Work on the Arthur-Hills-designed course follows a $5 million-plus investment in a new lifestyle, tennis and bocce complex at the Naples, Fla. property. The course renovation will involve converting to Bimini Bermuda grass and Tif Eagle Bermuda grass on the greens, which will also be increased in size by 30 percent. A new irrigation system will also be installed.
Countryside Golf & Country Club in Naples, Fla., has begun an eight-month, $5.5 million renovation project that will add USGA greens and a new state-of-the-art irrigation system to its 56-acre, Arthur Hills-designed golf course.
The course renovation will follow the club’s more than $5 million investment in its new lifestyle, tennis and bocce complex. The recently completed master-planned improvement project added a Wellness Center with cardio and strength-training equipment, member recreation areas and locker rooms, as well as two Har-Tru bocce courts and four lighted Har-Tru tennis courts.
“Countryside Golf & Country Club continues to enhance its lifestyle,” said General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Joe Smith. “The improvements we’re making will not only transform the experience for today’s golfer, but also position Countryside’s course for the next 25 years.”
The course renovation will be led by Kipp Schulties Golf Design of Jupiter, Fla. and general contractor Ryangolf Corporation of Deerfield Beach, Fla., along with Ragan Technical Solutions of North Palm Beach, Fla. for irrigation design and Flynn Engineering of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for permitting.
The club’s private 18-hole course will be re-grassed with Bimini Bermuda grass and Tif Eagle Bermuda grass on the greens, and the driving range will be reshaped with new target greens and synthetic turf stations.
Schulties likened the renovation of the par-70 course to updating a kitchen.
“We’re giving it a whole facelift that will improve playability,” he said. “There’s also better technology to take advantage of now, such as better subsurface irrigation.”
Additional plans include reconstructing sand bunkers, thinning overgrown trees and installing new stacked rock retaining walls. Plans also include increasing the size of the greens by 30 percent, modifying the lake and relocating the practice area closer to the first tee, away from the clubhouse. There will also be a larger short-game area and putting green.
“We will be adding more teeing options and flexibility for different skill sets,” he added.
Now is the ideal time for the club to undertake the renovation, said Countryside Board President Larry Franzen.
“From new residents to more senior players, our golf residents are very enthusiastic about the updates that will make the course both more attractive and more playable,” Franzen said.
Demolition begins the first week of April, with work scheduled through August and total completion in early December.
“We’re planning on a grand reopening event in January,” said Smith. “It will be a great way to welcome back our seasonal residents and introduce them to our great new course.”
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