Mistwood Golf Club, Romeoville, Ill.
Designed to complement Mistwood GC’s identity, the bar in its new golf Performance Center has taken on its own starring role.
When Jim McWethy, owner of Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville, Ill., decided to build a new, state-of-the-art Performance Center, he envisioned a destination that would help the club cement its position as one of the premiere golf facilities in the Midwest.
Located on the driving range, near the golf course’s first and ninth holes, the Performance Center offers climate-controlled stations, indoor heated bays, outdoor bays, club fitting, putting and high-tech teaching aids. But the heart of the center is its lively and inviting full-service bar.
| Mistwood Golf Club Romeoville, Ill.  Architect/Designer: Dan Wohlfeil DesignPaintings (right): Mary Heneghan, The Sign Maker Flooring: Espresso-colored stained concrete in the bar; turf in the Turf Room Bar/Furniture: Custom-built by Joliet Cabinet |
“The Performance Center is a destination that was built and designed to strengthen our identity; having a nice bar in there is an important part of doing that,” says Dan Bradley, General Manager. “Every design decision that we made was based on our identity.”
The bar is actually comprised of two connecting spaces: the bar area and the Turf Room. The bar area houses a custom-built mahogany bar with 20 wooden slat-back bar stools, along with another 20 Old World-style black-leather round stools. The area also offers flat-screen televisions and a combination of high- and low-top pub tables.
Adjacent to the bar is the Turf Room, which has a large garage-style door that opens up directly onto the driving range. The Turf Room is set up with flat-screen televisions and seating for about 40 people at traditional wooden dining tables. In the winter, the Turf Room serves as a hitting bay; in the summer, it is often used for everyday dining and small events.
“The space is very versatile; we use it for so many different types of functions,” says Bradley. “It’s perfect for golfers who want to enjoy some beers after a round, and it can easily be set up for a fine-dining event. We recently hosted a 180-person wedding in here.”
Mistwood Golf Club, Romeoville, Ill.
The two bar areas were designed in a Scottish farmhouse style, which complements the club’s links-style golf course. “When we renovated our course, we implemented a lot of Scottish features, such as stacked-sod wall bunkers and Lannon stone bridges,” says Bradley. “We wanted the bar to have that same ‘across the pond’ feel.”
To bring this design theme to life, the bar features a high wooden ceiling, onyx and wrought-iron lighting fixtures, and hand-painted wooden paintings with the Mistwood logo that are reminiscent of a Scottish crest or flag.
The bar also offers impressive views of the course throughout the space; the bar back was custom-built to reflect the scenic images. “The way the bar is positioned with the mirrors on the back bar allows customers to see out the windows and onto the driving range, even when they aren’t facing the windows,” says Bradley. “On a nice summer day they can sit at the bar and still see the bright, blue sky and the driving range.”
Mistwood Golf Club, Romeoville, Ill.
The bar has boosted the club’s private event capabilities tenfold. “The bar has been fantastic for private events,” says Bradley. “It’s been a game changer. I have booked and sold more events, exponentially. At the same time, it is an important amenity in the building that fulfills the needs of a lot of our golfers.”
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