The Westerfield Club

The Westerfield Club — operating for decades as NorthRiver Yacht Club and still mid-rebrand as of this research date — is Tuscaloosa's premier private lakefront club, spanning 200 acres on the shores of Lake Tuscaloosa a few minutes from the University of Alabama. The course opened in 1978 to a Gary Player design and was redesigned by Bob Cupp in 1997 (per one source, 1999 per another — not fully reconciled) and again in 2015. Membership is invitation-only, requiring sponsorship by a current member in good standing and review by the membership committee. In 2025, a group of local investors purchased the club and returned it to local ownership while keeping Troon on as the management partner — Troon had run the club since 2015 as part of its Troon Privé portfolio, following its acquisition of prior manager Honours Golf.

The residential-integration case here is genuinely strong: the club sits at the center of the Northriver subdivision and the larger Lakes at NorthRiver master-planned community, both marketed directly on golf-course and Lake Tuscaloosa frontage, with lots historically priced from roughly $60K to $280K and finished homes commonly $550K to $2M+. As of the 2026 research date, a $54 million redevelopment (branded Hillhouse Residences) was underway on club property near the marina — roughly 30 luxury 1-3 bedroom condominiums with Lake Tuscaloosa views, an infinity-edge pool, hot tub, fitness room, and social spaces, with a large share of units already pre-sold before completion.