Bonita Bay members who took over club from developer give it new look
Posted by briank | Bonita Bay, Bonita Springs, Real Estate, SWFL News | Posted on November 3rd, 2010
Bonita Bay Club is like a new club.
The club is now owned by its members. There are new operating and employee policies, new committees, new staff, new programs – and most noticeably there is a new look.
In March, members purchased their club from Bonita Bay Group for $11.5 million in cash, waiving most of the developer’s liability for the deposits they put down when they first joined years ago.
By June, the club had a new manager, Daniel Miles, who has more than 25 years of experience in private club management. He came from the exclusive Medinah Country Club in Chicago, host to the 2012 Ryder Cup.
When members bought the club, they agreed to pay capital assessments for sorely needed improvements, on top of the transfer fees that went toward the actual purchase. One-time assessments ranged from $1,200 for golf members to $360 for social members.
Over the summer, the new board approved $3.5 million in capital improvements, partly funded by the assessments. The club has nearly 2,000 members.
“There hadn’t been anything done in a couple of years,” Miles said.
Financially strapped Bonita Bay Group had cut staff and services at the club. Maintenance projects had been deferred and the club and its courses needed some special attention.
“We were kind of in a catch-up mode. We have taken a big step this year to get caught up and invest where we need to invest,” said Gary Ingersoll, club president.
“We’ve got some more to do,” he said. “We will continue to make capital improvements in the future.”
Inside the gated community off U.S. 41, north of Bonita Beach Road, the entry road to the golf club has been reconfigured. The median has new tropical landscaping and two new fountains, which are more than 6 feet tall.
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