Collier County commissioners got a glimpse of plans for The Gate Golf Club, which will transform the 60-year-old Golden Gate Golf Course, provide discounted golf, add a village and First Tee Learning Academy to teach kids golf and other skills to succeed in life.
The club, a nonprofit established by Arthrex founder Reinhold Schmieding, broke ground last month on the county-owned property at 4100 Golden Gate Parkway. The course, which will offer discounted rates to the public, is set to open in spring 2026.
During a Board of County Commissioners update on March 25, Chair Burt Saunders noted the project began in 2019, when the county purchased the 165-acre property for $29.1 million, and there have been “a lot of delays, a lot of disappointments,” a reference to an earlier deal with BigShots Golf that fell through in 2023.
“But what we ultimately wound up with is the perfect solution to providing golf to the community at a very low price … a facility that all of us can be proud of,” Saunders said after the update and video presentation by David Bumpous, Arthrex’s vice president of operations.
The public golf course, facilities and county park wouldn’t have been possible without Bumpous, Arthrex and Schmieding, Saunders said, adding, “It’s going to be top-notch, but it’s also going to be very affordable, especially for our youngsters who want to get out and play some golf.”
Plans include a nine-hole, par-35 course designed by professional golfer Peter Jacobsen and Jacobsen-Hardy Golf Course Design; a high-tech driving range with 30 covered, state-of-the-art hitting bays featuring lounge seating; an 18-hole Himalayas-style putting course for day and night practice; a 175-seat Oakwood Grill restaurant; an events pavilion; and First Tee Naples/Collier’s First Tee Academy for golf and life-skills instruction.
“This is not a renovation of the old Golden Gate Golf Course. This is a transformation of the property from top to bottom,” Bumpous said, adding it’s being done in three concurrent phases, starting with demolition, which began in January. “Only Mother Nature can really disrupt our plans.”
The team also includes Bonita Springs-based Glase Golf Inc. and architect Matthew Kragh of MHK Architecture, which is building a village that surrounds the course.
A video presentation showed First Tee Learning Center will offer the most advanced interactive technology and learning facilities to inspire youth to continue the program through high school, providing a foundation to build strong character and core values while learning golf. Staff will manage more than 1,000 participants and 30 in-school programs, teaching children to “be the best they can be on and off the course.”
Bumpous said the MHK-designed village comprises First Tee Academy, training center, offices, gathering spaces, restaurant and driving range. “It’s going to be a beautiful facility, well equipped and accessible to all with deep discounts,” he said.
In April 2024, commissioners approved a 40-year lease and operating agreement for the more than $21 million public golf course. First Tee Learning Center will operate under a yearly $1 sublease by nonprofit First Tee-Naples/Collier. The county will pay The Gate $6 million to redevelop the former golf course, and The Gate will pay the county a $130,000 yearly rental fee, except during construction, with rent adjusted yearly based on the Consumer Price Index.
“We have over 15 permits that have been working their way through the processes, some approved, some still working,” Bumpous said of the county, state and South Florida Water Management District, adding more than 30 contractors are involved, including architects, engineers, consultants, suppliers and building contractors. “It’s the ‘Who’s Who’ of the best in the game of both Collier County, Southwest Florida — and quite frankly the golf industry.”
Grass has been killed, and Glase is removing old cart paths and grinding that material on-site to reuse in existing buildings’ foundations. Vegetation, including invasive species, is being cleared, while trees are being removed or transplanted elsewhere on the site, and new trees are being added.
The course will be open daily, 365 days, from dawn to dusk, and the driving range and practice area will operate 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to midnight Friday through Sunday, with adjustments for holidays and golf course maintenance.
The course will operate as a nonprofit, with discounted rates for county residents and juniors. Residents will get a 40% discount off seasonal rates, from Nov. 1 through April 30, and 20% off nonpeak season rates, from May 1 through Oct. 31. A noncounty resident playing nine holes in peak season would pay $89, while the cost for a county resident would be $53.40. To play nine holes offseason, nonresidents would pay $39, while residents would be charged $31.20.
Typical golf fees in Collier range from $55–$145, or more, depending on the course.
