At the end of 2025, Rock Creek Golf Club, a semi-private club in Fairhope, Ala., was looking for another way to attract potential members while adding a new offering for current ones. General Manager Duncan Millar says that led to the idea of a coffee bar.
First, the club wanted to give the broader community, both members and non members, a reason to visit. With Rock Creek operating as a self contained residential community with homes on the property, Millar says a coffee shop felt like a natural addition.
“People love their morning coffee, so it made sense for us,” he says.
Second, a drive through coffee shop just outside the neighborhood was closing, creating an opportunity to fill that void.
In December 2025, the Oak & Iron Coffee Bar opened, offering staple items alongside seasonal creations and Buzzed Brews, its line of alcoholic coffee drinks.
The coffee bar is housed in the club’s existing bar space, which had been underutilized. With a few small tweaks and a thorough cleaning, the area was transformed. The club’s food and beverage team operates the concept as part of their existing responsibilities, adding no additional labor overhead.
Working Out the Kinks
Millar says one of the strengths of his team is its ability to take an idea from concept to execution. They spend time brainstorming, workshopping, and pressure testing ideas before putting them in front of members.
“Once we had the idea nailed down, the next step was making sure the staff was trained,” says Millar. “We did in-house training where we were serving ourselves, working out the kinks, figuring out the recipes, and really getting comfortable making and serving the coffee.”
The club did a soft launch in November 2025, a slower time of year, to ease both staff and members into the new offering.
“Everything we do here needs to add member value, serve the community, and make financial sense,” says Millar.
The soft opening also functioned as a test period. The team used that time to evaluate whether the concept could operate as intended, meet cost of sale targets, and hold up as a standalone offering.
Millar says the biggest challenges were finding the right space and getting the equipment in place, but demand and inventory quickly became part of the equation as well.
“We wanted to make sure there was enough demand,” he says. “And if demand was strong, we needed to have the inventory to support it. Finding that balance was a challenge.”
Seasonal Drinks and Buzzed Brews
Once the concept was in place, the team turned its attention to building a menu that could drive repeat visits.
Millar gives much of the credit for the concept to his Events and Food and Beverage Manager, Ashli Pridgen.
Pridgen researched what other coffee houses in the market were serving and charging to ensure the club could meet margins while staying competitive.
The coffee bar offers staples such as lattes, espresso, cappuccino, hot chocolate, and teas. To keep the menu fresh and give members a reason to return, the team also rotates in specialty and seasonal offerings.
“For Mardi Gras season, we offered a king cake latte, and for spring, we’re offering a lavender honey latte,” says Millar.
Another distinct element of the Oak & Iron Coffee Bar is its Buzzed Brews menu, which features coffee drinks with alcohol. Options include an Irish coffee with espresso, whiskey, and cream, as well as a cola coffee made with coffee liqueur, vodka, cola, and cream.
Exceeding Expectations
Millar says the coffee bar filled a gap in Rock Creek’s operation and has since created new traffic from non members while giving members another way to use the club.
“People are spending more time in the clubhouse, and we are seeing an uptick in remote workers coming in to grab their coffee and do some work at the bar area,” he says. “It was an untapped market within the community that we took advantage of.”
Millar says he now sees people stopping in before work, between rounds of golf, or simply to have a beverage while sitting out on the patio.
“I was cautiously optimistic when we opened this, and it has exceeded my expectations,” he says.
Activity Breeds Activity
Many clubs offer complimentary coffee in the clubhouse, and that is still available at Rock Creek.
“It’s drip coffee,” says Millar. “No variety, no sweetener or frills. The coffee bar is a higher quality amenity.”
Millar says Oak & Iron Coffee Bar provides a stronger overall offering without significantly increasing costs. With existing labor running the bar and no need to build out a new space, margins are slightly better than simply offering complimentary coffee.
“There is a benefit to having that complimentary pot of coffee,” Millar notes, “like when members arrive before the coffee bar opens. But at the end of the day, you might be throwing out half the pot because it goes unused.”
Millar says a coffee bar like Oak & Iron is an amenity other clubs should consider, especially those in large residential communities like Rock Creek, which includes roughly 700 homes.
His advice to clubs exploring a similar concept is straightforward. Try something new.
“You have to grow. The industry has to grow, facilities have to grow,” he says. “You can’t be the same all the time. You get stale, especially in a master planned community. Anything you can do to get local residents onto your property is worth it. Activity breeds activity.”
Millar adds that once people come in for coffee and have a good experience, they are more likely to return for lunch, dinner, or events. Over time, that repeat guest can turn into a member.
“Be a risk taker,” he says, “especially if it’s a low cost risk.”
