Every fall, we watch the same pattern play out across our network of clubs. The ones that reopen smoothly in spring didn't just get lucky, they treated winterization as seriously as opening day. The ones that don't are usually dealing with a burst pipe, a ruined filter, or a board member trying to remember what last year's volunteer did, with no notes to go on.
Winterization doesn't get the attention it deserves because it happens at the exact moment everyone's energy for the season has run out. But it's one of the most consequential tasks on your offseason calendar, and one of the most preventable sources of costly repairs. Freeze damage to plumbing, pumps, and filtration equipment is rarely cheap to fix, and it's almost always avoidable with the right process.
How that process works looks different depending on whether you use a pool management company or rely on board and volunteer labor. This guide covers both.
1. Determine Who's Responsible, and Confirm It in Writing
Before anything else, know exactly who owns winterization at your club this year.
If you use a pool management company, don't assume your contract covers everything. Scope varies widely, some contracts cover pool draindown and cover installation only, and leave plumbing blowout, clubhouse water lines, or equipment storage to the club
If volunteers handle it, designate a single point person or small committee. Winterization tends to fail quietly when it's "everyone's job," which usually means it's no one's
Set a target completion date tied to your region's typical first hard freeze, not to when it's convenient
Timing and regional risk matters more than most clubs plan for. Clubs in consistently cold climates tend to do fine, because the freeze window is predictable and everyone plans around it. The clubs that get caught off guard are almost always in transitional zones, the mid-Atlantic, the Midwest, parts of the South, where an early cold snap arrives before anyone expected to be dealing with it. If your club sits in one of these zones, build in a buffer. Waiting for "typical" timing is exactly how clubs get caught.
2. If You Use a Pool Management Company
A good vendor relationship makes this easy. A vague one is where clubs get burned. Before your closing date, get clarity on:
Questions worth asking before you sign off:
What exactly is included in the closing service? Pool draindown, plumbing blowout, chemical balancing, cover installation, equipment winterizing?
What's explicitly excluded? Clubhouse plumbing, outbuildings, and irrigation lines are common gaps
What documentation will we receive? Photos or a written closing report protect you if a dispute comes up later
Who do we call if something goes wrong mid-winter, a shifted cover, a leak, and is that covered under this contract or billed separately?
Treat this like any vendor scope conversation. The clubs that avoid disputes are the ones who get the scope in writing before the work starts, not after something's missing.
3. If Volunteers Handle It
This is where documentation matters most, and where most clubs fall short.
Water level and plumbing: Lower water below skimmers, blow out lines, and add antifreeze to plumbing as needed
Filtration equipment: Drain pumps, filters, and heaters, and store or protect them from freeze exposure
Chemical balance: Balance water chemistry before closing to prevent scale buildup, staining, or algae growth over the winter months
Pool cover: Inspect for damage before installing, secure it fully, and check periodically through winter for pooling water or debris buildup
Clubhouse and facilities: Shut off exterior water lines, drain hoses, secure outdoor furniture, and protect signage and equipment from weather exposure
Document everything as you go. Take photos, write down what was done and in what order, and note anything unusual about this year's closing. This isn't busywork, it's insurance against the most common failure point we see: board and volunteer turnover.
4. Where Clubs Get Caught Off Guard
A few patterns show up again and again across clubs that run into trouble:
Undocumented institutional knowledge. The volunteer who's done winterization for years leaves the board, and the process leaves with them. This is one of the most common and most avoidable failure points at private clubs, and it's exactly why we point clubs toward our New Board Member Guide, so this kind of process knowledge has somewhere to live beyond one person's memory
Assuming vendor scope covers more than it does. Clubs discover the gap in April, not October, when it's too late to do anything but pay for the repair
Waiting for a "normal" freeze window. In transitional climate zones especially, the first hard freeze doesn't always respect the calendar
None of these are complicated problems. They're process problems, and they're the kind that a little documentation and a clear owner solve completely.
5. Before You Close Up
Take final meter readings if applicable
Confirm your insurance coverage extends appropriately to unattended structures over the offseason
File this year's documentation somewhere the next person will actually find it
Winterization is easy to treat as an afterthought. The clubs that reopen without surprises are the ones that don't.
Ready to plan for next season? Check out our New Season Checklist to get started.