BONITA BAY FORGES AHEAD
Now that the Bonita Bay Club has finished renovating its Cypress Course, the private residential club in Naples, Florida has forged ahead on its next project, the renovation of its Sabal Course. Originally designed by Tom Fazio in 1998, the Sabal course will benefit from the handiwork of Fazio Design’s Tom Marzolf, who also handled the tweaks on the Cypress layout in 2022.
The $16.5 million renovation on the Sabal Course will be comprehensive in nature, touching all features on the course from drainage to greens. It will take approximately 16 months to complete. Bordering on a wildlife preserve, Sabal is a member-friendly golf course featuring five par 5s and five par 3s. Although a sturdy test from the tips, it’s a slightly less demanding course than its Cypress sibling.
On the same Naples campus (Bonita Bay also has a three-course complex in Bonita Springs, approximately 10 miles to the north), the 14-acre practice facility will undergo a $2 million renovation. Improvements will include enhanced fairway cuts to mimic tee shots found on the courses, a wedge-specific practice area with multiple greens at short yardage, an enlarged short game practice area, and a new practice putting green at the Sabal Golf Course. Nearly 47,000 cubic yards of fill will be used from the site to raise the range landing area and to create Bermuda grass target greens, creating a dramatic new practice area.