Hidden Lakes Golf Resort, located just outside of Sandpoint, Idaho, is undergoing a $5.5 million expansion and renovation project that includes construction of a new clubhouse, reconstruction of four golf holes, and work on the first phase of a 171-lot residential subdivision.


Work will begin in the next few weeks on the 16,000-square-foot clubhouse, which will include a pro shop, a full-service restaurant and lounge, and a deck overlooking the Pack River, says Dick Villelli, one of the owners of Hidden Lakes.


Pucci Construction, of Sandpoint, will build the log-and-stone clubhouse structure, which was designed by Patano Architects, of Coeur dAlene, Villelli says.


The new clubhouse, which is scheduled to open by April 2001, will replace two manufactured homes that have served as the clubhouse at the course since it opened 15 years ago, he says.


Well be taking it to the next levelin fact, well be taking it a couple of levels up, he says.


Meanwhile, work already has begun on an upgrade of the golf course itself.


In that upgrade, four of Hidden Lakes 18 golf holes will be relocated and reconfigured to make the course more challenging, he says. The new holes will be built on natural islands in the Pack River; theyll be accessed by bridges, construction of which is nearly completed, Villelli says. The holes will be ready for play by next April, and the changes will lengthen Hidden Lakes tee-to-green yardage to about 7,000 total yards, up from about 6,600 yards currently, he says. The magazine Golf Digest named the public course one of Idahos top 10 in 1996, he says.


Hidden Lakes Golf Course, which is about eight miles east of Sandpoint, fronts on the Pack River, while the resort, which encompasses about 1,000 acres, also fronts on Lake Pend Oreille.


The third part of the Hidden Lakes expansion and renovation project, work to prepare the first phase of the 171-lot housing development, will be done in time to kick off lot sales in August with a real estate sales promotion, Villelli says. He hopes that the entire first phase of the development, which will include 49 of the 171 lots, will sell in a one-day launch, which is a sales technique that has been successful in other resort areas, he explains. Although reservations for the properties will be accepted in advance, the prospective property owners must seal their deals at Hidden Lakes on launch day, he says. It will be kind of like a little festival, and people will get a chance to meet their new neighbors, he says.


The lots in the first phase range in size from 12,000 square feet to more than an acre and a half, he says. Included in the price of each lot will be a five-year membership in the golf club, plus a five-year lease on a boat slip on either the Pack River or Lake Pend Oreille, he says.


Its a package thing, Villelli says. There will be no additional membership charges.


The entire 171-lot Hidden Lakes Estates will be developed over three years, he says. Some lots in the development could be as large as 10 to 20 acres, he says.


The lots are all waterfront or golf-front, but they dont line the golf course like a typical development, he says. Theyre in little development pods that either sit on the river or look out over the course.


Currently, there are about 15 homes at Hidden Lakes, although some of those are located on the hillsides overlooking the course, he says. None are in the 171-lot subdivision.


Future plans call for the development of a 100-room guest lodge, and possibly, a second golf course, he says. Those plans could take anywhere from seven to 10 years to come to fruition, he says.


Villelli is one of a group of partners who bought Hidden Lakes Golf Resort five years ago from a California company. He also was the broker who handled the original sale of the resort by Jim Berry, who developed the course, to the California group.


He says Hidden Lakes has a definite niche in North Idaho golf: Our real goal is to create a genuine north-woods experience.


We want to keep the same ambience we have with the golf course, but give people the chance to live and recreate there, too. Ultimately, it will be a destination experience.