SWFL member-owned golf club to build $110M clubhouse

A Southwest Florida golf club, which bills itself as the largest member-owned private golf club in Florida, has announced a $110 million clubhouse construction project. 

Bonita Bay Club, in a statement, calls the endeavor a “significant milestone in the club’s ongoing evolution.” Bonita Bay Club is spread through two campuses, one in Naples and one in Bonita Springs, with a total of five championship golf courses. A Naples campus clubhouse project was completed in 2024. 

The new clubhouse will be built in two phases on the club’s 2,400-acre main Bonita Springs campus. Planned at 140,000 square feet, it’s been designed in a Florida coastal style to “elevate the members’ experience while improving operational efficiency and staff work environments,” the release states. 

The new building marks the final phase of a broader, multi-decade transformation, the club says. Since acquiring the club from its original developer in 2010, members have invested approximately $250 million in capital funds, upgrading all major amenities across the property. That includes a $50 million master-plan improvement completed in 2024.

Features of the latest announcement include: 

• Expansion of the popular 55th Hole restaurant, complete with indoor and outdoor dining and an integrated sushi bar; addition of the Sunset Lounge for casual drinks and light bites; and a rooftop bar with sweeping views of the golf courses and the gulf.
• A grand ballroom that can accommodate 360 people, with a dance floor and a band, that will also serve as a card room for daily table games. 
• Multiple private function rooms will be added, along with a lower-level parking garage.
• Three full-service kitchens will support expanded culinary programs. 
• A key element in the new clubhouse design is a substantial investment in employee and operational spaces. Employee facilities will increase by approximately 500%, planned in direct response to a member survey that identified the need for enhancements to staff areas, modernized kitchens and expanded operational capacity as top priorities for the club’s future.

“This project is far more than a new clubhouse — it reflects our identity as a member-owned club and the commitment to continuous reinvestment in our amenities,” Bonita Bay Club CEO and General Manager Fred Fung says in the release. “At the same time, it underscores our dedication to the team by providing the resources and environment needed to deliver exceptional service now and in the future.”

Member access to amenities and dining will continue during the two-phased construction project.