The Gate Golf Club continues to take shape.
Collier commissioners heard the latest update on the community project at a board meeting May 26.
The club is expected to open in December, barring any major hurricanes, or storms, said Scott McGregor, the general manager, in his presentation.
“The Gate is a community golf club where everyone is welcome to enjoy the game of golf at their own pace and play level,” he emphasized.
Also, the club will be home to First Tee – Naples/Collier, offering First Tee’s global golf and character-building programs to youth.
First Tee Academy will offer advanced, interactive technology and learning classes.
“One day, a junior golfer from the Golden Gate community may become a PGA or LPGA champion,” McGregor said.
More about the golf club
Sitting at the southwest corner of Golden Gate Parkway, near Collier Boulevard, the new golf and entertainment venue will be open to all, with no membership required for golf, or dining.
The club, known for short as “The Gate,” is being built at the former Golden Gate Golf Course through a private-public partnership.
Collier County owns the land and a nonprofit, known as The Gate Golf Club Inc., is developing it.
The nonprofit was established by the Schmieding family (with ties to Arthrex, the highly recognized medical device manufacturer, headquartered in North Naples).
Construction is well underway
In his presentation, McGregor showed drone photos of the developing site. He pointed out the locations of the many buildings, including a cart barn, a pro shop and a hub for the First Tee.
He detailed the planned food and drink offerings, which will include the Oakwood Grill Restaurant, an American-style restaurant with 175 seats, The Gimme concessions and The Pavilion outdoor bar.
While showing where the driving range is being built, McGregor noted the slab had already been laid for all 38 of the practice bays.
Designed for comfort year-round, players will be able to practice day or night with shade and fans at the bays. Eight of the bays will be reserved for First Tee – Naples/Collier junior golfers.
In his presentation, McGregor also showed off views of the regulation length, nine-hole, par-35 course (which could be played twice for a full 18 holes of golf).
“We are in the early stages of mowing and refining the greens, tee boxes and fairways,” he said. “The course is really starting to take shape.”
The course was designed by legendary professional golfer Peter Jacobsen and Jacobsen-Hardy Golf Course Design.
The club will include an 18-hole putting course, known as The Gater. The course is “getting greener each week after being sprigged” with Bermuda grass, with the lighting already installed around it for future nighttime play, McGregor said.
More about the eateries and hangouts
The Oakwood Grill is “now enclosed,” with crews starting to build out the interiors of “this beautiful restaurant,” which will be open for lunch and dinner daily, McGregor told commissioners.
Besides offering signature drinks, regional beers, and “delicious” food, The Pavilion open-air bar will provide some of the best people-watching and views of the practice bays, McGregor said.
“This will be the spot to hang out post-round, or for locals looking for a fun, relaxed vibe to catch the game on our TVs,” he said.
As for The Gimme, whose name is inspired by the word often used for a putt that’s “practically guaranteed,” it will have traditional golf course grab-and-go favorites with a focus on “healthier preparation methods,” serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, McGregor said.
County commissioners ask for more details: What about greens fees?
Following the presentation, county commissioners wanted to know more.
Commissioner Rick LoCastro wanted to know whether visitors could just come for the food, and not for the golf − to which McGregor answered “we would love them” to.
LoCastro also asked about the greens fees and other costs, saying that he’s hearing those same questions from residents.
In answer, McGregor said the budgets, pricing and programming are still being finalized. However, he said the plan is to discount the greens fees for county residents by 40% in season, and by 20% in the offseason (or value) season.
“So, roughly, they’ll be paying right around the same amount all year long to play golf,” McGregor said.
He confirmed there wouldn’t be a priority list or system for anyone.
“We are open to the public. Everyone is welcome,” McGregor reiterated.
Club’s costs will be “approachable”
Commissioner Chris Hall said the county is “filled with private golf courses that you have to pay extreme amounts of money to be a part of,” where members are used to paying $8 for a beer and $17 for a glass of wine, but he has “great hopes” that won’t be the case at The Gate.
He said the club shouldn’t try to be profitable to “an extreme on the people’s dime.”
“This is a public course with public funds, and I hope that’s taken into consideration,” Hall said.
McGregor replied that making costs reasonable is “100% of our mission.”
“We are a community golf club, and our rates and our prices for everything that we serve, or service, will be very approachable,” he said.
To that, Hall quipped: “Great, I look forward to a $2 MAGA beer.”
Operating hours yet to be determined
Chiming in, Commissioner Burt Saunders, who asked for the project update, said he’d heard a lot of questions from residents about the hours of operation, including for the driving range that will be lighted.
The club is still “dialing in” on its hours of operation, McGregor said, but he assured that the lighting program was well thought out, and adjustable so there is “no bleeding outside of the space that’s being utilized.”
Likely, he said, for the driving range, the last available bay rental would be at 10 p.m.
Commission chairman Dan Kowal said he toured the site a few weeks ago, and he was “really impressed” by what he saw, and he hoped the target for opening in December could be met, as he’s eager to see it in action.
Vice chairman Bill McDaniel asked about the current conditions for managing the grounds, saying that he thought there had been sprinkler issues.
McGregor said he wasn’t aware of any sprinkler issues, but there’s still a considerable amount of growth and manicuring that has to happen on the courses before they’re ready for play.
Golf course designed to be “welcoming”
Commissioner McDaniel also wanted to know more about the ease of playing the nine-hole course, joking that it was more a question for Commissioner Hall, rather than for himself, “because he can’t hit very far.”
“What I have noticed is, traveling around the course, that for a low handicapper or a great … a good golfer, if they’re playing from the appropriate tees, it provides a challenge, but the number of tees that we have for all the different levels of golfers, it really provides a welcoming, approachable golf course,” McGregor said.
The golf club is a big investment for the county
The cost of construction has been estimated at more than $21 million, with the county contributing $6 million, and the rest coming from private donations, and substantial philanthropic contributions via the Schmieding family and Arthrex.
After nearly a year spent securing funding and permits, the project officially broke ground in February 2025.
Arthrex came forward with an unsolicited plan to redevelop the golf course in December 2023, nearly six months after BigShots backed out of its plans to build a golf entertainment center on the property, following failed financing. That plan also included providing a home for First Tee, but involved a for-profit business.
Topgolf Callaway Brands acquired BigShots, a direct competitor, in November 2023. The closest Topgolf to Collier County is in neighboring Lee County.
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Laura Layden is a senior business and government reporter. Reach her by email at laura.layden@naplesnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Marco Eagle: Teed up for December opening: New Collier Boulevard golf course, club
Reporting by Laura Layden, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Marco Eagle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Laura Layden, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
