One of the Fort Myers, Fla., club’s two championship golf courses will be renovated by Gordon Lewis, the original course architect, to update the design and improve its environmental sustainability.
The Forest Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla., has announced a major renovation of The Bobcat, one of its two championship golf courses.
The Forest is a private-equity club that, in addition to thirty-six holes of championship golf, offers a highly regarded tennis facility with full-time professionals and a clubhouse with formal and casual dining.
“The Forest is a golfer’s paradise. The end result of this renovation project will place The Forest among Lee County’s best golf properties,” said Matt Gaudet, Director of Golf Course Maintenance. “The Bear course was renovated in 2010, and with this comprehensive renovation of the Bobcat course, The Forest will have two of the best designed, maintained and most enjoyable courses in the area.”
The Forest has hired the original course architect, Gordon Lewis, to put a fresh update on the course’s design and to improve the environmental sustainability of the championship course.
“Hundreds of new native trees and several thousand nutrient absorbing littoral plants will be planted,” said Gaudet. “Water conservation and improved irrigation efficiency are also prerequisites for the project. Through the updated pumping systems The Forest will be able to irrigate nearly 100 percent of both golf courses with reclaimed wastewater. Water usage will also decline as the total irrigated acres will decrease.”
Playability, maintenance and aesthetics will all improve. Among the improvements are new USGA greens (TifEagle) that will increase 100 percent in size, new tees that will increase 100 percent in size and all new bunkers, cart paths, retaining walls and bridges. There will be a new irrigation system, two new pump stations and improved drainage.
The fairways will be re-grassed with Celebration Bermuda grass and a landscaping program will be implemented with thousands of additional shrubs and hundreds of trees. There will also be lake bank erosion repairs and the installation of 20,000 sq. ft. of littoral area.
The project begins this month and should be completed for the upcoming winter season.
The Forest was established in 1979 and members became owners and operators in 1990. The famed Bear Course provides the ultimate golfing challenge, but with five sets of tees, even junior players may enjoy playing it.
Golfing events at The Forest Country Club are many and varied. Ladies, gentlemen and couples enjoy friendly and competitive playing opportunities on a daily basis. Youths of all ages can participate in summer camps, Saturday morning clinics and after-school programs.
The Tennis Complex has six groomed lighted clay courts. The state of the art Fitness Center promotes an active and healthy lifestyle for all members. LifeFitness, Flexdeck Treadmills, Ellipiticals, Upright and Recumbent Bikes bring a variety of options for cardiovascular training, while the twelve station LifeFitness selectorized strength equipment circuit challenges every muscle group.
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