Governors Club, Brentwood TN: 200 Years of Winstead Land, 2018 IRC, And the Mansion That Holds the Whole Story

The clubhouse at the Governors Club is Pleasant Hill Mansion — a Greek Revival house that John M. Winstead Jr. completed in 1858 with bricks his enslaved laborers fired on the property. The Winstead and Edmondson families held the surrounding six hundred acres continuously from 1799 until 1997, when the land was sold for the Arnold Palmer Signature golf course community that wraps around it now. Building a deck inside the gates means working on land that has been continuously occupied by one family lineage for almost two hundred years.

When Colonel John Winstead first took possession of this Williamson County farmland in 1799, Tennessee had been a state for three years. James K. Polk wouldn't be born for another seven. The land that would become Brentwood was rolling hardwood forest, freshwater creeks, and exposed limestone outcrops — the kind of bottom-rich agricultural ground that Middle Tennessee farmers spent two centuries working into productive farms. The Winstead family worked it. So did the Edmondsons after them. Together those two families held the property without interruption for one hundred ninety-eight years.

In 1997, the family sold to a developer. The Pleasant Hill homestead — the 1858 mansion with the Doric portico — was kept and restored as the clubhouse for what would become the Governors Club. An Arnold Palmer Signature 18-hole championship golf course was routed around the home, threading through stone walls the Winsteads built, spring-fed creeks the Winsteads farmed alongside, and elevation changes the Winsteads grazed cattle on. Twelve development phases followed, beginning that year and continuing through about 2015. Today, 438 homesites sit on those 600+ acres, behind a 24/7 staffed guardhouse on Concord Road.

This page is a working guide to the practical reality of building a deck in that community — the City of Brentwood permitting jurisdiction (with its older 2018 IRC code adoption that affects every structural detail), the Property Owners Association, the gate and the golf-cart traffic and the architectural review process, and the small calls we've learned to make on builds across twenty-five years of working in Williamson County's most established gated estate.

Pleasant Hill Mansion: The Building That Tells the Story

In the mid-nineteenth century, John M. Winstead Jr. inherited his father's land. A few years before the Civil War, he had his enslaved men produce the bricks and the limestone blocks for a new house. Construction took three years. In 1858, Pleasant Hill opened its doors.

It is a two-story brick central-passage I-frame home with Greek Revival detailing — the central-bay entrance topped by a two-story portico with square columns and Doric capitals, the symmetry that defines antebellum Middle Tennessee architecture. Winstead Jr. lived in the house until his death in 1896. Ownership then passed to a related family, the Edmondsons, who held it for another century.

When the Governors Club master plan was approved in 1997, Pleasant Hill Mansion became the centerpiece. Today the house functions as the golf course clubhouse and as a venue for weddings, private events, and community gatherings. In November 2019, the Republican Women of Williamson County hosted a Tennessee Tea & Treasures event at Pleasant Hill that brought 150 guests through the 1858 mansion. The Williamson Herald covered it as a feature event. That kind of public-private community use is part of what makes the Governors Club distinctive — most gated luxury communities don't have a 168-year-old historically significant building sitting at the center of the development.

The history isn't entirely comfortable. The bricks were fired by enslaved labor; the limestone was quarried by enslaved labor; the house stands because of work that was not paid for and was not free to refuse. That fact is part of the building's documented history and it sits inside the contemporary celebration of the property as a wedding venue and a clubhouse. We mention it here because honest local history is part of why Williamson County's older properties matter, and the same kind of context applies to the Berry family land at Berry Farms and the Carnton plantation and the Carter House and most of what's left of nineteenth-century Williamson County.

The Arnold Palmer Signature Course

The 18-hole championship course at the Governors Club is consistently ranked among the finest private golf courses in Tennessee. Arnold Palmer designed it specifically around the Winstead farm topography — dramatic elevation changes through the rolling hills, historic stone walls preserved within the layout, the spring-fed creeks routed through fairway and green features, and waterfalls integrated where the natural terrain allowed.

For a deck builder, the course matters in two practical ways. First, many of the 438 homesites sit on lots that back up to fairways or green corridors, which means the back-elevation deck is visible from the course and the architectural review committee evaluates it accordingly. A deck that creates a visual disruption from the third hole gets sent back for revision. Second, golf cart traffic on the cart paths runs throughout the day during golf season, and crew vehicle access on a build sometimes shares routes with the course's operational paths. Coordination with the club is part of any project that touches the course-adjacent lots.

Golf and full clubhouse membership are separate from the HOA. Property ownership in the Governors Club gives access to the residents' amenity area — tennis courts, swimming pool, and Pleasant Hill Mansion — but golf course privileges require a separate membership and additional fees.

12 Phases, 438 Homesites Behind 24/7 Gates

The Governors Club master plan was developed in twelve phases starting in 1997 and continuing through approximately 2015. Build-out reflects that long timeline — early-phase homes from 1998-2002 sit alongside late-phase custom estates from 2010-2015. Architectural styles trend custom brick traditional with stone accents (about 70% of the housing stock), with a meaningful share of true estate-tier custom homes (about 20%) and farmhouse-modern or contemporary designs (the remaining 10%). Lot sizes vary by phase but trend toward one-plus acre estate lots in the higher-tier sections.

