Published by Highlands Today
SEBRING – Work continued Tuesday putting the finishing touches to the new Sun ‘n Lake of Sebring Improvement District Golf Clubhouse, in preparation for Saturday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for golf members and Sunday’s grand opening celebration to the general public.
About 500 guests are expected for the ribbon cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. Saturday, said Shannon Sayre, event planner with Adeo Media. Saturday’s event is by invitation only, she said.
PGA champion Brad Bryant will be there Saturday to cut the ribbon. Bryant is a 20-year veteran of the PGA Tour and 2007 winner of the U.S. Senior Open.
The public is invited from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday to meet the new clubhouse chef and enjoy swing music by the Craig Turley Orchestra, light hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, contests and prizes.
The golf clubhouse will showcase its banquet room along with a new pro shop and restaurant. Amenities include a driving range, new practice putting green, chipping green and lessons from certified professional golf instructors.
According to Al Grieshaber, general manager of the improvement district, construction work will continue into Saturday on the 13,400 square-foot building.
The old Candlelight Restaurant building was 10,000 square feet, he added.
“We’ll be working on it until Dec. 5,” he said. “I’m supposed to get the keys on Dec. 6. We’re not opening up the kitchen until Monday. We’re waiting for a temporary certificate of occupancy.”
Right now the building is simply called the Golf Clubhouse, said Grieshaber, but that may change.
“We’ll probably hold a naming contest later on,” he said. “But we were more concerned about construction than a name.”
The structure will contain the 19th Hole gathering place, which is 51 feet by 48 feet or 2,448 square feet, plus a 70-by-34-foot banquet hall, accounting for another 2,380 square feet.
All the furniture is in, except for the pro shop, Grieshaber said.
The new clubhouse will no longer have a swimming pool, which was pulled out prior to construction. Work on a new swimming pool is scheduled to begin at the community center later this month, he said.
“We’re hoping for an opening by the end of July,” he said.