Private club earmarks $12 million for complete course renovation plus new, two-sided practice facility, outdoor pavilion, and other amenity upgrades
FORT MYERS, Florida – The Golf Club at Crown Colony—part of a private community on Florida’s west coast known for its scenic beauty—has announced plans for a significant renovation to its golf course and other amenities.
Members resoundingly approved a $12 million master plan that includes a total renovation of its golf course, which hosted the 2022 LPGA Drive On Championship, 2023 Florida Open, and the 2023 PGA TOUR/Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying.
Noted golf course architect Bill Bergin, Bergin Golf Designs, has prepared plans for upgrading the irrigation and drainage on all 18 holes, as well as design enhancements that will make the course both more fun and more challenging for golfers of all levels. Work will begin in 2026.
“We are elevating both the golf course and member amenities as part of The Golf Club at Crown Colony’s long-range plan,” said David Kent, PGA, General Manager and COO. “Key elements of that plan are continual improvements to keep the club at the top of this highly competitive market. The club is known for its low membership cap of only 260 golf members in a golf-rich geographic area. Limited memberships are available.”
Without altering the routing, Bergin still says “everything will be changed.” That’s especially true of the bunkers, greens, and tees, plus an upgrade to Platinum Paspalum grass from wall to wall. New or relocated tee boxes will let the course play from 4,300 to nearly 7,000 yards.
“Crown Colony is under the radar,” said Bergin, “especially as a place to play golf in a beautiful environment. I want to expose all that while creating a course where you’ll have to use your head. We realize people don’t always execute perfectly, but we’ll give them the room to play less than perfect golf and still have fun.”
Among the most visible changes will be to modified grass-face bunkers, making the grass around them visible.
“Typical Florida bunkers are flashed sand and that’s all you see,” explains Bergin. “I feel there are three forms of art to a bunker—the crest line; the sand line; and the bunker face itself—and how those lines complement one another, their shapes and movement, where there’s grass. These bunkers will stand out.”
All 18 greens will be redone with a combination of new locations, new shapes and sizes, and more fairway-cut chipping areas around them. “We don’t overdo putting surfaces. They’ll be challenging and fun without wild contours,” Bergin added.
Bergin is especially excited about his redesign of the 10th hole, a short par 4 with water along the right side and a massive area of raised sand that currently makes it all but impossible to see the fairway from the tee.
“Right now, golfers must hit over this blind sand bank, which would be cool if there were room, but there isn’t; all the trouble on the left is hidden. We’re going to widen the hole and make it visible, exposing the blend of sand and water so golfers can make a choice of where to hit it. It’s going to be a hole that everyone will look forward to playing, high risk but fun with a good chance to score.
“I like it when players recognize the risk on a hole but are so enthralled with the opportunity that they take the challenge. You know the risk, but you can’t help yourself,” Bergin said.
One aspect of the course Bergin will maintain is the “beautiful buffer of wetlands that gives more of a sense of being on a golf course than in a community.”
The redesign of the 18th hole moves the fairway closer to the large lake on the left and brings the final green nearer the clubhouse. This will open a large portion of land that will help greatly enlarge the practice area, which will include a double-sided range and short game area.
Additionally, land gained back from the 18th hole modification will be the site of a 4,000-square-foot events pavilion and bar overlooking the new 18th green, an entertainment lawn, and bocce courts.
Prior to the renovation, the club will host 2025 U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Open qualifying play in Spring 2025. The course will remain open through the 2025 season. All upgrades are expected to begin in early Spring 2026 and should be completed by the end of that year.
For additional information access the website at www.thegolfclubatcrowncolony.com
