Herons Glen unveils $6 million course renovation
After more than four years and an investment of $6 million, the golf course at Herons Glen Golf & Country Club reopened on Dec. 16 with a ribbon cutting and an opening round of golf played by members of the community.
Hundreds of residents came out to the driving range to celebrate the new course with lunch and a ceremony, nearly all in their golf carts to break in the new course that afternoon.
The course had closed in April so that all new irrigation, grass, tee boxes, greens and bunkers could be installed and to improve the drainage, which was problematic, especially during the summer and early fall.
J.B. Belknap, general manager, said the community is a special taxing district so they were able to sell the bonds to fund the renovation. The cost is an additional $130 per year per resident.
The intent was made to make the course fun to play, but still challenging.
“We wanted to make the course more enjoyable and more fun. We have some challenges for the players. We have water around a lot of holes, which is Florida’s defense and we also have opportunity for playability for golfers that may not be the best,” said Chris Ewing, PGA Head Golf Professional.
Among those who spoke were Jon Edinger, who chaired the green committee that helped get the group together that made the course renovation possible, Howard Young, the chairman of the board, and Ron Garl, the architect who designed both the original and renovated course.
Edinger, who cut the ribbon on the first tee before handing it off to Bruce Johnson, who took the ceremonial first shot, said all the hard work they did paid off.
“It’s been four years. It went really well. We dodged a lot of bullets. The weather wasn’t as dry as we like, but we still built a very nice course,” Edinger said.
Garl said it was very special to design the course (which he did when Herons Glen opened in the early 1990s) because this is a real community.
“Everybody here is a member and everybody gets along. It isn’t a place where you brag about having a newer Mercedes. You want to belong to a community where people love golf,” Garl said.
The residents couldn’t wait to try the course out as they had a 1 p.m. shotgun start to play the opening round.
“It’s a beautiful course and we can’t wait to get playing,” said Heidi Price. “It was a large undertaking, but we have a lot of other things awaiting permits on other projects.”
This is the first of two phases for improvements at Herons Glen. The second will include new pickleball and tennis courts, a new pool and deck, and many other amenities.
Herons Glen Golf & Country Club is a gated championship golf and country club community of 1,300 homes in North Fort Myers off U.S. 41 on the northern edge of Lee County.
“The Golf Club at Herons Glen is highlighted by an 18-hole championship course designed by Ron Garl, the original architect, in 2021 that plays to golfers of all levels,” the community’s website states. “Six sets of tees feature total yardages from 4,225 to 6,468 yards. The practice range includes 27 Turf-Hound hitting stations along with Bermuda grass stations, an 8,100 sq ft putting green and chipping area for golfers to warm up before tee time. Also available are six Har-Tru tennis courts, a 5,070 sq ft fitness center, lakefront heated swimming pool with spa, four Har-Tru bocce courts, four pickleball courts, card rooms, craft rooms, twelve shuffleboard courts, picnic area, two libraries and a billiards room.”
The community’s 45,000-square-foot country club features a ballroom with dance floor, dining room and lounge area.
More information may be found at https://heronsglencc.com/ .
To reach CHUCK BALLARO, please email news@breezenewspapers.com