GGBC2 - Emeryville, CA

[jump17]

According to Mike, GGBC is opening another branch in Emeryville, near Ikea.

[kwun]

According to Mike, GGBC is opening another branch in Emeryville, near Ikea.

interesting... let me ask Mike about it next time i see him.. ;)

[monto]

interesting... let me ask Mike about it next time i see him.. ;)


According to Mike, GGBC is opening another branch in Emeryville, near Ikea.

According to http://badminton.berkeley.edu/index.shtml the new branch will be at:

4230 Hubbard Street
Emeryville, CA 94608

Right off the Bay Bridge, close to both Berkeley and Oakland

[kwun]

According to http://badminton.berkeley.edu/index.shtml the new branch will be at:

4230 Hubbard Street
Emeryville, CA 94608

Right off the Bay Bridge, close to both Berkeley and Oakland

yup. i talked to Mike today and he confirmed the rumor. Mike is very excited about the new gym, whose opening date will be.... soon. ;)

BC will be there during opening, should be very exciting!

[kwun]

yup. i talked to Mike today and he confirmed the rumor. Mike is very excited about the new gym, whose opening date will be.... soon. ;)

BC will be there during opening, should be very exciting!

this is a photo of GGBC2:

[bad4life]

Wow!! This place looks big. Does anyone know how many courts it will be? This is definite an exciting time for badminton players in the bay area. There are so many places to go to play. I can still remember when the only place I could go to play was high school gym. I just hope that supplies don't outpace demands which could hurt business. It would be sad if gym has to be closed because not enough players attend.

[jump17]

It will also have 8 courts.

[kwun]

talked to Mike on Tuesday when i was at GGBC1 (why was he playing badminton and not working on the new gym?!?)

Mike said the new gym willl be very nice and work is going well. he doesn't have a opening date but i am sure it will be worth the wait knowing the high level of standard Mike works with.

[ctjcad]

this is a photo of GGBC2:
..from the pic, which one is the building, kwun??...is it the entire big square building on the right side?? and if it'll only have 8 courts, then wow, what will the rest of the space be used for??..:confused::p

[kwun]

..from the pic, which one is the building, kwun??...is it the entire big square building on the right side?? and if it'll only have 8 courts, then wow, what will the rest of the space be used for??..:confused::p

it's the big square thing. but they only occupy part of the building.

i have yet to go visit... :(

[ctjcad]

it's the big square thing. but they only occupy part of the building.

i have yet to go visit... :(
..i guess, if it's the big square building and they(GGBC2) only occupy part of the building, then i suppose GGBC3 and GGBC4 will occupy the rest of the building in the future??..:rolleyes::confused:;)

[GGsally]

..i guess, if it's the big square building and they(GGBC2) only occupy part of the building, then i suppose GGBC3 and GGBC4 will occupy the rest of the building in the future??..:rolleyes::confused:;)

Hello Guys,

It's nice for everyone to be buzzing about the opening of all the clubs. It really sounds electric in BC so we can only hope clubs will be popping up like tarts all over the US just like HKG is saturated with 200 clubs and been marked as the most played sport in all of HKG, more than squash and tennis :p. Make sure you tell all your friends who DON'T play to START playing so we can keep the Clubs coming!!

GGBC 2 is very interesting and will not be looking anything like GGBC 1. She is a sister club, but she has a whole different look all to herself. A total individual. GG 2 will be much more cool and independent, where as GGBC 1 is almost spa-like in it's environment, with trees rustling, the laughter of happy families, friends and individuals, and a place alot of people just kind of "hang around" even after they finish their playing. We have alot of people linger around the reception area, watching our DVD Tournaments, chatting with us, or lounging around upstairs watching TV, or the funniest I've noticed is people sitting on the bleachers for HOURS without moving! Just watching whatever action happening on C court. By far, our most popular "player watching" court.

