Playing golf and getting married may not have much in common, but one Kitsap County business is perfect for both. McCormick Woods, in addition to being one of state’s premier public golf courses, offers a full-service restaurant called the Clubhouse at McCormick Woods (www.clubhousemw.com) that is also a busy event venue hosting everything from children’s birthdays and weddings to corporate retreats and business meetings.

With a dedicated event planning staff on hand, the Clubhouse not only provides space but also complete planning services — at no extra charge. The only thing that staff members don’t do is mail out invitations, so the inviting is left mostly to the clients, but even with this aspect the venue employees are to help by posting flyers around the facility and sending out email invites.

“We have any color of linen you can imagine, higher end china and silverware, or we can do a picnic feel with plastic utensils,” said general manager Shawn Cucciardi. “We can do room setups, give different options, set centerpieces and banners, decorate the facility… We have everything here — tables, chairs, LCD projectors, cordless microphones, WiFi.” All provided at no extra charge.

Cucciardi said some people think of McCormick Woods as an exclusive facility because of its location, but often time customers find it’s their least expensive option. A meeting room, for example, can be rented for as little as $75 for four hours. The planners on staff also work with their clients’ budget, and can offer catering for as little as $10 a person all the way up to elaborate dinners complete with dessert and drinks that cost $40 or more per person.

The 20,000-square-foot building can accommodate as many as 600 people on both floors and the patio. McCormick Woods frequently hosts banquets for 400 or more people, including the annual crab feed fundraiser for Port Orchard Rotary — in addition to its regular weekly meetings. The types of events range from annual meetings and strategic planning sessions to class reunions and dances. The company also organizes a few of its own events, such as a holiday show, and an Oktoberfest event that features a popular local duo known as the Dueling Pianos, that attracts about 200 people.

“The events are a public relations tool to bring new people to McCormick Woods to see what a fun place this is,” Cucciardi said; plus it’s a way to make revenue and to showcase the facility as a venue.

The rental fees are based on the amount of space used, and complimentary planning services are offered even for elaborate events such as weddings. Staff planners can also sit it on committee meetings to help plan.

“That’s a way for us to perhaps get a competitive edge. We like to develop long-term relationships with our guests,” he said. “If they achieve all their goals, they are likely to come back.”

About 20 employees are dedicated specifically to event planning. In total, McCormick Woods employs 120 people, and many are cross-trained so they can help out on the event planning side as needed. Planners also have a very detailed system for keeping records for every event, so at any time, anybody can open a guest’s file and know the exact status and details of the event.

Cucciardi said for some companies, budget is not an issue but when it is, they help accommodate it. “Everybody’s on a tight budget right now. We have ideas we can offer to the customers,” he said.

Part of customer service, he said, also means knowing when the facility is not the right match. “We want to try at all times to provide expertise that’s in the best interest of our customers, and sometimes that means referring them somewhere else,” he said. In the long term, he believes those customers will come back because they were treated with honesty and professionalism instead of being upsold on something they didn’t really need.

One goal of Clubhouse at McCormick Woods is to be family-friendly, and children’s birthday parties (as small as a handful of people) are welcome just as much as the full-scale weddings. Cucciardi believes it’s the attention to detail and the expertise, along with the service, that help give the clubhouse its competitive edge. And for those who don’t want to fuss with planning their event, there’s nothing easier than scheduling a meeting to go over their vision.

“Everything’s included, you show up with your event and you leave,” Cucciardi said. “We do all the work.”