The Bonita Springs, Fla., property is replacing worn out infrastructure with a new irrigation system, establishing new drainage for the course, rebuilding the deteriorated cart paths, and repositioning tee boxes, greens and bunkers. The project is expected to be complete in November at a cost of $3 million.
Spring Run Golf Club in Bonita Springs, Fla., is being rebuilt from the bottom up. Sanford Golf Design is replacing worn out infrastructure with a new irrigation system, establishing new drainage for the course, rebuilding the deteriorated cart paths, and repositioning tee boxes, greens and bunkers.
“The golf course was built 15 to 20 years ago so it’s not that old but it needs upgrading,” architect John Sanford said. “It’s what I call a developer’s golf course. They skimped on the infrastructure, so the guts of it are falling apart.”
General Manager Mike Zigler said that while the course on the surface looks to be in wonderful condition, below ground its faltering irrigation system was only 57 percent efficient. The depth of the greens did not meet the industry standards. In the winter months, the course normally does more than 300 rounds daily, exacting a severe toll on greens and fairways.
“This project has been three years in the making,” Zigler said. “We were looking for a different way to go. We wanted some fresh ideas.”
The club is a residential community anchored by the 18-hole 6,989-yard golf course. The development consists of 847 units with an average of two residents per unit, which translates into a club with a membership roll of more than 1,600 persons.
Zigler and club officials initiated the master planning process a year in advance. The club will only lose its off-season as the project will be completed in November, and costs will run about $3 million.
With the existing real estate, the routing will be unchanged. Each hole, however, will be different and each will have a distinct character and strategy making it enjoyable for all skill levels, Sanford said.
The existing lakes and ponds, which handle all the storm water retention and drainage, will be unchanged. Those factors will keep costs down. The fairways will be sloped inward to contain errant shots and speed up play.
“We never looked at this project as an opportunity because the economy is improving, but rather as a project that needed to be done now,” Zigler said. “With the new course being ready for the winter season of 2014, Spring Run will be in a strong position to take advantage of the improving economy and housing market in Bonita Springs.”
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