What I've noticed in our club, and I believe the environment encourages it, is that when most our patrons first came in, no one really knew how to play, most people had no partners, NO ONE knew each other. NOW, all the players mix together and you see them all becoming friends, playing partners, and improving in one big GGBC congregation. It's GREAT to watch this happening in front of your eyes.

We hope that will happen in GGBC 2 as well and we're really excited at the prospect of meeting many East Bay patrons and hopefully some from other parts of the Bay Area will come to visit occassionally as well :D! I will try to give a verbal tour of GG 2 when completion is near, which it soon will be. I hope Kwun will find time soon to visit. Hey, Mike's waiting for your call!

We hope more GGBC babies will be born soon, but as Mike likes to say, he wants to take things one at a time, and get it RIGHT, so we will deal with our new born, get her walking, talking and rocking first!

Regards, Sally

[ctjcad]

We hope that will happen in GGBC 2 as well and we're really excited at the prospect of meeting many East Bay patrons and hopefully some from other parts of the Bay Area will come to visit occassionally as well :D! I will try to give a verbal tour of GG 2 when completion is near, which it soon will be. I hope Kwun will find time soon to visit. Hey, Mike's waiting for your call!

We hope more GGBC babies will be born soon, but as Mike likes to say, he wants to take things one at a time, and get it RIGHT, so we will deal with our new born, get her walking, talking and rocking first!

Regards, Sally
...very exciting!!...I hope and wish all the best for GGBC's owners, staffs and supporters on their new and future endeavors!! Congrats again & keep up the good work!!:cool:..
*Good to hear from you again, Sally!! Glad you're still active & helping out GGBC!!http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif As you're probably busy nowadays!! Oh, btw, just wondering, will you be coming to M'sia to watch the World Championships??:p:D

[GGsally]

...very exciting!!...I hope and wish all the best for GGBC's owners, staffs and supporters on their new and future endeavors!! Congrats again & keep up the good work!!:cool:..
*Good to hear from you again, Sally!! Glad you're still active & helping out GGBC!!http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif As you're probably busy nowadays!! Oh, btw, just wondering, will you be coming to M'sia to watch the World Championships??:p:D

I am actually flying back to HKG tommorow night and going to KL on the 9th to 12th to do some work. I was invited by a Property company to promote their homes for them. I will be trying to stay behind in KL to watch the 13th so might see you there, but I need to get back to work at GG 2 as well. I will be flying back to Bay Area as soon as possible. I will be having a great lack of sleep which is the only confirmation I have of my next week schedule!:crying:.

Sally

[kwun]

good luck to Sally in KL and have fun!

i have arranged to visit GGBC2 on wednesday. hopefully i can get some juicy pics posted here afterwards to share with you guys. this will be exciting!

[ctjcad]

I am actually flying back to HKG tommorow night and going to KL on the 9th to 12th to do some work. I was invited by a Property company to promote their homes for them. I will be trying to stay behind in KL to watch the 13th so might see you there, but I need to get back to work at GG 2 as well. I will be flying back to Bay Area as soon as possible. I will be having a great lack of sleep which is the only confirmation I have of my next week schedule!:crying:.

Sally
...glad you'll be swinging by KL to catch a brief WC's actions, Sally!!...Hopefully, though, you can stay long enough til the Finals (19th), as i probably won't be in KL til the 16th:p..Thus, the only matches i'll catch are probably starting from the QF Round onwards...Hope to be able to greet you, if you're able to stay longer in KL!!:):cool:

[GGsally]

...glad you'll be swinging by KL to catch a brief WC's actions, Sally!!...Hopefully, though, you can stay long enough til the Finals (19th), as i probably won't be in KL til the 16th:p..Thus, the only matches i'll catch are probably starting from the QF Round onwards...Hope to be able to greet you, if you're able to stay longer in KL!!:):cool:

OK then. If I only catch the 13th, then we will expect you to give point by point commentary on BC then! Ha haa!! GG 2 is going to go into labor around that time, so we need to be working our butt off for the opening!

