In her search for a club with equally strong golf and tennis programs, Vallee Bubak looked across the Southeast—only to find the perfect fit waiting in Alabama.
Simple enough in theory. Harder in practice.
The search took years. They would fly in from Montana, rent a car, and drive through communities across Georgia, the Carolinas, and Florida — looking for a club where a serious golf program and a serious tennis program existed side by side. Golf communities at that level tend to attract an older membership. Tennis needs younger players to thrive. They kept finding one or the other.
Once they expanded their search to Alabama, that's where they found Greystone.
The Club brought her here, but it was the city that surprised her.
Renowned healthcare, an energetic food scene, good schools, and a pace of life that felt right. Birmingham had things she hadn't thought to put on her list — and Greystone had the community.
"People will come up and say hello to you and they're very friendly," she says. "It's not hard to start meeting people. You just need the desire to meet people and you will. Sometimes in clubs you almost feel like you should be whispering, or people have long-established friendships and maybe they're more to themselves. What we found with Greystone is that the southern hospitality is alive, and people genuinely desire to be part of a community."
She joined the Greystone Ladies Club not long after becoming a member, and events filled in quickly.
For Vallee, the staff feel like friends.
"I can bring guests from out of town to Greystone and feel very proud of our Club," she says. "They will feel welcomed, have wonderful meals, and be treated great by the staff. My husband and I really do appreciate the staff here, they start to feel like friends."
That feeling of being known — by staff, other members and the community around her — is what she was looking for when she started the search, even if she wouldn't have described it that way at the time.
"Whether you're just starting out, in a very large home hoping to fill it with grandchildren, or someone who's decided to downsize but stay in the same community, Greystone supports all of those," she says. "That's what's so unique about it. It really is designed for all stages."
Within months of moving to Birmingham, her younger son relocated too, enrolled at UAB for his master's degree, and took a job with Boeing.
Two years in, Vallee's view of the decision is straightforward. The search was long, but the destination was perfect, and the community delivered everything they were hoping for.
Her advice to anyone still searching and maybe not sure where to look is:
"Definitely visit," she says, "because you may be very surprised."