And sets the bar for luxury private clubs that embrace the entire family
By Business Trends staff
It’s hard to imagine a more perfect setting along the California coast to relax and enjoy the good life. And luckily, after three-and-a half-years, Ty Warner has reopened the legendary 101-year-old Montecito Club and its spectacular new Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.
Warner’s approach to the Montecito Club’s renovation blends ultra-luxe amenities with family-friendly features that exceed the most discerning expectations and tastes.
“My goal was to create the best country club in the world,” says Warner, best known as the billionaire creator of Beany Babies. “The Montecito Club honors the legacy of the property and the game of golf while imparting a new, luxury standard that caters to multi-generations. This is a place where members can pursue individual passions and interests and also connect with family members and friends in engaging, meaningful ways. We have combined the best of the best.”
A three-minute drive from the Pacific Ocean, members enter the Club through a private, guarded entryway. As you journey down the winding road, framed by lush fairways and tropical landscape, you view the Pacific and the Channel Islands on one side and the Santa Ynez Mountains on the other.
Montecito Club’s great room creates a sense of Old World grandeur and charm, while at once feeling new and energetic. Rare Persian, hand-woven carpets cover the long-planked, old-growth oak floors. Hand-chiseled plaster adorns the walls, while finishes and textiles in ivory, gold and burgundy reinforce the 14th century Moroccan-Andalusian influence, while still complimenting the Spanish architecture. All of the solid African mahogany doors were hand-carved in Fez, Morocco. Custom-designed Swarovski Crystal chandeliers beam light from the gold leaf Venetian plaster ceilings as well as from the 3 private seating areas. The 10-foot high sandstone fireplace with carved mahogany mantel provides warmth and drama to any conversation or get together. A spectacular 20-foot window allows for sweeping views of the golf course, the Pacific and the Channel Islands.
The original 1918 entrance features custom Venetian plaster waxed with gold flakes, uplit cove ceilings with an arched niche wall and backlit hand-blown glass vases, leads members and guests to the ballroom’s foyer. Meanwhile, the 4,800-square-foot ballroom dazzles with 50-foot-high ceilings, more ocean and island vistas, a built-in bar and fireplace accommodating 200 guests and provides a memorable setting for any event. The hand-carved 25-foot ballroom balcony provides the ideal location for the tossing of the bridal bouquet or a platform for that musical quartet or DJ.
The Member’s Grill seats 64 and offers bistro-style seating where members can savor delicious Mediterranean inspired cuisine prepared by award-winning Executive Chef Jamie West.
The wine rooms are enclosed in steel and glass, allow for the indulging, and tasting of vintage wines and champagnes. The extensive wine list includes: 2000 Krug ‘Clos d’Ambonnay’ Blanc de Noirs Brut (Grand Cru Champagne), 1997 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti ‘Montrachet’ (Grand Cru Burgundy), 1990 Château d’Yquem (Sauternes), 1996 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti ‘La Tâche’ (Grand Cru Burgundy), 1982 Château Latour (Grand Cru Bordeaux), 1998 Penfolds Grange (Shiraz, Australia), 2008 Schrader ‘CCS’ Beckstoffer To-Kalon (Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa) and much more. More tham 1,000 bottles of wine and champagne are stored within the wine rooms in addition to 36 private wine lockers for Members’ exclusive stock.
The private dining room was completely constructed in Marrakech and features museum quality Zillig tile mosaics, hand-carved walls and a tooled and textured cedar ceiling. Completing the space is a 15-foot dining table built of a single slab of wood milled from a Bunya-Bunya tree. Host a private party for up to 14 of your closest friends and family for an intimate dinner they’ll never forget. Bernardaud China, Riedel crystal, custom printed menus, complete your dining experience.
But the purposefulness of a true club exceeds the expected over-the-top lobby and dining areas. And this is where Warner truly went above and beyond in order to attract a membership that plans to do more than just sip cocktails and casually mention their status while on the tarmac in Zurich. To that end the fitness center is a whopping 6,500 square feet and features two large spaces with panoramic ocean views for added exercise motivation. The fitness center includes Matrix cardio and strength equipment, Peloton bikes and treadmill, a movement studio for group and virtual fitness classes and a private training studio. State-of-the-art technology has been incorporated allowing individuals to participate in virtual training and track workouts on their smart watches. Members with demanding schedules, who find it difficult to make live classes, will now have the capability to stream group fitness classes on a 75″ touchscreen monitor at their convenience using Wellbeats technology.
The Kids Club, for those with young children, has indoor and outdoor activities that includes arts & craft stations, a wall-to-wall Lego room and even a dream room for pint-sized R&R. All recreational elements at the club — including golf, tennis, recreation lawn and swimming — offer kids programming throughout the year. Kid Coordinators are CPR trained and certified.
The Club also features the Dolby Atmos Theater — a true state-of-the-art screening room and movie theater. The walls are draped in midnight blue and gold silk, with 22 plum velvet reclining chairs for your comfort and a 16-foot CinemaScope movie screen for your viewing pleasure. The Dolby Atmos Immersive Sound creates a distinct, moving audio by introducing two important concepts to cinema sound: audio objects and overhead speakers resulting in lifelike sound that flows all around you. Adjacent to the theater is the special concession area — showcasing cobalt Venetian plaster and hand-painted floors — offering popcorn machines, soda machines, frozen treats and tasty sweets.
Another entertaining aspect of the Club is the AMF Bowling Alley. With laser, disco, runway and black lights and lanes that glow in the dark, it is clearly over-the-top. The alley takes on psychedelic hues for cosmic bowling. When the white lights go black, laser lights race across the lanes, and balls glow in the dark. Montecito Club families can bond and connect in friendly competition. The space also includes air hockey, pinball and arcade games.
