On May 13, 2019 at the Town Hall meeting at Briar’s Creek, Mr. Cary McNair spoke to over 100 members gathered under the porte corchere infront of the clubhouse. The members were enthusiastic and supportive as they listened to Mr. McNair’s comments. At the end of his remarks there was a Q&A session where he and his team answered questions from the members.
Mr. McNair began by recognizing his father, Mr. Robert C. McNair’s, fondness of Briar’s Creek and his love of the game of golf. Cary stated, “Although my dad is not with us any more, he is definitely here in spirit.” His mom, Janice McNair, will be back in June and is honored to cut the ribbon for the opening of the Robert C. McNair Performance Center. Cary then introduced his team who were in attendance: President of McNair Interests, Scott Schwinger, Senior VP, Bob Licato, CFO, John Price, IT/Social Media, Lee Nugent and Briar’s Creek GM, Clint Wood. On behalf of McNair Interests, they are excited about the future of Briar’s Creek, to maintain his dads vision, and to have a top class club with no tee times.

He assured the members that McNair Interests continues to be committed to Briar’s Creek and plans to enhance the club and the golf course, which is sure to attract more members. With the opening of the Performance Center, the current Golf Shop operations will move to the Lodge and the current shop will be renovated into a Members Lounge. We will begin construction of 3 four-bedroom golf cottages this summer, which will share a lighted putting green and should be complete in the summer of 2020. We are scheduled to renovate the golf course to include bunkers, drainage, tees, fairways and greens to begin in the summer of 2020 with the newly renovated golf course opening in the Fall of 2020. The total improvements represent over $6MM over the next two years with no assessment to members.

With all of the new enhancements, we hope to energize the membership and attract new Local members. We want to deliver an exceptional product, have a sustainable club, host USGA Events, and maintain our no tee time policy. We currently have 261 members and want to be more competitive in the market by lowering dues. We have room to grow and a sustainable, break-even club gives Briar’s Creek longevity.
Mr. McNair thanked the members for attending and for the chance to interact together. He and his team, along with the talented staff at the Club, are privileged to work on such a good asset and look forward to taking Briar’s Creek to a new level.

He closed the meeting by stating a quote that his dad lived by, “Life is short, make it Sweet” and then moved into Q & A.

Questions and Answers
Q. What makes up McNair Interests?
A. McNair Interests is a private investment and management company founded by Robert C. McNair and headquartered in Houston, Texas. With its business investment and financial expertise, McNair Interests focuses on transformative projects in areas such as energy,
life sciences, hospitality, technology and real estate. McNair Interests develops, owns and operates industrial, commercial and residential real estate projects nationwide, and considers every investment for its ability to drive innovation in new sectors and to create a lasting and positive impact on the community.
Q. I just joined in January and having no tee times is the greatest gift that the Club offers. How many members are we going to have and is there a cap?
A. We currently have 261 members. We would like to welcome more Local members to have a sustainable club, to eliminate the seasonality and to have a steady flow of member usage throughout the year. An important element to success is to have members utilizing the club for golf, dining & events. Our highest priority is to maintain our no tee time policy. The total number of members will be driven by the number of rounds we play. Last year we played 11,000 rounds and we know that we can play at least 14,000 rounds and maintain our no tee time policy.
Q. Can you give us the details on the golf course renovation? Is the Bridge at 17 a part of the plan?
A. The golf course is 18 years old. We would like to bring the greens back to their original size. We are over-bunkered and bunkers are high maintenance. Rees Jones is working with us to do a total makeover tees, fairways, greens, bunkers and drainage. The bridge at 17 is scheduled to be repaired/replaced.
Q. How long will it take to have a sustainable, break-even club?
A. As we bring in new local members, our best guess is 2-3 years. Charleston has a lot going for it and when the word gets out about all of the club enhancements, people will want to be a part of it.
Q. What would be involved with hosting a USGA Event?
A. After the renovation, the course will be in great condition to host this type of event. If selected, there are years of planning and working out logistics.
Q. How is Briar’s Creek going to be affected by the Kiawah River development? What is the price range for new contruction?
A. Kiawah River will not have a golf course, so we will most likely have people interested in membership from that community since they are so close to us. They will have many amenities to include a Swim Club. Briar’s Creek members and property owners will eventually be able to buy into their HOA and use their amenities. We also hope to have an easement through the county park for easy access. There is already good synergy between the two properties. Finished homes start at $700,000 to $1.5M
Q. When will we have enough play to offer a Caddie Program?
A. We would be able to look at having a Caddie Program when we are playing at least 14,000 rounds per year.
Q. How are the Real Estate values at Briar’s Creek?
A. Briar’s Creek lot prices have been increasing and we have seen strong sales over the last 12-18 months. We also have some raw acreage available for possible future development.
Q. Do you anticipate opening more nights for dinner?
A. Currently, we offer what the membership will support. As the demand goes up and we have regular visitors at the cottages and more people living on property, we will add more dining options.
Q. How do we market the Club and add more members?
A. The Club will continue to be by Invitation and feel that the best source of new members are invited by current members. We have a “soft sell” approach and will communicate the good news at Briar’s Creek through press releases rather than marketing. We plan on raising the Initiation Fees in the Fall of 2020 after the newly renovated course opens.
Q. How will the golf course closure affect the Club?
A. We are doing the golf course renovation in the summer of 2020, which is our slowest time of the year. The range and clubhouse will remain open. Members will have reciprocity at other area golf courses during the course closure.
Q. You mentioned extra acreage for possible future development. Have you thought about how you would like to develop it?
A. No, however we are open to suggestions.

Throughout the session, there was a lot of light-hearted jokes and laughter. On behalf of the Executive team and the employees at Briar’s Creek, Mr. McNair stated that it was a privilege to be with everyone and stated that McNair Interests promises to be proactive as they move
forward.

As a gift, all of the members took home a new Briar’s Creek/McNair Interests cap and a sleeve of golf balls inscribed with the McNair Interests Logo. The presentation concluded and everyone proceeded to the dining room for drinks, hors d'oeuvres, fellowship and an incredible sunset. Another great evening at Briar’s Creek!