Thornewood Castle Note: Chester Thorne, the original owner/builder of Thornewood Castle was also one of the original members/founders of the Tacoma Country Golf Club, below, whose country club property originally adjoined the Thornewood estate. (The original estate was later subdivided, so now a few homes are between Thornewood Castle and the Country Club). Also see article about the. Chester Thorne, including photo. Adding some blue to the greens. DEAN J. KOEPFLER/THE NEWS TRIBUNE. With the average age of its social members topping 75, Tacoma Country Golf Club in Lakewood decided to build a pool to attract younger members and their families. The $1.4 million pool opened July 4 and has a commanding view of American Lake. DAN VOELPEL; THE NEWS TRIBUNE Published: July 20th, 2005. Fifteen homesick Scotsmen employed at Tacomas Balfour Guthrie Co., a trading company, needed something anything to rouse their passion for their new hometown. So their 35-year-old boss, Alexander Baillie, concocted the perfect scheme. Baillie had graduated from his countrys oldest college, University of St. Andrews, and immigrated to the United States from there the birthplace of golf, St. Andrews, Scotland. (The same coastal town, coincidentally, where Tiger Woods, on Sunday won his second British Open on the St. Andrews Old Course.). What if, Baillie thought, I could raise my boys spirits by immersing them in the sport of our homeland? Darned if it didnt work. I love the golf, said Ed Zittel, fresh off the 18th green on the course Baillie built, but its much more about the fellowship than anything else. Interesting, however, that Baillies brainstorm and Zittels reflection occurred 111 years apart. In 1894, Baillie sculpted some prairie in what we know today as South Tacoma into the United States first golf course west of the Mississippi. By 1905, Baillies club moved to American Lake in Lakewood and became known as the Tacoma Country Golf Club playground of Tacomas rich and famous. Timber barons, shipping and railroad magnates, financiers and other business moguls with names like. Rust, Kilworth, Hosmer, Perkins, Sprague, Seymour, Opie, Rhodes, Weyerhaeuser, Eisenhower, Clapp, DeLong, Baker, Titus, Will, Gonyea, Harbottle, Milgard, Cereghino. This fall, club members plan to vote on an expansion of the clubhouse that would accommodate a large-scale fitness and exercise facility, another attraction for the younger set. Ill bet if club founder Alexander Baillie had a say, hed vote yes. He knew you had to invest to attract a crowd. In 1894, he sent away to Scotland for thirty sets of golf clubs handmade by Forgan, the famous club maker, and 25 dozen balls made from the dried gum of the Malaysian Sapadilla tree, according to the country clubs centennial history book. When the shipment arrived at the Port of Tacoma, puzzled customs agents who had never seen such equipment scratched their heads. After examining one of the clubs, (a customs agent) remarked that they looked like farm tools, and so they were entered in the records as farm equipment, which lowered the duty on them considerably a coup for the wily Scotsmen, who were now ready to pursue the royal and ancient game in this their adopted land. Zittel, meanwhile, a certified public accountant who will retire next month, marks his 25th anniversary this year as a club member. But the secluded enclave that for decades has played on its exclusivity and prestige to draw members like many old society clubs not long ago found itself on a course toward potential extinction. We woke up one day (two years ago) and figured out the average age of our social members was 76, said Josh Bridge, the country clubs 36-year-old general manager. And it seemed like we were doing three or four wakes here a month. It was awful. During its heyday in the 1980s and early 1990s, the initiation fee to become one of the 360 resident certificate owners peaked at $25,000 with a long waiting list. By last year, you could join for $10,750, and still the waiting list disappeared. The less-exclusive social memberships dwindled to about 190 the smallest number anyone could remember. We used to think we were in that category of country club that would never have to worry, said Rick Davis, the clubs current president and 25-year member. But we had to look at what we could do. The lower dues didnt help. We were in a death spiral or close to it. So the clubs board sought help from McMahon Group, a St. Louis consultant that rescues old country clubs tumbling toward irrelevance. Fewer people these days are willing to bear the expense of club membership for the element of prestige alone, explains Frank Vain, president of McMahon Group. Aging members, a proliferation of quality public golf courses, a 1993 federal tax change that reduced the monetary value of company-paid country club memberships, the younger generations penchant for diverse leisure activities, the growth of the health club industry all have nibbled at the edges of the country club lifestyle like moths on a Scotsmans wool kilt. A club that fails to attract youth is doomed, said Bill McMahon Sr., chairman of the consultant group. Since 