Family Camp Out

How has this idea enhanced your club's operation, etc.?

Members pick the best spot to camp in clubs backyard overlooking Lake Mendota and the iconic Madison Capitol skyline in the early afternoon. They are welcome to continue set up throughout the day, blowing up mattresses and getting to know their camp neighbors. At 5pm we start the festivities off with a cookout dinner. To occupy the kids, we have water balloons, Nintendo Switch on the Big Screen, bounce houses and lawn games. After dinner, our events manager had organized lawn games like: water balloon toss, three legged race and wheel barrel races. Winners all received either a free cocktail or a free ice cream to redeem at the pool bar. The night progressed with a family movie on the big screen, a popcorn bar with all the candy mix-ins you can think of and smores on the fire. In the morning, members woke up to breakfast buffet and had the morning to leisurely pack up.

How was this idea implemented, and what have been the club members' reactions?

Striving to fulfill our mission of "delivering the premier, family-focused, country club experience to our members", the family campout was implemented to be the highlight of family experiences at Bishops Bay. Over the years the family campout has grown in notoriety and popularity. Families look forward to attending the campout disconnecting from hectic summer schedules and enjoy a weekend with fellow members at the club. In the past the campout was much smaller, involving just food, a movie and camping. As the event has become more popular, we decided to expand and revamp the event. The addition of organized events, utilization of the club’s 18 foot LED jumbotron, and breakfast buffet have been extremely well received and the bar has been set for future years. Children speak fondly of past experiences and continuously ask about future campouts.