Pricing today runs from the mid-seven figures through six million and above for premier homes. The community is one of the most prestigious gated addresses in Greater Nashville, with the 24/7 staffed guardhouse, the controlled access logging every visitor, and the long Property Owners Association tenure giving the gate the operational stability that newer gated communities sometimes lack.

For a deck project, the gate is a planning constraint. Crew vehicle access requires advance coordination — names on the list, vehicle types confirmed, delivery windows scheduled. We confirm with the homeowner and the gate the day before each phase begins.

City of Brentwood Permits — A Different Code Edition Than Franklin

The Governors Club sits inside the City of Brentwood city limits at 9681 Concord Road. That means City of Brentwood Planning & Codes issues your permit, not Williamson County and not the City of Franklin. Brentwood's adopted residential code is the 2018 International Residential Code — older than what applies in any of the other Williamson County jurisdictions where we work. For comparison:

City of Brentwood: 2018 IRC (Governors Club, Concord Hills, Annandale, Hampton Reserve, Indian Point, and most of incorporated Brentwood)
City of Franklin: 2024 IRC, effective January 1, 2026 (Westhaven, McKay's Mill, Berry Farms, Fieldstone Farms)
Williamson County (unincorporated): 2021 IRC, effective August 1, 2025 (Legends Ridge, Laurelbrooke)
Town of Thompson's Station: 2021 IRC, effective January 1, 2025 (Tollgate Village)

The practical difference matters most around the recent updates to lateral load anchoring at the deck ledger and the joist hanger specification standards. The 2024 IRC tightened both requirements. Brentwood's 2018 edition still applies the older standards, which means a Governors Club deck and a Westhaven deck have different structural inspection criteria even though they're being built on the same fundamental engineering principles.

City of Brentwood Planning & Codes Department:

One Stop office at 5211 Maryland Way, Brentwood, TN 37027
Online Permitting Portal (registration required prior to applying)
Residential applications use the "Addition, Basement Build-out, Covered Porch, Deck, Garage and/or Remodel" form

The sequence for a Governors Club deck: Property Owners Association Architectural Review approval first (typical 2-3 weeks for a complete submission), then City of Brentwood permit submission via the Online Permitting Portal, then inspections during construction.

The Property Owners Association

Every exterior modification to a Governors Club home — including new decks, replacement decks, screened porches, pergolas, covered structures, railing changes, and material swaps on existing decks — needs Property Owners Association Architectural Review approval before the City of Brentwood will issue a building permit.

The POA enforces the design standards that have kept the gated estate character consistent for nearly thirty years. Monthly dues run approximately $440 to $462 depending on the development phase. There is a $1,000 transfer fee at closing. The dues cover common-area maintenance, landscaping, and the 24/7 staffed gate, plus access to the residents' amenity area (tennis, pool, mansion).

The submission packet for an exterior modification typically includes:

A site plan showing the deck footprint, dimensions, setbacks, and existing landscaping
Elevation drawings showing the deck's height above grade — particularly important on the multi-level walkout designs common in the early phases where the back-elevation can run 8 to 14 feet above grade
Material specifications listing the decking line, the railing system, the post wraps, and the fastener system
Color samples or product cut sheets keyed to the home's specific custom architectural language
Construction timeline and gate-coordinated crew access plan
For golf course-adjacent lots: visibility analysis from the relevant fairways and greens

Typical review window: Governors Club POA Architectural Review turnaround in our experience runs about two to three weeks from a complete submission. The committee pays particular attention to:

Architectural integration with each home's specific custom design. Because every Governors Club home was custom-built by one of several premier builders, the ARC evaluates each submission against the specific home's facade, roof line, and elevation rather than against a neighborhood-wide template.
Course visibility. Decks visible from the Arnold Palmer course get reviewed harder than decks tucked into interior cul-de-sacs.
Material and color continuity with custom-estate brick and stone palettes. Wood-tone composite or PVC, dark aluminum or composite balusters, and natural stone post wraps clear well; bright contemporary materials get reviewed hard.
Tree preservation. The mature hardwoods that survived the Winstead family farming era and were preserved through the master plan are protected. Construction plans that require canopy removal get pushback.

Building to IRC R507 — The 2018 Edition

The 2018 IRC's R507 governs every deck we build in the Governors Club. The structural details we run on Brentwood builds:

