Page 57 - April 2015 Life In Naples Magazine

A project of this magnitude makes one pay attention. and playability.The club also replaced two and a half linear miles of trees
The Bay Colony Golf Course was originally designed by and tropical plants along the perimeter at the same time.
Robert von Hagge in 1996 and built by WCI. Robert von Hagge
has designed 250 courses around the world and is known for To date, only Bay Colony Golf Club has undertaken such an
his gently rolling fairways, moguls and complex greens. The Bay aggressive restoration of the entire course at one time and in under seven
Colony Golf Course borders the Cocohatchee Strand Nature months. The visionary long-term strategic plan, combined with value
Preserve and, in the words of von Hagge, “Water and nature engineering, relentless commitment and tenacity of spirit has resulted in
preserves add dramatic beauty to many of the Bay Colony Golf an extraordinary achievement. A one of a kind masterpiece.
Club holes. The course is a timeless design that looks as though
nature itself routed it through the elegant surroundings.” The golf course restoration project was the brainchild of an
At this time last year, the question could be asked, “Why do enlightened Board of Governors who envisioned a long-term strategy to
anything?” It had all the appearances of a championship quality stay ahead of the curve and take a proactive approach before any element
golf course, club member satisfaction was at an all-time high and of the infrastructure failed or the member experience was compromised.
the demand for memberships was exceeding the supply. By ensuring an eminently premiere golfing experience for the next thirty
The answer is that the life of an average golf course in Florida is years, Bay Colony Golf Club has set the bar higher and sealed the club’s
about 19 to 20 years. Virtually all of the private courses in Naples stature as one of the most elite private golf courses in Southwest Florida.
were constructed at a similar point in time, and the longevity
of a course is imminent. Greens shrink over time. Bunkers lose The even larger story is the long range planning process which
their original shape. Lake banks erode. Cart paths and bulkheads spanned six years and involved an exceptionally committed collection
deteriorate. Invasive turf creep into fairways.Technology advances
and courses become antiquated.
All private clubs are being faced with the same decisions
about updating, renovating or restoring their respective courses.
Clubs lacking a long range strategic plan or funding may choose
a more reactive approach and manage course improvements piece
by piece. The disadvantage to that approach is that when a club
renovates the greens and not the fairways, greenside bunkers or
bulkheads, the end result is an amalgamation of all these different
pieces that don’t match and capital improvements are required
through perpetuity.
The Bay Colony Golf Course restoration included recapturing
the original design and size of the greens to increase pin placement
and target areas; removing multiple cart paths to enhance landing
area and aesthetic beauty; enlarging tee boxes for increased
flexibility with tee positions; upgrading the quality of the turf to
ensure championship-quality turf conditions for decades; restoring
all bunkers and replacing sand for improved consistency, drainage

Life in Naples | April 2015 57