The Start - Business
Property Talk: A weekly column by S.C. Cheah

IF you are a property developer and you are building a township, would you consider spending money on a big clubhouse? The answer, I believe, would probably be “No”. It is no longer a priority.

Gone are the days of the large clubhouses that sprouted all over the country during the golf course boom of the early 1990s. In those days, giving free golf memberships and sizeable rebates on club memberships formed part and parcel of selling houses and condominiums.

In the euphoria to build bigger clubhouses even in remote areas, caution was thrown to the wind. Today, many of these clubhouses are under-utilised and are on the verge of closing down with a rising number of defaulters.

However, the popular ones like the Tropicana Golf & Country Resort, Kelab Golf Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah, and the Klang Executive Club in Bandar Baru Klang, have helped to sell properties not only in their respective developments, but also those in the neighbourhood.

For example, the Tropicana name commands a premium. Its clubhouse is said to be the biggest in the country. Many high-end residential developments like the recently launched Damansara Legenda and Damansara Idaman are near the Tropicana enclave.

Mokhtar Singh in The Bale Equestrian and Country Club

Similarly, the Klang Executive Club with a 140,000-sq ft built-up area is a meeting place for residents of Bandar Baru Klang as well as people from Klang, Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya. It boasts a 50-bay golf driving range, four tennis courts, a 25-metre swimming pool, a spacious gym, restaurants, mini theatre, billiard and snooker rooms and an all-day childcare centre, among others. Since the last recession, not many developers are prepared or find the need to invest in a major clubhouse. This is because most of the niche developments are on a much smaller scale and hence do not require a sizeable clubhouse with too many facilities.

One veteran developer once told me that he regretted having built his big clubhouse in Rawang, as it is now more or less a “white elephant”.

“When I see the younger developers trying to do what I did more than 10 years ago, I can only shake my head as they are repeating the same mistake,” he said.

So what's new?

The trend now is to build smaller but resort-style clubhouses. You may call it the boutique clubhouse, neighbourhood clubhouse or simply “one of its kind” clubhouse. Many condominium and bungalow developments have their own clubhouse.

Bandar Country Homes in Rawang has a fairly big clubhouse called the Duta Palms & Anglers' Club that boasts a swimming pool that splits down to a long wading pool, minimalist, tropical-style architecture, resort units, tennis courts, restaurant, pub, multi-purpose hall (where weddings could be held) and even penguins!

Mayland Development Sdn Bhd's Queensbury Tower in Sri Hartamas in Kuala Lumpur will have a luxurious 100,000-sq ft clubhouse while the Metropolitan SQ in Damansara Perdana will have an ultra-modern two-storey clubhouse with a unique glass-edged swimming pool.

Some developers like the Bukit Kiara Properties Sdn Bhd have allocated a bungalow with a swimming pool near the entrance to its Aman Kiara project to be used as a clubhouse. Residents can just walk to their own exclusive clubhouse either for a swim or meet up with friends.I have singled out three of the latest clubhouses that are unique in their own way.

·The Bale Equestrian and Country Club: I recently visited this lovely clubhouse at the Leisure Farm Resort in Gelang Patah, Johor, and went away impressed with the tropical ambience and its signature roof.

The RM13mil, 32,000-sq ft clubhouse for the resort's equestrian and country club boasts the largest thatched conical cluster roofs in the world. The roofs are individually hand woven and tied together by skilful Balinese craftsmen. The three conical roofs cost RM500,000. A chandelier hangs down from the main roof that is 60-ft tall.

There is a reflective pond with a series of floating step crossings leading to a fine dining restaurant under the main roof. One can dine and enjoy the placid view of a large RM1mil multi-purpose field.

A pathway leads to an exotic beach and lagoon pool. Facilities include a conference hall and meeting rooms that can cater to smaller group activities such as workshops, yoga, meditation, music, arts and a children's library.

The resort and property manager Mokhtar Singh said The Bale is an ideal venue for seminars and it has meeting packages tailored to suit different needs.

Some of the resort's homes could be leased to accommodate groups on incentive trips as well as holidaymakers seeking a quiet retreat, he said. The equestrian also offers full livery services where people could keep their horses under professional care.

The Bale as a community hub will certainly enhance the overall image of the resort and is a strong selling point for the resort's future products.

·The Semenyih Lake Country Club: This is the best-kept secret of Semenyih. This new modern clubhouse in Taman Tasik Semenyih in Selangor is set in a tranquil surrounding with nearby hills and lakes.

It has a small but cosy dining area with a Japanese chef ready to cook up some nice Japanese dishes. There is a gym, children's playground, a swimming pool, jacuzzi, tennis, sepak takraw and badminton courts, and soft landscaped features.

What better way to retire or bring up a young family than to buy a house here now that the Kajang Bypass and RM1.4bil Kajang Traffic Dispersal Ring Road or (SILK Highway) have opened this year.

Bandar Tasik Semenyih Sdn Bhd has shown that it is a responsible developer by building the clubhouse for its residents and people living in the outlying areas.

It is planning to launch another 200-acre freehold development adjacent to Taman Tasik Semenyih.

·Bukit Gita Bayu: Yee Seng Heights Sdn Bhd, the developer of this award-winning 120-acre gated and guarded community development in Seri Kembangan, Selangor, has a powerful marketing tool in the form of a Balinese-style clubhouse.

Many people bought properties here upon visiting the lovely RM13.5mil pavilion-styled clubhouse built alongside a lakeside park.