Footings. IRC R403.1.4 sets a 12-inch minimum below undisturbed grade. On Governors Club's hillside lots — particularly in the higher-elevation phases where grading was significant during the original construction — we routinely pour 30 to 48-inch sonotube footings to clear unconsolidated fill and seat in undisturbed clay or limestone.
Ledger attachment. Half-inch lag screws or through-bolts, lateral load anchors at the corners, step flashing layered correctly. The 2018 IRC accepts the older lateral load anchor standards rather than the tightened 2024 IRC requirements; we still install Simpson DTT2Z anchors as a best-practice on every Governors Club ledger because the consequence of failure on a multi-story custom home is meaningful regardless of code minimum.
Brick and stone veneer connections. Many Governors Club homes have brick or stone veneer over wood-frame structure. The deck ledger attaches to the framing behind the veneer through proper through-bolting, never to the veneer itself. The most common failure on early-phase Governors Club rebuilds is a ledger anchored into the veneer rather than the framing.
Steel framing for long spans. On the larger custom-estate decks where unsupported spans exceed 16 feet, we use engineered steel beams or LVL flitch beams. Wood alone doesn't hold those spans without sag over twenty years.
Hardware. Simpson Strong-Tie joist hangers, hurricane ties, post bases. Galvanized hardware throughout — Williamson County's mature canopy keeps decks shaded and damp longer than open-lot decks.
Guards. 36-inch minimum height residential, four-inch sphere rule on balusters. On the multi-level walkout designs where back-elevation decks sit 8 to 14 feet above grade, we engineer guard-rail attachment beyond minimum code.

Materials That Match Custom Estate Brick

Twenty-five years of seeing decks come back for rebuilds in Williamson County tells us what holds up on custom estates. Our short list for Governors Club specifically:

TimberTech AZEK Reserve Collection. A step up from AZEK Vintage. The wider plank widths and multi-tonal grain read as more architecturally distinctive on the kind of custom estate where the deck is part of the home's design language. The Reserve line is what we use most often in Governors Club, paired with stone or brick post wraps that match the home's existing veneer.

TimberTech AZEK Vintage Collection. Capped PVC. The English Walnut, Coastline, and Weathered Teak finishes pair with both brick-traditional and stone-fronted custom homes. 50-year limited lifetime fade and stain warranty.

Trex Signature. Wood-fiber-and-plastic composite, 50-year warranty. Strong color range. Heavier than AZEK; we use Signature on Governors Club builds where the homeowner wants a slightly warmer surface tone.

Ipe and other tropical hardwoods. A meaningful percentage of Governors Club homeowners specify ipe for visual depth and long-term performance. Ipe needs annual oiling but the structural longevity is real.

Pressure-treated yellow pine with Cabot's solid stain. Less common in Governors Club. The custom-estate price tier and the long-term maintenance posture push toward cap-stocked composites, PVC, or hardwoods.

For railing: aluminum balusters in black, bronze, or oil-rubbed bronze are the most-approved configuration on back-elevation decks. Stainless cable rail in satin, copper, or bronze finish appears on view-corridor lots that face the course or the long Williamson County valley views. Glass panel railing gets specified occasionally on the most contemporary custom homes. Composite balusters work on the more traditional brick-fronted estates. White vinyl rarely passes the ARC.

Working a Governors Club Site

A few things you only learn by working a Governors Club build:

The 24/7 staffed gate is operational, not decorative. Vehicle access requires advance coordination, names on the list, vehicle type confirmed. We confirm the day before each phase and bring duplicate paperwork the gate may want to see.

Concord Road backs up at peak Brentwood commute hours. Material delivery from Stock Building Supply on Murfreesboro Road or 84 Lumber on Mallory Lane works best mid-morning or mid-afternoon.

Golf cart traffic on the course shares some perimeter cart paths with the residential roads. Crew vehicles routing past the course on a Saturday morning during a tournament will make slow progress.

The Liberty Mutual Insurance Invitational charity golf tournament at Governors Club draws crowds in June. We schedule construction-disruptive work around the tournament dates.

The Pleasant Hill Mansion grounds are not part of any individual lot. Material staging on the open commons near the mansion is not allowed; we stage on the homeowner's driveway or adjacent driveway with neighbor permission.

Lunch on a long day is the Concord Road business corridor — there are several Brentwood restaurants and coffee places within a few minutes of the gate. Design meetings with a Governors Club homeowner happen at the home, on the back elevation where the deck will sit, the way they do at any Williamson County estate community.

A Note on the Land John Winstead Bought in 1799

Colonel John Winstead arrived in Williamson County in 1799 and put six hundred acres of rich farmland to work. His son inherited the land. His grandson built Pleasant Hill Mansion in 1858 with bricks the family's enslaved workforce fired on the property. The Winstead family lived there until 1896. The Edmondson family — relatives by marriage — kept the land for another century. In 1997, after almost two hundred years of continuous family ownership, the property was sold for development.

What became the Governors Club preserved more of the original landscape than most master-planned developments do. The mansion is still standing. The stone walls the Winsteads built are still woven through the golf course routing. The spring-fed creeks still run through the property. The mature hardwoods the family farmed alongside are still standing in the protected canopy zones.

When you build a deck in the Governors Club, the structure goes on top of soil that supported a War of 1812-era Tennessee farm, a Civil War-era plantation, and two centuries of family work before the asphalt and the manicured fairways arrived. The deck on the back of your house is the most recent layer.

When you're ready to build, that context is part of what we bring to the design conversation.

Deck Craft

A Tennessee Licensed General Contractor (TN GC #78722). Member of the Williamson County Chamber of Commerce. Building custom decks across Franklin, Brentwood, Thompson's Station, and Williamson County since 1999. (615) 845-9300. 231 Public Square, Franklin, TN 37064.