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Earlier this week, In the Know wrote about the opening of the exclusive Naples Kinsale Golf Club, which has initiation fees of $450,000.
Now, Golfweek magazine has provided its take on the north Collier County course at Vanderbilt Drive and Wiggins Pass Road, where a 28,000-square-foot clubhouse is still in the works.
Here's what to know.
Detroit-based Soave Enterprises is behind the 174-acre Kinsale effort that stretches to Tamiami Trail near Old 41 Road. Limited to 250 members, the endeavor had received initial backing from Collier County more than a half-dozen years ago, pre-pandemic, but work didn't begin until 2023.
The latest initiation fees are a jump from $425,000, and preliminarily plans we saw and had reported on had originally called for $250,000 to get in the door, plus about $20,000 in annual dues not including taxes.
The 18-hole, par-71 course draws its inspiration from spots like the Old Course at the five-century-old St. Andrews in Scotland, which some say features the toughest challenge in the sport, the 17th Road Hole that Hanse worked to replicate.
As we first reported, the plan calls for the course to be open early October through early June, with maintenance on tap for the summer on the 6,555 yards. As a comparison, on the PGA Tour, the average course in 2023 was a shade under 7,300 yards, according to Golf Digest.
My USA TODAY Network colleague Jason Lusk, penned a Golfweek piece last month after a visit.
"Clearly, what they wanted at Kinsale was to challenge golfers on every shot, to create interest on a site that didn’t start as much, and to thrill the club’s members for every round with a wide variety of interesting shots and incredible greens inspired by templates that have stood the test of time," Lusk said. "It's old-school strategy at its finest. No reward is granted without a fair bit of risk. It’s the best type of golf."
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Kinsale stands "out in a state where, on too many courses, strategy is dictated as a game of avoiding water," Lusk said. "To make it all work, they relied on classic architectural templates for inspiration, making golfers consider strategy and proper lines for every swing. That strategy is dictated mostly by sand ― lots of sand. Wherever you might want to land a tee ball, there’s often a steep-faced, relatively flat-bottomed bunker in the way.
"Players must steer their balls around all the hazards, often playing toward the edges of wide fairways to set up the best line for an approach shot. Heading into the greens, plenty more bunkers await. Players who take the proper lines off the tee are rewarded with a much more welcoming approach through all the sand and past the frequent run-offs."
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"Kinsale Club, with its new private course designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, showcases what a great team of architects can do with a flat piece of land." Lusk said. "Their work at Ohoopee Match Club in Georgia and CapRock Ranch in Nebraska, in particular, rank among the top 20 modern courses in the U.S. (It) will take time to see where Kinsale Club is eventually ranked by Golfweek’s Best course-rating program.
"Hanse and Wagner have gained fame as the restorers of many classic layouts, jobs for which they put aside their own ideas and try to recreate what original architects had in mind. Los Angeles Country Club, Oakland Hills, The Country Club, Winged Foot, Southern Hills, Merion, Oakmont, on and on. Hanse and Wagner have restored many major championship sites, and many casual golf fans know them best for their work on such Golden Age stalwarts."
Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez ([email protected]) grew up in Southwest Florida and has led Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, one of USA TODAY Network's most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Will new SWFL Kinsale Golf Club in Naples rank among America's best?
Continue reading...
Now, Golfweek magazine has provided its take on the north Collier County course at Vanderbilt Drive and Wiggins Pass Road, where a 28,000-square-foot clubhouse is still in the works.
Here's what to know.
What's Naples Kinsale Golf Club, where initiation fees are $450K?
Detroit-based Soave Enterprises is behind the 174-acre Kinsale effort that stretches to Tamiami Trail near Old 41 Road. Limited to 250 members, the endeavor had received initial backing from Collier County more than a half-dozen years ago, pre-pandemic, but work didn't begin until 2023.
The latest initiation fees are a jump from $425,000, and preliminarily plans we saw and had reported on had originally called for $250,000 to get in the door, plus about $20,000 in annual dues not including taxes.
What's Kinsale Golf inspiration? How large is Florida course?
The 18-hole, par-71 course draws its inspiration from spots like the Old Course at the five-century-old St. Andrews in Scotland, which some say features the toughest challenge in the sport, the 17th Road Hole that Hanse worked to replicate.
As we first reported, the plan calls for the course to be open early October through early June, with maintenance on tap for the summer on the 6,555 yards. As a comparison, on the PGA Tour, the average course in 2023 was a shade under 7,300 yards, according to Golf Digest.
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What does Golfweek say about new SW Florida Kinsale Golf Club?
My USA TODAY Network colleague Jason Lusk, penned a Golfweek piece last month after a visit.
"Clearly, what they wanted at Kinsale was to challenge golfers on every shot, to create interest on a site that didn’t start as much, and to thrill the club’s members for every round with a wide variety of interesting shots and incredible greens inspired by templates that have stood the test of time," Lusk said. "It's old-school strategy at its finest. No reward is granted without a fair bit of risk. It’s the best type of golf."
In the Know: How a Detroit developer built a golf club for elite in a Southwest Florida flood plain
How's Collier's Kinsale different than other Florida golf courses?
Kinsale stands "out in a state where, on too many courses, strategy is dictated as a game of avoiding water," Lusk said. "To make it all work, they relied on classic architectural templates for inspiration, making golfers consider strategy and proper lines for every swing. That strategy is dictated mostly by sand ― lots of sand. Wherever you might want to land a tee ball, there’s often a steep-faced, relatively flat-bottomed bunker in the way.
"Players must steer their balls around all the hazards, often playing toward the edges of wide fairways to set up the best line for an approach shot. Heading into the greens, plenty more bunkers await. Players who take the proper lines off the tee are rewarded with a much more welcoming approach through all the sand and past the frequent run-offs."
Publix: 'Major dig up:' What's getting 'completely torn up?' How new road affects your shopping
Who designed Kinsale? How's it rank among best U.S. courses?
"Kinsale Club, with its new private course designed by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, showcases what a great team of architects can do with a flat piece of land." Lusk said. "Their work at Ohoopee Match Club in Georgia and CapRock Ranch in Nebraska, in particular, rank among the top 20 modern courses in the U.S. (It) will take time to see where Kinsale Club is eventually ranked by Golfweek’s Best course-rating program.
"Hanse and Wagner have gained fame as the restorers of many classic layouts, jobs for which they put aside their own ideas and try to recreate what original architects had in mind. Los Angeles Country Club, Oakland Hills, The Country Club, Winged Foot, Southern Hills, Merion, Oakmont, on and on. Hanse and Wagner have restored many major championship sites, and many casual golf fans know them best for their work on such Golden Age stalwarts."
Based at the Naples Daily News, Columnist Phil Fernandez ([email protected]) grew up in Southwest Florida and has led Pulitzer Prize-winning efforts. He writes In the Know, one of USA TODAY Network's most read local news columns in the state. Support democracy. Subscribe to a newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Will new SWFL Kinsale Golf Club in Naples rank among America's best?
Continue reading...
