Collier County residents will have an affordable golf option in fall 2025, when The Gate Golf Club opens on the former Golden Gate Golf Course.

Collier County commissioners on April 23 unanimously approved a 40-year lease and operating agreement for the more than $21 million public golf course designed by Matthew Kragh, of Naples-based MHK Architecture.

The Gate Golf Club Inc., a nonprofit established by Arthrex founder Reinhold Schmieding, will include a nine-hole course, driving range, short-game area, pro shop, event center and clubhouse with a 150-seat restaurant on county-owned land at 4100 Golden Gate Blvd. Fees will be affordable, but county residents will pay discounted fees to use the golf course and club, which also could be used by residents of the adjacent proposed veterans nursing home.

Deputy County Manager Ed Finn said the county will provide $6 million to help redevelop the property, which is at the intersection of Collier Boulevard, once final plans are approved.

For youth, First Tee Learning Center, operated under a yearly $1 sublease by non-profit First Tee-Naples/Collier, will feature an indoor putting space, covered hitting bays, indoor virtual golf simulations, classrooms, offices, conference rooms and storage.

“It’s going to be an amenity for our employees. They’ll be able to play affordable golf,” said Commissioner Burt Saunders, who made the motion to approve the agreement and lease, which includes up to 20 years of extensions. The course will be managed by Bobby Jones Links, which expects to provide about $600,000 in yearly discounts to county residents.

Saunders noted that he received a letter from Roy Brown, president of the Bonita Springs Professional Firefighters Local 3444, who praised the proposal, saying firefighters, nurses, teachers and others will be able to play golf. “They can’t afford to pay $150-$200 for a round of golf, but they’ll be able to afford this,” Saunders said.

County residents will receive discounts of 40% off seasonal rates, from Nov. 1 through April 30, and 20% off the non-peak season rates, from May 1 through Oct. 31. For a non-county resident playing nine holes in peak season, the fee would be $89, while a county resident would pay $53.40, according to Dan Hall, Arthrex’s vice president of shareholder relations and taxation. To play nine holes off-season, he said, a non-resident would pay $39, while residents would pay $31.20.

Typical golf fees in Collier range from $55 to $145, or more, depending on the property.

Saunders also noted the work First Tee has done nationwide. First Tee, a youth development organization, says it enables kids to build the strength of character to face a lifetime of new challenges by integrating golf with its lifeskills curriculum.

“I think we’re going to have probably the best First Tee operation in the country,” Saunders said. “It will be a model for the country, just like our nursing home for the veterans will be a model for the country. And I think when you put all this together … on this campus, we’ve got something that we can all be very proud of.”

As part of the agreement, the county will pay The Gate $6 million to redevelop the former golf course and The Gate will pay the county an annual $130,000 rental fee, except during construction. Rent will be adjusted yearly based on the Consumer Price Index.

Initial plans show the golf course will be open daily, 365 days a year, from dawn to dusk, while the driving range and practice area will be open Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. and 7 a.m.-midnight Friday through Sunday, with adjustments for holidays and course maintenance.

“Not every community that has a course gets these kind of names,” Commissioner Rick Lo-Castro said, noting that veterans next door will have a beautiful view and be able to play golf.

Collier County purchased the 165-acre Golden Gate Golf Course in July 2019 for $29.1 million, with the goal of preventing the land from being over-developed and to maintain a public golf course. The property was purchased with $28 million of borrowed funds, without full environmental studies or development plan.

An earlier agreement with Big Shots, which planned a spring 2024 opening for a 12-hole course, ended last June after a series of six extensions due to cost increases and other issues. The Gate proposal was one of two submitted to the county, and was selected in January.

“I’m glad it fell through,” Saunders said of Big Shots after Commissioner Dan Kowal branded The Gate Golf Club a better plan. “It was a little painful at the time, but I’m glad that it fell through because we have something that will be much better for that community, Golden Gate.”

The Gate has 24 months from final plan approval to complete construction, but David Bumpous, Arthrex’s VP of operations, said it is expected to open in fall 2025. “We have it designed pretty much and are ready to go as soon as possible,” Bumpous said. “We do understand and recognize that the environmental impacts are going to drive a lot of this.”

Under the agreement, the environmental remediation cap for The Gate is $250,000— and if it exceeds that, The Gate may elect to terminate the agreement, or the county has the option to either pay the difference between the remediation estimate and cap or terminate the lease at no cost or penalty.

Noting the late operating hours, Commissioner Bill McDaniel Jr. asked if there could be an additional buffer on the north end to prevent veterans home residents from seeing driving-range lights and to ensure lights face away from the nursing home. He also suggested a net to prevent balls from landing on the veterans’ property. Finn believed the buffer was sufficient and noted the range is 350 feet long and there’s another 200 feet before the planned nursing home structure.

CeCe Zenti was one of two residents of the adjacent Par One subdivision who urged commissioners to sign the agreement. She thanked Arthrex, First Tee, Saunders and past commissioners Donna Fiala, Andy Solis and Penny Taylor for their work.

“Each component slated for this property is needed, and we who live right next to it welcome it,” Zenti said, noting that families will be able to afford golf. “Additionally, amenities provided to make this golf course driving range and restaurant a great destination for family, recreation and entertainment for Collier County.”

This story was published May 3 in The Naples Press.