Of course, much of the property encompasses the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course re-design which highlights natural elevation changes with stunning coastal and mountain views at every turn. While preserving its historical character, the strategic design will challenge golfers of any level. The 18-hole, par-71, 6,540-yard course includes mature Monterey Cypress, Live Oak and Sycamore trees, T1 Bentgrass greens, Santa Ana Bermuda grass fairways and tees, Bandera Bermuda grass roughs, riparian grasses, wetlands and wildflowers in the native areas. Native Santa Barbara sandstone found onsite during construction of the golf course has been incorporated into the bridges and landscape features throughout the golf course. All bunkers feature Augusta White Sand.
Nicklaus Design is considered the world leader in golf course design. Montecito Club represents the firm’s 17th course in golf-rich California, but the first Nicklaus-designed course in Santa Barbara.
Nicklaus Design has created close to 420 courses in 46 countries and 40 states, of which, Jack Nicklaus has been involved in close to 305 courses. Montecito Club’s signature hole is the downhill, par-4, 10th, with the Pacific Ocean and Santa Barbara Harbor in the background. The golf course includes five par 3s, four par 5s, and number one handicap hole is the 11th — a dramatic 549-yard par 5 that plays to a challenging green site, protected by a rambling creek short of the green. The Club’s golf carts are equipped with Visage technology, which gives Members accurate GPS yardages viewable from the on-board screen, while also being able to connect smart phones via Bluetooth to play music from the speakers installed in the canopy. The Nicklaus Signature Golf Course also features two on-course casitas located at the 5th and 15th holes, each with a 55″ TV and well-stocked refreshment centers.
The legendary Jack Nicklaus helped celebrate the official opening of his Signature Course in March, highlighted by a Q&A session with the members, and moderated by Jim Gray of NBC Sports.
The Women’s Locker Room is equipped with a steam room and cerused oak carved lockers. The floors and walls are completely clad in Italian alabaster marble inlayed with intricate patterns of chiseled Moroccan Zillig tile in hues of blue accented with 24-karat gold. The makeup areas are furnished with custom vanities, mirrors and lush seating. The Women’s Lounge provides a Zen-like retreat with indoor/outdoor spaces, including a Moroccan Zillig tile patio, spa treatment room, as well as lounge and entertainment areas where Members can re-energize with a glass of “The 1918” or unwind with a glass of iced tea or your favorite cocktail and snack on your own custom created trail mix.
Meanwhile, the Men’s Locker Room is also equipped with steam room and carved mahogany lockers. The floors and walls are clad in Italian alabaster marble inlayed with intricate patterns of chiseled Moroccan Zillig tile accented in 24-karat gold.
The Men’s Lounge Bar, completely built of hand-carved African mahogany and ebonized Italian walnut, offers a brass bar with mirrored ceilings. Handmade wall sconces with brass light up the space. Members can play poker or cards on the custom antique poker table. On the opposite wall, four 43″ TVs surround an 85″ TV that will satiate even the most ardent sport enthusiast.
And yet another gem of the Club is the pool complex. The pools hold 283,000 gallons of water set on 25,000 square feet — the largest private club pool complex in California. Eighteen date palms and purple bougainvillea enhance the pool areas that feature two rim-flow lap pools, a beach-entry, zero-edge oval shaped pool, all with underwater music and a 1,300 square foot kid’s splash pad. In addition, a whirlpool designed for 11 is strategically positioned for the best viewing of the Pacific Ocean, the Channel Islands and downtown Santa Barbara. The pool has a center island with umbrella-covered chaise lounge seating. Members can enjoy the poolside bar and al fresco dining venue featuring signature drinks, smoothies, ice cream and sharable sandwiches, and salads while watching their favorite show or sporting event on the 65″ outdoor TV screen. Chaise lounge service on the pool deck and on the leisure pool’s island transcends Members to a coveted resort destination. The idyllic elevation and orientation of the Pool Facility takes full advantage of the 360-degree views of the Pacific Ocean, the Channel Islands and the Santa Ynez Mountains. The pool area is surrounded by a 1 ¼” glass windscreen, with no vertical supports, allowing unobstructed panoramic views.
And the Recreation Lawn is 30,000 square feet and includes a sport court for pickleball and basketball, soccer field with goals, artificial turf sledding hill, baseball batting cage with pitching machine and 3 full-swing golf hitting bays with a Trackman outdoor simulator. The Trackman simulator, used by members of the PGA and LPGA tours, captures pure, precise, and reliable data that allows you to dissect and understand the DNA of any given swing. The TrackMan golf radar not only helps map these key data parameters — ball speed, attack angle, club path, face angle, etc. — it also captures the golf swing with a built-in HD video camera. Play or practice on courses such as Pebble Beach, St. Andrews and Montecito Club on the 60″ flat screen outdoor monitor.
The Rebound Ace Tennis Courts provide Members the ability to play tennis on one of the 4 championship tennis courts surrounded by ivy fences, just like Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Rebound surface helps reduce leg, ligament and lower back strains and injuries while enhancing performance and is the professionals’ choice of surface for ATP tournaments and Davis Cup. The Montecito Club is the only private club on the West Coast that offers the Rebound Ace surface. Work with one of our professionals or practice on your own with one of the 2 ball hitting machines.
Memberships currently available include the Ambassador Membership with full club privileges excluding golf, the Signature Membership with full club privileges and the unique Connoisseur Membership which includes full club privileges at Montecito Club and membership at the coveted Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club. The Signature and Connoisseur Memberships include special access to Ty Warner’s hotels, resorts and golf courses. For more information, call (805) 395-8904 or email: membership@twhr.net.