1990, roughly 10 percent of private U.S. clubs from 5,200 to 4,700 have dissolved, according to the McMahon Group. Today, it appears, the Tacoma Country and Golf Club wont become another doomed statistic. Club members bought McMahons pitch, and 85 percent voted in November for a $1.4 million investment in a lakeside swimming pool, hot tub and toddler pool package as the first step toward drawing younger members and their families. The pool opened July 4. Now, resident special club members on the waiting list for a coveted certificate of ownership has crept back up to 19. Since January, Bridge has signed up more than 100 members, roughly 70 of them social members. Like 37-year-old Thomas Kuljam, a first-generation immigrant from Thailand who never in my wildest dreams thought he would join a club for the elitists. When you grow up in a military family, like I did, Kuljam said, youre blue-collar. You never associate with people like this. At a country club, youre not a member, youre the lawn boy. Getting married at the country club where the parents of his wife, Jennifer, belong didnt change Kuljams mind. I just saw old people sitting around playing cards, playing golf. I dont golf. There was nothing for me, he said. The swimming pool changed his mind. In May, the Kuljams joined as social members for the $600 initiation fee, $90 monthly dues and $300 annual food minimum at the clubhouse. During last Sundays heat wave, they packed up the Subaru and headed to the pool with their 2-year-old son, Sid. Im seeing some younger people out there. And some more diversity, Kuljam said. It makes me feel a little bit better. As a commercial loan officer for Chehalis-based Security State Bank, Kuljam works from his Lakewood home. He now sets up business meetings for the clubhouse instead of noisy local coffee shops, where some clients felt uneasy talking about sensitive financial information. Its perfect, he said. (Published 12:30AM, May 9th, 2003)

(See Below for Thornewood Castle Wedding Packages Prices). Click here for Wedding Photos. Both at Thornewood Castle or Elsewhere 10 Key Steps. (Note: Thornewood Castle answers shown in italics. Especially see our [This can save you money] notes below on how our wedding package prices save you money at Thornewood Castle). Welcome to Thornewood Castle. Your wedding will be a very important and special day in your life. We have had many wonderful and beautiful weddings here at Thornewood Castle. Thornewood is a very special romantic and poetic location. We have written this brief guide to highlight important considerations in selecting and planning for the use of your physical wedding/reception site, or venue. 1. First, pick a date(s). You will be more likely to get your desired venue [and possibly save $ money] if you can be a little flexible in your perfect date. Saturdays always fill up first, then Sundays, then Fridays and then occasional weekdays. Many venues will charge extra for Saturdays. For week days, you often can have your choice of any date. If you want an outdoor wedding, wedding sites with nice outdoor locations will book the summer weekends very fast, often a year in advance. Be sure you eventually pick a date that will not change. Most sites will require a non-refundable deposit to hold your selected date. At Thornewood Castle: All the above applies to us. Because our sunken garden is so beautiful in the summer for an outdoor wedding, our summer weekends (May/June to September) book very early. December is another very busy month and you want to plan ahead as much as possible if a holiday motif is your hearts desire. Thornewood is exceptionally beautiful during the holiday period. Our Christmas decorations are usually up by mid November. 2. Then decide how many wedding/reception guests you plan on having. This is a very important decisionboth your (1) site selection and (2) your total costs will hinge directly on this number. Every site has a maximum number of guests that it can accommodate (often regulated by the Fire Marshall). Some wedding sites will also charge extra for guests above a certain number, for the extra wear, tear and personnel it often takes. Your total number of guests will significantly narrow your choices of wedding sites. Your wedding guest count will either be (1) too large for a site to accommodate, or (2) too small (i.e. the sites minimum charge is too large to be practical for your size group), or (3) you will fit right in the group size range that fits (numbers and $ cost) for that wedding site. Also, all caters quote their prices per guest. So your group size is very important and the earlier you can estimate this number (and hold to it without changes) the better for you. At Thornewood Castle: Our facility size and standard rental fee usually works best for wedding groups up to 100 guests. We potentially could host a much smaller group, with a somewhat smaller rental fee, on a weeknight [This can save you money]. (See our fee schedule below). Call for quote on weddings larger than 100 guests. 