Mark Thomas, the club’s Golf Course Superintendent, led the effort to maintain sanctuary status on the course, which initially earned the designation in 2010. Estero Country Club is one of 900 courses in the world and 147 in Florida to achieve this designation.

Estero (Fla.) Country Club has retained its designation as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for golf courses, an international program.

With more than 100 acres of lush tropical acres, surrounded by lakes and protected nature preserves, Estero Country Club is one of 900 courses in the world and 147 in Florida to achieve this designation. Mark Thomas, the club’s Golf Course Superintendent, led the effort to maintain sanctuary status on the course, which initially earned the designation in 2010.

Endorsed by the United States Golf Association (USGA), the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP) is an award-winning education and certification program that helps golf courses protect the environment and preserve the natural heritage of the game of golf, while enhancing wildlife habitat and protecting natural resources.

“Estero Country Club has shown a strong commitment to its environmental program,” said Christine Kane, CEO at Audubon International. “They are to be commended for preserving the area’s natural heritage by protecting the local watershed and providing a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course property.”

Originally developed in 1986, Estero Country Club features a 7,072-yard, 18-Hole Gordon Lewis-designed championship course with six sets of tees and a comprehensive teaching program that includes TPI instruction. In 2018, the famed golf course designer completed a multi-million-dollar course restoration of the course and considers it one of his best designs.

Estero Country Club was named No. 5 in the listing of 2022 Top Ranked Clubhouses, presented annually by Club + Resort Business, which ranks the top clubhouses in the U.S.

C+RB also reported on the club’s multi-million-dollar clubhouse renovation project in February 2022. Nearly 60 percent of the club’s 29,000 sq. ft. was converted into an indoor/outdoor casual dining venue, tripling the size of the original casual dining footprint. Additional improvements included new meeting spaces, two pickleball courts, two bocce courts, casual outdoor patio seating with fire tables and an expanded fitness center.