The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club
Finally the greens surrendered. So, golf at The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club was closed for the summer in 2016 to regrass the putting surfaces in TifEagle, to re-sand and add new drainage in the bunkers, to refresh one of Southwest Florida’s more lush and better maintained tracts. The sweeping changes were worth the inconveniences of shutting down for 90 days and incurring the costs, says Brian Kautz, The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club’s general manager. Those significant upgrades in 2016, he says, “changed the [golf] experience. It has been fantastic.”
The Dunes was designed by 10-time PGA Tour winner Mark McCumber. The shortened tract is in a wildlife preserve sanctioned by the Audubon Society, meaning the surroundings alone make for a memorable round. Because the 18 holes are laid out in two distinct styles—the front nine is a bit like a links layout, while the back side is set amid a wildlife preserve—The Dunes supplies the ideal challenge for golfers understanding and embracing strategy.
The full-service golf and tennis club is an island icon established in 1973. Open to the public, the club also offers a long list of membership options, from full club memberships that afford complete facility benefits, to 30-day golf memberships for those wanting to play a few rounds before joining.
Players at The Dunes also have the advantage of a golf professional lending his considerable artistry to helping hone their game. Threetime PGA Tour winner Nolan Henke’s instructional academy has quickly become popular. The Dunes, Henke says, “is a nice course. It’s got some water, but it’s a fun course …. and challenging at the same time.”
The golf course is perfectly framed by some of the most breathtaking native foliage on the island. It can be difficult to stay focused on your round when such an enchanting backdrop surrounds you, but the course has been created to offer the perfect mix of challenge and reward. The impeccable condition and innovative hole design come together to bring out your best as you face water hazards and sand-waste areas.
The Dunes is a thinking player’s course, for sure.