Fazio’s Tom Marzolf renews Bonita Bay Club's Cypress The Cypress Course at Bonita Bay Club in Naples, Florida — a private, 1997 Tom Fazio design — has reopened following a 14-month renovation. The 400-acre layout, which sits adjacent to the Everglades and other protected wetlands, was mildly impacted by October’s Hurricane Ian.
Led by Fazio Design senior associate Tom Marzolf, the renovation touched every hole on the course to make it more strategic for championship-level competitions and more playable for the entire club membership.
"Bonita Bay is a uniquely proactive club," Marzolf said. "Cypress was in really good shape, but the members and management wanted to improve the experience for golfers of all abilities and ages.”
The most significant aspect of the renovation was raising the entire course by 12 to 18 inches to improve drainage. Six new lakes were created, four existing lakes were expanded, and the resulting 200,000 cubic yards of earth were spread across the property. Fairways were widened, 450 new catch basins were added and perforated pipe was laid underground to move water away from playable areas. The hurricane and record rains in September revealed areas that needed additional drainage work, which has now been remediated.
"The pre-renovation engineering studies paid off," said EJ McDonnell, director of golf. “Retained water stayed in places it was designed to stay in."
Cypress is one of two courses at the Naples campus, located about 10 miles from Bonita Bay Club’s primary location close to the Gulf of Mexico. The second Naples campus course, Sabal, is a 1998 Fazio design that will be renovated starting in fall 2023.
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https://www.firstcallgolf.com/design-notes/feature/2022-12-12/fazios-tom-marzolf-renews-bonita-bay-clubs-cypress