3. Parking. Your guest list will determine the number of car parking spaces required. Determine where you guest will park and any necessary parking arrangements. Be sure to discuss this with your potential venue. Many sites have limited on-site parking and you will need to arrange for a shuttle to and from an off-site parking location. You have a lot of options for the shuttle. You can arrange for valet parking or self-parking with a shuttle. The shuttle can range from a rented car or van to a small shuttle bus. You can hire a parking company to handle all details or hire just a vehicle and driver. Be sure your wedding invitations specify the parking arrangements and where your guests should first drive to. Often some car-pooling is helpful. Thornewood Castle: for a wedding party of up to 100 guests, we have on-site parking for about half or more and an available adjoining parking site at the gate that can accommodate the rest of your guests. No shuttle is needed [This can save you money]. 4. Next decide if you will host your wedding ceremony and your reception at the same or different locations. Generally, it will cost more the longer your time requirements and two sites will often cost more than one. Also decide your time preferences, for the ceremony and reception. Many sites host two weddings a day and you will have to select from time slots that are available. Almost all locations will have both a time of day/night limit and an overall event time limit. At Thornewood Castle: Our most common wedding event is the combined ceremony and reception [This can save you money], but we can accommodate just the ceremony and/or just the reception. We also host only one wedding on a given day. All wedding events here must be completed by 8:00pm (including clean up). Our scheduled event time is for six hours (for either ceremony and/or reception) including set up, photos and clean up. So, for example, you could book 2-8pm, or 1-7pm, or 12 noon-6pm, etc. Special arrangements must be made for later reception/wedding times. Please discuss with Deanna if you want a reception lasting later into the evening. 5. Decide if you will serve alcohol and which kinds (champagne, wine, red wine, beer, keg beer, hard liquor, etc.) Many sites will have different polices on this and you will want to find one that matches your preferences. Be aware that many sites will at least prohibit red wine (for the stains). All venues will require that all Washington State Laws be followed regarding alcohol service. Some sites will require you to purchase all alcohol through them and thus the alcohol is catered by the facility. This arrangement is typically the most expensive for you. Other sites will allow to you to bring your own (you will have to purchase the State Banquet Permit for a nominal $10 fee from any state liquor store). Sometimes the alcohol is catered in by a business or caterer licensed by the state to do so You will have to shut the bar down well before the scheduled end of your event. Many wedding sites have learned that the hardest part of hosting wedding parties is ending them, by the scheduled time, if alcohol service is not ended before the scheduled ending time. You will want to do your part to make sure that everyone safely enjoys himself or herself. At Thornewood Castle: We do permit you to bring your own alcohol, [This can save you a LOT of money]. But we do not permit keg beer, hard liquor or red wine. (Red wine may be served if beer is not served). We do require an alcohol server (i.e. no self-service of Alcohol). We can recommend some sources of bar tenders, if needed. Alcohol service must end one hour before your event scheduled end time (its needed for clean-up time anyway). Alcohol may also be catered in by any business licensed by the State to serve in such a manner. 6. Clarify your catering and setup options. Determine what catering restrictions of the venue. Many have exclusive caterers. Clarify what tables, chairs, if any and any other equipment comes with your site rental. Most sites will require your caterer to be responsible for all tables and chairs associated with food service. Many sites will require you (or your caterer) to be responsible for renting chairs for your ceremony/reception (including set up and take down). Decide and clarify what decorations you will need or want and what is permitted. Many venues will also charge your caterer a percentage of the caterers fees to you, which fee is usually buried in your bill form the caterer. At Thornewood Castle: We allow your choice of caterers [This can save you money], subject to their meeting all health code requirements (and we havent had prior bad experiences with them) or you may do it yourself [This can save you money]. We also do NOT charge your caterer a percentage fee [This can save you money]. We can recommend some caterers to you, if you want some re...

 Breakfast may be served in the room
 Credit cards accepted
 Facsimile services
 Hairdryer
 Access to internet
 Ironing facilities
 Jacuzzi tub
 Smoke-free guest rooms
 Parking lot
 Private park, garden, courtyard
 Quiet surroundings
 Clock/radio
 Fridge
 Private/Ensuite bathroom
 Tea and coffee making facilities
 Phone at reception
 TV sets in rooms
 Patio, summer terrace
 Cheques accepted