re the only facility in the Tri-State area that offers world-class golf, five-star, luxury accommodations, wonderful food, and a concierge service dedicated to our guests and members who are staying with us,” Stock says. Munch adds that while you may be able to get top service at larger clubs and resorts, what Victoria National offers is more tailored and personalized.
“We’re going to get to know you,” Munch says. “We’re going to get to know what you like, especially when you come back. You’ll have a hard time getting that at a resort.”
For more information on Victoria National Golf Club, call 812-858-8230 or visit www.victorianational.com.
