The Gold’s Gym name is disappearing from the Columbus fitness landscape, with Columbus-based American Club Systems ramping up its own brand called Max Fitness.
The biggest immediate change will be the closure of Gold’s Gym Elite at 4519 Woodruff Road, near the intersection of Manchester Expressway, as of Thursday night.
The estimated 400 members who use that location are being asked to move their workouts to the Max Fitness center — formerly Gold’s Gym Max — at 3049 Tower Road, off Veterans Parkway. That 30,000-square-foot facility opened in late 2005. They also may use Max Fitness Express at 3919 Miller Road or AC Fitness for Women at 5828 Moon Road.
“The members of that club are very important to us,” American Club Systems President Charlie Lindsey said today of the Woodruff Road center being shuttered. “Because of the parking issue there in that location, it really never can grow to the club that we want it to be.”
The fitness facility, bought by Lindsey’s company nearly three years ago, is situated in St. Francis Shopping Center. Parking can be problematic in the fall and each January as the center’s use picks up sharply, he said.
Lindsey said he understands the closure may make some people unhappy, particularly those who live nearby the center and now face a drive across town.
“That’s why we’re going to give them many options and roll out the red carpet,” he said, noting current membership agreements will be honored, with rates and payment structures remaining the same. “It’s not a money issue because, ultimately, we’re going to make sure they’re fine with any dollars they’re paying whatsoever.”
American Club Systems has been affiliated with Gold’s Gym International since 1989. That was the year the brand made its local debut at 3915 Miller Road, according to the R.L. Polk city directory of Columbus.
Calls to Irving, Texas-based Gold’s Gym International were not returned today.
Lindsey pointed out Gold’s has been moving more toward corporate-owned facilities in recent years, rather than franchised outlets. He also thinks the overall image of that company no longer fits American Club Systems.
“We made a decision that we were going more mainstream to the general public,” he said. “At the end of the day we felt like if you were to survey a hundred non-members, that they would say Gold’s Gym was kind of the tank top, dumbell-throwing type of thing. And that’s not the direction we’re going in.”
Enter Max Fitness. Lindsey said the goal for the brand is to have 200 clubs franchised across the U.S. and internationally within two years. It already has rebranded four clubs in south Texas and another in Baton Rouge, La., as Max Fitness.
Local growth plans include a large fitness complex adjacent to Cascade Hills Church off J.R. Allen Parkway. The facility, which will encompass up to 60,000 square feet, is expected to be open within a year to 16 months, Lindsey said. It will be family-oriented, complete with an aquatics program that includes two indoor swimming pools, basketball courts and a three-mile jog/run park. An outdoor pool also may be included.
“We’re literally making decisions right now on whether we’re going to have sand volleyball and tennis,” he said. “We’re so excited about that location.”
In the meantime, Lindsey conceded there will be rebranding pains as members of the closed Gold’s Gym Elite venture to other centers to keep themselves healthy. He noted Max Fitness will be affiliated with the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association’s passport program, which gives members up to 14 days of free access to 1,800 health clubs when they travel.
However, anyone relocating to Columbus with a Gold’s Gym membership — such as military or corporate people — will have to join Max Fitness, he said. The nearest Gold’s Gyms are in the Atlanta area and in Montgomery, Ala.
“We understand it’s not a perfect situation,” Lindsey said. “But we’re not going anywhere. We’re solid. We’re going to continue to be involved with fitness as far as Columbus is concerned for many, many years to come.”