Sally

[kwun]

good luck to Sally in KL and have fun!

i have arranged to visit GGBC2 on wednesday. hopefully i can get some juicy pics posted here afterwards to share with you guys. this will be exciting!

visit got postponed till Friday. so stay tuned.

too bad i am not like panda who can leave his habitat to visit others during working hours. evening scheduling is more difficult to make.

[GGsally]

How come my letter got posted twice???? So Embarrassing...:cool::confused:

[GGsally]

visit got postponed till Friday. so stay tuned.

too bad i am not like panda who can leave his habitat to visit others during working hours. evening scheduling is more difficult to make.

Oh Kwun, you are brave to go on a Friday!! Better get Mike to treat you to a Bento Box at GG 2 while you chat, munch, and "soak" it all in. Bring your racquet to have a play, although the nets are not up yet I think! Everytime I go with him, I forgot my racquet so never got a chance to play there yet:(! You will be the first GUEST to play there!!

Anyways, I don't think I can catch the games cos I talked to Lee Chong Wei yesterday and he said he's not even playing till 15th and I think Tony and Lin Dan the same. They all Bye bye bye.... Someone told me Lee's first game is with Peter Gade, whom I admire too. Ohhhh poor meee.. I don't get to see!! WAHHHHHH!!! :crying: But Mikey said he will talk to Choong Wei to see when we can get him over!!!:eek::D:p So cross fingers laaa.. :p:rolleyes:;)

Sally

[kwun]

Oh Kwun, you are brave to go on a Friday!! Better get Mike to treat you to a Bento Box at GG 2 while you chat, munch, and "soak" it all in. Bring your racquet to have a play, although the nets are not up yet I think! Everytime I go with him, I forgot my racquet so never got a chance to play there yet:(! You will be the first GUEST to play there!!


rackets? i never thought about that. i was planning to go there, take a look and take some pictures. maybe i will bring my rackets with me to play... erm.... i mean to test out the floor and lighting!

[ctjcad]

visit got postponed till Friday. so stay tuned.

too bad i am not like panda who can leave his habitat to visit others during working hours. evening scheduling is more difficult to make.
..kwun..:p:D;)..Btw, i understand, having a chance to visit GGBC2 is pretty good enough to take some pics, eventhough it's probably not near your living habitat; consider also you have other more important priorities in you schedule..:p;):cool:

[jump17]

so anyone know what's been going on at GG2? is it already open or not? i know they are holding a tournament there in october.

[GGManagement]

Hello Jump,

Sorry for the delay in our reply. Actually our construction will be completed by the end of this week, but we are currently waiting for final inspection by the City so once that is completed, OPENING DAY will be announced!:D Mike doesn't want to hurry the process until we have absolutely everything in order. For GGBC, Quality must surpass anything else. Thank you all so much for your patience and understanding! :D STAY TUNED!!!

Cheers, GG Management

[GGManagement]

Sorry for some reason our 2nd paragraph didn't get in there!! Below is 2nd paragraph to the entry above!

...and YES, if there is no surprise of any kind, we will be holding our tournament in October in Emeryville Club. Mike has already established confirmation for a Hotel in Emeryville which is walking distance to the Club and in the heart of all shopping and restaurant areas in Emeryville, for all the players.

:D Cheers, GG Management

[Caloy]

How far is GGBC from the nearest Bart station? I'm new here in the US, and from Daly City.

[hybridragon]

There's a BART station 1-1.5 miles from GGBC2. That's about 15-20 minute walk. As for GGBC1, there isn't one that's close. Millbrae station is 15-20 miles away from Menlo Park.

[shreky]

so anyone know what's been going on at GG2? is it already open or not? i know they are holding a tournament there in october.

would there be A,B,C class in the tournament?

[GGManagement]

so anyone know what's been going on at GG2? is it already open or not? i know they are holding a tournament there in october.

