By John Schwarb
Hammock Bay Golf and Country Club is one of Southwest Florida’s most enjoyable and memorable courses, framed by live oaks and rolling dunes up to 30 feet high. Its Paspalum turfgrass provides great playing conditions year-round, and 7,080-yard back tees challenge the most avid golf vacationers staying at the nearby Marco Island Marriott.
But for such a great golf course, the clubhouse experience didn’t quite match up. Enter architect Tom Hoch and his team of designers, who in three months’ time transformed Hammock Bay’s clubhouse from a facility into a major amenity.
The clubhouse has been completely renovated upstairs, downstairs and outside, with no extra square footage added. An outmoded snack bar on the second floor was converted into a grille, pub and lounge with views of the outdoor resort pool, with seating for up to 120.
An open-air structure with screening was installed above the second floor outdoor terrace, with an outdoor bar capable of serving up to 300. On the main level, Hoch’s proprietary revenue-based design was used to create a new fitness center and full-service kitchen serving the new outdoor bar and social terrace.
“The objective at Hammock Bay was to create an energetic and fun resort-private clubhouse with no wasted or under-utilized space,” said Hoch, who has also worked with The Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota. “Many golf courses – whether public, private or resort – have more than enough space to meet the future needs of their customers.”
Making that space memorable is the challenge. Not every great golf course carries its greatness into the clubhouse, but Hammock Bay is one that now does.
If you go
Hammock Bay Golf and Country Club
1370 Borghese Lane
Naples, FL 34114
(239) 389-6600
For more golf adventures and excursions, explore this Florida golfing guide.
