Page 59 - April 2015 Life In Naples Magazine

“The visionary long-term

strategic plan, combined with value
engineering, relentless commitment
and tenacity of spirit has resulted in

”an extraordinary achievement. A one
of a kind masterpiece.

Georgia, which was ultimately selected to grow the Bay Colony
Golf Course turf. Pikes Creek Turf, it was determined, had the
better product and best program, but the challenge was that they
only had 40 acres of Tif Sport and the Bay Colony Golf Course
required 94 acres.

The Bay Colony Golf Course restoration inspired the creation
of an entirely new field at Pikes Creek Turf, and Tif Sport was
planted and grown just for Bay Colony Golf Club. Levitre visited
the farm regularly during the growing process for multiple reasons,
and, after initial challenges, it worked out perfectly. “Almost too
perfectly,” said Levitre. “The last turf laid on property was the last
turf they had grown.”

Last summer, Naples experienced perfect weather up until
the record rainfall of September and October 2014. Tragically,
just after construction was completed and signed off on, the
newly constructed course, in a very vulnerable state, experienced
massive storm damage. According to Levitre “It wasn’t as much
the quantity of rain as it was the intensity of rain - four inches in
a period of only two to three hours repeatedly over days caused
massive damage.”

The Bay Colony Golf Club maintenance crew and general
contractor virtually had to rebuild holes #14 and #15 three times
in those two months. Finally, the most difficult part of any golf