Dear GG Members and Friends,

GGBC is once again, proud to inform you that after a whole two years of research, and tremendous efforts, we have finally installed a court lighting panel which is engineered and custom made by the highest standards of the design guide of The International Badminton Federation. As some of you may have already noticed, we have performed a thorough lighting facelift providing all players with magnificently enhanced visual satisfaction! Our lighting in GGBC 1, Menlo Park, is COMPLETE and functioning at this very moment! We hope you can embrace this total visual enjoyment and hope YOUR Badminton game will be brought to NEW HEIGHTS!! Please enjoy your new lighting and know that GGBC is doing, whatever we can, however we can, to bring you the very best badminton experience!

We also want to take this opportunity to let you know the progress of GGBC 2 is very very near completion, but because of some mandatory inspections, there are still a few final steps to the finish line before we open our Emeryville doors! We are as excited with anticipation as you are, so we will surely inform you of our opening date as soon as we get a confirmation. Our GG Mike doesn't want to hurry the process until we have absolutely everything in order. For GGBC , QUALITY must surpass all else. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding!

And finally, for those of you who haven't GRABBED our great Celebration of GGBC 2's annual membership offer of $498 for 12 months with 6 months complimentary from GGBC , a total of 18 months membership for the price of 12 months; please come to GGBC 1 in Menlo Park and SIGN UP NOW! Our Celebration offer expires on GGBC 2's OPENING DAY, which is looming just around the corner, so if you are thinking about it, better just come and do it! Please don't hesitate! If you would like to know more details, please call us at GGBC 1 in Menlo Park 650 838 9318!

HAPPY BADMINTON EVERYONE!

CHEERS, GG Management!

[kwun]

went to GGBC2 again today to check out the progress. the floor has been installed and all the major constructions have been completed. now it is down the details like furnitures and decorations.

still no pictures allowed. :mad: but i managed to snap a photo of the logo at the entrance...

very exhausted today. i will post more about today's visit tomorrow.

[kwun]

ok. a quick but shorter review/preview of GGBC2.

we drove up to Golden Gate Badminton Club Emeryville again on Sunday. Mike and his construction workers have been hard at work. a lot of work was completed since i visited a month ago.

the new floor has been laid out, the flooring is an improved version of the floor in GGBC1. apparently a bit thicker and softer. i didn't feel much difference but i only played for 10mins ( :eek: ! more on that later :cool: ).

the bathroom is almost done and looks just as nice as the old GGBC one. i didn't have the biological urge to try it though so i cannot tell if it flush as well as the old one. ;)

they are still working on the reception area, which needs to be furnished.

so what about playing? well since the floor has been laid and the poles/net installed, and i have the foresight to bring my rackets along with me, Mike and I had a few hits in the brand new gym. according to Mike, the place is completely "virgin", meaning, we were the VERY FIRST people to play badminton in there. very cool. i did give Mike the first service but i think i won the very first rally. haha. :D

i am not sure if others have the chance to do it before, but have you played badminton in a large but completely vacant gym? the feeling is awesome because every echo from the shuttle hit reverb back, no noise, not distraction, what a pure and serene feeling of badminton.

oh, and visibility is quite good, the improved wall color works well with the brighter light. the center curtain still need to be installed though.

and lastly, i think it is ok for me to spill the beans on this one as current GGBC1 visitors have already seen it in GGBC1. there will be a new computerized queuing system in both GGBCs. players can queue up on the computer and the queue will be displayed on a large plasma TV hung on the wall. looks very nice and organized.

it looks like it will be a couple more weeks to go before opening but pieces are starting to come together. cool stuff, GGBC.

[ctjcad]

ok. a quick but shorter review/preview of GGBC2.
(rest of review snipped for brevity)..;)
..kwun, the place definitely sounds very promising:cool:...So now, the question all of us are waiting & dying to know is: Which GGBC do you like or feel or prefer "better"?? GGBC1 or this new GGBC2 or abt the same??..:confused::D;)

[Pete LSD]

Congrat Kwun for being the first non GGBC staff to play at GGBC2! Sally is jealous now :D:p:).

