The first phases of course construction have commenced at Kinsale Golf Club, founded by Detroit-native and longtime southwest Florida businessman Anthony Soave.
Soave has developed 174 acres of southwestern Florida land that will encompass the facilities of the club. The golf course will be designed by the golf architecture team of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner. Anticipated opening is fall of 2024.
“Our vision is that Kinsale Golf Club is a true golf club that will incorporate all the elements that provide our members with the experiences that make them smile and want to talk about,” Soave said.
The course is intended to have the look and feel of a links course with a variety of challenges for golfers of all skill levels. It will operate with a membership of 250 from October through May. The facilities will include an 18-hole golf course, driving range, teaching and short-game areas, practice putting green and a clubhouse.
“To provide the most meaningful experience for our members and guests, we are pleased that Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner have joined our project as the Kinsale Golf Club course designers,” Soave said. “Their vision and proven record over the last two decades is a key part of our plan.”
Winged Foot Golf Club, Merion Golf Club, Oakland Hills Country Club and Los Angeles Country Club are among the courses restored by Hanse and Wagner. Their new efforts include Castle Stuart Golf Links, Streamsong Black, Ohoopee Match Play Club and the Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro.
“Our vision is to build a fun and interesting golf course using C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor design philosophies as inspiration for our creativity,” Hanse said. “The holes are not to be interpreted as replicas rather as a foundation of our design’s thought process and a basis of the course character. We’re excited to work with the Soave Team and being afforded the opportunity to create something unique for the Naples area.”
Soave established his business in 1961 and developed it into a multi-state waste management and environmental service leader. He has lived and worked in southwest Florida for 25 years, where he specializes in real estate development. Over the course of his career through Soave Enterprises, he has owned, operated, and invested in successful businesses ventures such as Chicago-area beer distributorships, Midwestern metals recycling operations, Kansas City-based automobile retailers and residential communities near Washington, D.C.
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