The clubhouse at Five Ponds Golf Club was drawn with a second floor. It was never built. At a Feb. 5 meeting this year, Warminster Supervisors Chair Kenneth Hayes said the original drawings included a second story and other amenities that were left out, according to the Bucks County Herald. Decades later, the township is building that missing floor and a good deal more. On Aug. 20, 2026, the Board of Supervisors approved a $25 million loan to fund a new clubhouse and other improvements at the course on West Street Road.
Most people read this as a golf story. Look at the floor plan and it reads more like an events story. For the first time, the township-owned course will have a dedicated space for weddings, banquets and parties, separate from the room where golfers grab a sandwich between nines. If you live nearby, that changes what Five Ponds is for.
A building designed around two different crowds
When the concept first went public in September 2025, Central Bucks Now reported that the old clubhouse had been built to residential standards decades ago. It also reported that a main goal of the project was to separate golf operations from event space. That one idea explains most of the design.
The township's June 26 bid announcement from Township Manager Tom Scott lays it out simply. The ground floor holds the traditional golf bar and restaurant with a patio, and the second floor is a wedding and events space. The township said it expects the project to make the course "an important asset for the community for the next fifty years." At the February design review, Vice Chair Katherine Frescatore called the proposal attractive for weddings and other events.
The separation reaches the parking lot too. The February design showed a circular driveway that keeps golf carts and cars apart, plus a cart drop-off closer to the pro shop. The Bucks County Courier Times reported the plan as an enlarged 242-space lot and a new cart barn. On a Saturday when a 7 a.m. foursome and a wedding party both arrive at Five Ponds, that layout is meant to keep the two groups out of each other's way.
What goes inside
The most detailed description so far is the announcement from Spirit Golf Management, which runs the course for the township. Golfing Magazine published it this week.
| Space | What's planned |
|---|---|
| Overall building | About 27,000 square feet |
| Event room | Up to 250 guests for banquets, weddings, parties and other gatherings |
| Pro shop | 1,400 square feet of equipment, apparel and accessories |
| Bar and grill | New restaurant served by its own kitchen |
| Patios | A large covered patio for the event space and another for the restaurant |
| Teaching studio | Four golf simulators with private seating for lessons, recreational play, events and club fitting |
The figures have shifted along the way. The 2025 concept was described as about 30,000 square feet with room for 280 event guests. The October announcement gives 27,000 square feet and 250 guests. A construction-industry project listing from Sept. 16 shows 16,770 square feet on the first floor and 14,368 on the second, not counting patio and deck area. The plan is still being refined, so treat the newest numbers as the current ones.
For golfers, the simulator studio may matter most. Spirit describes it as a space for year-round instruction led by PGA Professionals. That gives Five Ponds something to offer in January, when the 18 holes and the five water features that give the course its name sit quiet. It also fits the course's existing programs. The facility is home to the Spirit Golf Academy and a junior golf program that Spirit says draws more than 200 participants a year.
Mike Attara, president of Spirit Golf Management, said the clubhouse "will expand the ways Five Ponds serves golfers and the broader community." Warminster is also part of a wider trend. The National Golf Foundation counted nearly 3,000 municipal golf courses operating at the start of 2026, the highest total on record, and the number of municipally owned and operated courses is up 7% since 2006.
How the project has moved so far
The public paper trail runs back a little more than a year:
- September 2025: The township unveils the concept for a new clubhouse.
- Feb. 5, 2026: Supervisors review the design, including the circular drive and cart drop-off.
- June 26, 2026: Public bidding opens for clubhouse construction through PennBid.
- July 16, 2026: The separate demolition contract is awarded to James R. Kenney Excavating & Paving, according to PennBid's record.
- July 25, 2026: A planned live-fire training exercise in the old clubhouse is cancelled because forecast winds could have carried smoke toward nearby homes.
- Aug. 20, 2026: Supervisors approve the $25 million loan, as the township's Aug. 25 release and Patch reported.
- Sept. 16, 2026: A project tracker lists the general, roofing, mechanical and electrical contractors and notes that plumbing bids were rejected and would be re-advertised.
The burn drew the most attention from neighbors. Before the July date, the Bucks County Herald reported concerns from nearby residents about smoke and air quality, especially for households with children, older adults, or people with asthma or lung conditions. Officials and fire personnel had said the training would go ahead only in favorable weather, and that is how it played out when the wind forecast turned. The demolition bid planned for either outcome. Demolition could follow fire training, or an alternate tear-down could be used if the training never happened.
Playing through the construction
Spirit says golf is expected to continue for the whole project. Tee times, league play, lessons and player-development programs are all expected to stay available. While the old building is out of service, food and drinks will come from a temporary tented hospitality space backed by a bar-and-kitchen trailer, serving golfers, practice-facility users and outing groups.
For now, the season runs on its usual schedule. When we checked the Five Ponds homepage this week, it listed the course and driving range as open, the short-game area as closed, and pro shop hours of 6:15 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The club's posted 2026 rates cover a full season from April 1 through Nov. 29, 2026, with a discount for township residents:
- Weekday regular: $52 walking, $69 riding
- Weekday Warminster resident: $47 walking, $64 riding
- Weekday senior: $42 walking, $59 riding
- Weekday resident senior: $37 walking, $54 riding
The resident rates require a resident ID. That leaves about seven weeks of the posted season, and the par-3 17th, the signature hole over water, is still there to play.
What hasn't been announced yet
Some practical questions still have no public answer. As of early October 2026, we could not find:
- A rescheduled date for the live-fire training, or confirmation that it happened
- Confirmation that the old clubhouse has been demolished or that ground has been broken
- Confirmation that the temporary tent and trailer are already set up
- A closing date for the current Five Ponds Grille. Its webpage still describes a public bar and restaurant and links to a Summer 2026 menu.
- Any plan for weddings or banquets already booked during construction
- Details on parking, a temporary pro shop, or cart routes while work is underway
- An itemized list of the "other improvements" the loan covers. The construction bid lists parking-lot paving, cart paths, sidewalks, landscaping, lighting and stormwater work, but no course, irrigation or range upgrades.
The completion date is unknown too. The construction contract calls for substantial completion within 425 calendar days after contract times begin, and no start date has been published. Once work starts, that window is a little over 14 months. Demolition is scheduled the same way, with 30 calendar days for substantial completion after its own start. The township has set up a Five Ponds GC Construction News page, but it had no construction updates when we checked. Until dates are posted, the pro shop is the most direct place to ask.
If you own a home near Five Ponds and wonder how a bigger event venue, a 242-space lot and a year-round simulator studio might affect your block, or how to think about protecting your property while construction runs next door, I'm happy to talk it through without any pressure. Reach out to The Britto Group, and let's connect.