[kwun]

Congrat Kwun for being the first non GGBC staff to play at GGBC2! Sally is jealous now :D:p:).

hehe. she told me. :p

she just need to get her a** down here and try it out. you guys must be treating her so well that she doesn't want to leave!

[kwun]

(rest of review snipped for brevity)..;)
..kwun, the place definitely sounds very promising:cool:...So now, the question all of us are waiting & dying to know is: Which GGBC do you like or feel or prefer "better"?? GGBC1 or this new GGBC2 or abt the same??..:confused::D;)

well, location-wise, GGBC1 is much closer to home.

as for facility, they are quite different, GGBC2 is more spacious and open, the feel is younger. GGBC1 is a bit tighter in space in the court but have more amenities like a lounge and playroom. so i think GGBC1 is more geared towards family and GGBC2 is more gear towards a younger crowd.

[ctjcad]

well, location-wise, GGBC1 is much closer to home.

as for facility, they are quite different, GGBC2 is more spacious and open, the feel is younger. GGBC1 is a bit tighter in space in the court but have more amenities like a lounge and playroom. so i think GGBC1 is more geared towards family and GGBC2 is more gear towards a younger crowd.
..because it was just you and Mike playing in GGBC2, with no one else around??:confused:..I wonder if there was no one else playing around in GGBC1, except you and Mike..I'm pretty sure the place and space would feel soooo much more spacious..:p;):cool:

So, which one do you feel or prefer or like "better"?? GGBC1 or GGBC2??..hehe:D;)

[Pete LSD]

Well ;), you get to ask her when she returns today. :D


hehe. she told me. :p

she just need to get her a** down here and try it out. you guys must be treating her so well that she doesn't want to leave!

[kwun]

Well ;), you get to ask her when she returns today. :D

probably need to go up to GGBC2 to find her. haha. ;)

[Allanii]

I can't wait until this opens! Any word on the date yet?

[kwun]

I can't wait until this opens! Any word on the date yet?

very soon.

think about it, GGBC Open 2007 will be held in less than 2 weeks (Oct 5-7) in Emeryville. Grand openings are usually held in a weekend. so Mike really only have two choices:

next weekend, or in 2 week on the same day as the GGBC Open.

whatever it is, my guess is it should be within the next 12 days.

[jump17]

i talked to norman about a week ago and he said in two weeks...so that's mostlikely this coming weekend. i can't wait!

[shreky]

i'm guessing it should be no later than 05-Oct because of the scheduled Tournament.

[sessyargc]

Cool! A badminton court that I could commute to and from.

[Allanii]

did it open this weekend? i didn't have time to go check it out!

[kwun]

did it open this weekend? i didn't have time to go check it out!

i don't think it is open yet.

i think all the work has pretty much been completed. i am sure Mike will announce it once they are ready to open. i am sure he cannot wait to reveal his new creation to the public.

[kwun]

was at GGBC tonight and the staff there were very busy doing preparation for the grand opening and tournament. Sally looked like she hasn't sleep for days!

[jump17]

so does that mean that the opening day is the same as the tourny day?

[kwun]

so does that mean that the opening day is the same as the tourny day?

i can't say for sure. however, considering that there is only 2 days till the tourney, my guess is yes.

[kwun]

so Mike just told me that he has obtained all the permits for GGBC2 so GGBC2 will be opening for the tournament this weekend for the tournament.

Monday will be a special preview day for GGBC2 members.

Tuesday will be grand opening day with a opening ceremony.

congrats Mike and team for getting this done.... just in time!!!!!

