Out of the Ashes

Story by Melanie Jones

The clubhouse at the Mineola Country Club went up in flames in the early-morning hours of Aug. 21, 2023. But the club’s members weren’t about to wallow in their heartbreak. Instead, the club’s board met the next morning to plan the next steps.

The following day, a member donated an RV that was set up next to the pool to serve as a central location for the golfers. Shortly thereafter, a metal building went up as a temporary pro shop and bar. By October 2024, the new clubhouse opened, replacing the structure ravaged by the fire with more than 9,000 square feet of elegance and technology.

“It was pretty traumatic for most of us,” says Dayna Sadler, the club’s marketing and promotions director. “But it’s turned out to be so beautiful now, so it was a blessing in disguise.”

The electrical fire started in the kitchen and burned the clubhouse—which dated back to the club’s founding in 1932— nearly to the ground. But the members rallied. “Our motto was always ‘bigger and better than we were,’” Dayna says. “We had nowhere to go but up.”

Several Mineola Country Club members are in the construction business, so that was a big plus, Dayna says, adding that Kim and Bill Galyean, Michael Cain and Johnny Sherrill were especially helpful.

One of the highlights of the new facility is a golf simulation room where members can practice their shots. And true to the club’s motto, everything in the new building is bigger, from the pro shop to the bar to the dining room. Dayna is particularly proud of the patio, a screened structure that seats about 60 and offers a great view of the final hole.

The extra space in the new, larger building will be put to good use. The country club has doubled its membership since the fire, going from 150 in this town of 6,000 to about 300. “It just seemed like everyone was excited about this,” Dayna says.

That excitement was clear at the grand opening. Dayna couldn’t begin to say how many people came through because there were so many. They cherished their memories of all the parties held at the old building while celebrating the construction of the new one.

“It’s been a gathering place since 1932—literally,” Dayna says. And thanks to generous members, a well-prepared board of directors and a slew of volunteers, it will continue to be for years to come.

Mineola Country Club 1780 W. Loop 564, Mineola  •  903-569-2472