Who We Are

Watermark Country Club was "born" in 1998. The former Forest Hills Golf Club that had been on this site for 35 years was bought out by two young, local businessmen and a new future was created. The old clubhouse, proshop & pool were all torn down and large areas of the golf course were re-shaped and redesigned. A brand new 20,000 square foot clubhouse, restaurant & banquet facility was built during 1998 and opened in late November of that year. A brand new outdoor, multi-pool swim facility was built in late 2001 and opened in May of 2002.

Watermark took a unique approach to private club golf and went in a direction that in 1998 was mostly unheard of in the industry at that time, marrying private golf with a public restaurant & banquet facility. The Club went a step further in 2001 building a stand alone separate swim facility with its own membership group. Families can add the pool to their golf membership or join as Sports Members, receiving the pool and a small amount of golf. Beyond that, Watermark instituted a concept of an ala carte type of membership where instead of wrapping a whole host of services and amenities into one dues structure, the Club offered members the opportunity to pick and choose what they wanted to pay for and bypass the areas that they had no interest in.

The result has been a much healthier overall facility where the different entities of the Club (golf, dining, banquet, pool) can stand on their own. All too often in the world of private clubs, annual golf dues get pulled away to deal with the losses that accumulate from the other areas and "amenities" of the club. Watermark's golf course has become one of the best conditioned courses in all of West Michigan, largely due to the fact that annual dues members pay go almost completely towards keeping the course lush and providing for budgets that bring new equipment each year and not to "cover" for the mounting losses of the other areas that have begun to cripple so many clubs.

Watermark is also unique in that it is not a "member-owned" facility. This affords the membership a number of advantages, most important of which is that, rather then having to create all sorts of committees to run the business, deal with debt, and plan for the future, they get to spend their time enjoying golf. At Watermark, a highly experienced team of managers works closely with the Ownership Group to develop budgets, find the best vendors, higher great staff, and plan the best strategy for the future of the Club. Member owned Clubs are always stumbling over themselves and all the committees they create. They do not traditionally run themselves as a "business" because if they lose money, they just assess the members for the shortfalls of the frivolous spending. Watermark has never assessed the membership for anything, yet year in and year out, always has quality conditions inside the Clubhouse/Restaurant, outside on the grounds around the facility, at the pool and on the golf course.

Watermark also takes a somewhat "relaxed" approach to who we are as a private club. We have standards that we expect all members to adhere to relative to code of conduct, paying your bills on-time & playing the course in a timely manner but we have chosen not to get caught up in an abundance of rules that cause you, your family or your guests to feel stiff or even "scared" on how to properly act. No, we don't want people in the dining room wearing their swimsuit or on the golf course with no shirt on, but no one is going to measure the length of your shorts or suspend you for wearing a hat inside the building either. Over the years we have developed an environment that is not only filled with family-fun, but also one that is well received by our business-oriented members looking for a Club to entertain clients and customers. Whether on the golf course or off, the environment at Watermark is one that meets all kinds of member needs. We have a more "formal" dining room for special occasions or business entertaining and also a more relaxed lounge and outdoor deck area for just hanging out with friends and family. We have a golf professional staff that believes players of all age and ability levels consistently enjoy the golf course together because they know the standards that are expected; take care of the course and play in a timely manner. Because of that, business members and kids alike can all enjoy this beautiful course & club together.

Watermark Country Club understands that members have many reasons for why they want to be a member at the Club. The Golf Professional Staff works hard to create a calendar of golf events that can meet the needs of those who like to compete and socialize through leagues & tournaments. They also understand that there is a solid percentage of members who aren't necessarily interested in "events" but still love to play golf and want to play their golf at a private club. In creating a golf calendar of events, special effort is paid to making sure that the golf course still has the vast amount of course play set aside for "regular" golf. It is a challenge to mesh all that into one 18-hole golf course but Watermark has been fortunate to have the same two PGA Member Professionals on staff for a combined 50+ years and the two of them, along with both the Men's and Women's Golf Associations, have created a very well rounded schedule of open play & events for all our members.

Beginning in 2008, some of those course access challenges disappeared as Watermark Country Club became a multi-club facility when it purchased Crystal Springs Country Club, located just off M-6, at the Kalamazoo Ave. exit. Major renovations are underway to bring all new facilities to that club. Golf course improvements have been made and the course is back in great shape after a couple of budget-reduction years. Watermark's Ownership Group has renamed the club, StoneWater Country Club. You can check on the progress and read about that club by clicking on this link, www.stonewatercc.com .

The great thing about the purchase and renovations is that as a member of Watermark you are also a member of StoneWater. This is a tremendous added value for all members of both clubs. Whether it is just to have a "day away" for golf or having access to your "other club" because of an event at Watermark, members have a very unique opportunity that very few clubs can ever offer their membership. StoneWater is a completely different style of golf course then Watermark which also adds to the enjoyment of having two courses to play as a member. StoneWater is about a 15-20 minute drive from Watermark. As part of the renovation process a brand new multi-pool swim club facility is being built as well. As a "full country club member" of Watermark, your family will have membership privileges at the StoneWater Swim Club as well.

We hope that these words you have just read have shed some light on who we are at Watermark Country Club. Throughout the website, there are numerous other "tabs" you can explore for more information about the Club. Please feel free to contact us via email at: craigs@watermarkcc.com or via phone at: 616-949-0570, ext. 36. We'll do our best to answer any questions that can help you better make your decision about making Watermark, your Club.