[ctjcad]

still no pictures allowed. :mad: but i managed to snap a photo of the logo at the entrance...
..i assume, pictures of GGBC2 will finally be revealed..*hooray*:p:cool:

[Caryne Au]

Congratulations to MIKE, SALLY & team!lots of excitement build up for ggbc2.have a great start and best wishes to ggbc team!
To all those who are participating in the tournament at ggbc2, enjoy the tournament and have FUN!
Remember to Post photos of tournament and opening,ya!
Cheers,
Caryne






so Mike just told me that he has obtained all the permits for GGBC2 so GGBC2 will be opening for the tournament this weekend for the tournament.

Monday will be a special preview day for GGBC2 members.

Tuesday will be grand opening day with a opening ceremony.

congrats Mike and team for getting this done.... just in time!!!!!

[GGManagement]

HELLOOOOO ALL Members and BC Friends!

We would like to inform you GGBC 2 IN OAKLAND EMERYVILLE WILL BE HAVING IT'S OFFICIAL GRAND OPENING ON TUESDAY, OCT 9TH AT 10:00AM! We hope you will all join us at GGBC to CELEBRATE and REJOICE!

We take this opportunity to also let you know that our lucrative PRE-OPENING special of $498 for 18 months will also officially END :( on Monday night, so if anyone would like to make a final RUSH for this great deal please DO so BEFORE Monday, Oct 8th, 11:00PM! Our previous pre-opening memberships with FREE racquet OR FREE classes will also be expired with the PRE-OPENING SPECIAL on Monday night. We will still give each NEW Grand Opening member a NEW GGBC T-shirt!

But to show how happy we ARE, GGBC is following up EMERYVILL GRAND OPENING SPECIAL which is attached with this email below! Please take a look at it and hope you can come and catch this great deal if you missed the last one!

For these few days on Friday, Oct 5th to Oct 7th, we are having the UCB / GG Open 2008. It's exciting and adrenaline pumping!! Please tell your Friends and come together to watch if you can!

On Monday, Oct 8th, we would like to exclusively give our Members a "MEMBERS ONLY SPECIAL PREVIEW NIGHT" for MEMBERS ONLY to play from 5:00pm to 11:00pm.

On Tuesday, Oct 9th, at 10:00AM, GGBC 2 Oakland Emeryville will be officially OPEN to all our Members and the Public!!!! HALLELUJAH!!

GGBC Founder and owner, Mike Yang, and all his Staff would like to thank all of those who have been so supportive and loyal to GGBC and to all the people who have joined Emeryville on our Pre-Opening special, we do thank you for being so patient and understanding.

BIG HEARTS TO ALL OF YOU FROM MIKE YANG AND ALL GG MANAGEMENT AND STAFF!!!



COME AND GET YOUR
:cool:"ULTIMATE BADMINTON EXPERIENCE!":cool:
AT GGBC 1 (MENLO PARK)
:D AND :D
GGBC 2 (OAKLAND, EMERYVILLE)

[GGManagement]

Sorry for the mistake. Here is the link.

Thank you.

[kwun]

ok. now finally i can release some of the earlier images of GGBC2... ;)

http://kwun.smugmug.com/photos/194365268-O.jpg

http://kwun.smugmug.com/photos/194365299-L.jpg

http://kwun.smugmug.com/photos/194365322-O.jpg

http://kwun.smugmug.com/photos/194365281-O.jpg

http://kwun.smugmug.com/photos/193890823-L.jpg

[Caryne Au]

Wow! Nice pictures taken.
What about the gym and the other areas?

Thanks kwun! enjoy the tournament and opening. Post more photos to us on the event, esp for those of us who can't come to see it.

[GGManagement]

GGPhoebe wanna to inform everyone in BC that GGBC have Challenge Court in GGBC 1 Menlo Park on Tuesdays and we will be commencing Challenge Court in GGBC 2 Oakland, Emeryville on THURSDAYS!! HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL AT CHALLENGE COURT AND CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO A GREAT GAME! :cool::cool::cool::cool: