Closed golf courses in Naples: what closed or changed, and what to play instead

Closed golf courses in Naples include the old Golden Gate muni (being rebuilt as The Gate), the Naples Beach Hotel course (being rebuilt by Fazio for the new Four Seasons), Old Corkscrew in Estero (becoming the private Pandion Club) and the Riviera executive course. Others changed rather than closed: Naples Grande became private Cavu, Pelican's Nest became The Nest, and Raptor Bay became Saltleaf.

Old listings and maps still show many of these as open. This guide sets out what the research files say about each, which courses have an unclear status, what the hurricanes changed, and what to play instead. Facts were checked November 3, 2026. Closed and unclear courses are not on our map, so they are not linked here.

Quick facts

• Closed, rebuilding as public: Golden Gate Golf Course, now The Gate Golf Club (nine holes, target December 2026).
• Closed, rebuilding with access unpublished: Naples Beach Hotel course, now The Gardens at Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort (early 2027).
• Closed, rebuilding as private: Old Corkscrew, now The Pandion Club (target fall or late 2027).
• Closed: Riviera Golf Club of Naples (GolfPass: March 2023).
• Went private: Naples Grande Golf Club, now Cavu Golf Club.
• Renamed: Pelican's Nest is now The Nest; Raptor Bay is now Saltleaf Golf Preserve.
• Going private: Hibiscus Golf Club, public until April 2027.

Closed golf courses in Naples, one by one

Golden Gate to The Gate

The old Golden Gate muni closed on August 1, 2019, after Collier County bought it for $29.1 million. The county approved a 40-year lease in April 2024 for a nonprofit public facility, and the rebuild broke ground in February 2025. The plan is a nine-hole course with a TrackMan range and a putting course, and Collier County residents will get discounted fees. Golf Course Architecture reported on September 2, 2026 that the club was preparing to open in December 2026. Earlier targets, including spring 2026, slipped, so treat December as a target, not a fact. The research's verdict: not a trip anchor, but a good practice spot once open.

The Naples Beach Hotel course to The Gardens

The beachfront Naples Beach Hotel course on Gulf Shore Blvd N closed when the hotel came down. Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort opened on the site on November 17, 2025. Tom Fazio's rebuilt course, to be called The Gardens, is 18 holes and par 70 on about 95 acres, and Fazio Design said grassing would run from spring through fall 2026. A September 30, 2026 travel report says it reopens in early 2027 and is not playable on a 2026 stay. No official opening date, and no access policy (hotel guests, members or public), has been published. The golf page does list a range, short-game area, family putting course and the Range House bar.

Old Corkscrew to The Pandion Club

Old Corkscrew in Estero has officially concluded daily golf operations, its site says. The Hoffmann Family of Companies bought it in 2022 for $14.5 million and renamed it The Pandion Club. The plan is a golf-only private club of about 280 members on a new Kyle Phillips course, par 71 at about 7,100-7,220 yards, with groundbreaking targeted for summer 2026 and opening in fall or late 2027. The research's advice: the old public course is gone, so do not plan around it.

Riviera Golf Club of Naples

Riviera was a public 18-hole executive course, par 62, in East Naples. GolfPass marks it closed for business in March 2023. Its website would not load on November 3, 2026, though some directories and OpenStreetMap still show it.

Courses that changed but are still open

• Naples Grande to Cavu. The former Naples Grande Golf Club (Rees Jones, 2000, redesigned by Beau Welling) is being converted to Cavu Golf Club, a fully private club. Naples Grande Beach Resort guests are no longer eligible to play. Golf initiation is listed at $150,000 and dues at $21,000.
• Pelican's Nest to The Nest. The Nest Golf Club, formerly Pelican's Nest, is a private 36-hole Fazio club inside gated Pelican Landing in Bonita Springs. Members and their guests only.
• Raptor Bay to Saltleaf. Raptor Bay, long the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point's course, was rebuilt by Raymond Floyd in 2022-23 and reopened around January 2024 as Saltleaf Golf Preserve, a public bunkerless 18 with a par-3 nine. Read our Saltleaf Golf Preserve guide.
• Hibiscus to The Lantern Club. Hibiscus Golf Club was sold on March 6, 2026 for $28 million. It stays public until April 2027 (its newsletter says through March 2027), then closes for a rebuild as The Lantern Club, members only, with initiation from about $250,000 and dues of $20,000-25,000, targeted for late 2028. Its Fall 2026 card is $159 with cart before noon, $129 midday and $99 after 2:04pm, plus tax. Play it this winter if you want to.

Courses with an unclear status

These are not on our map. If you see them listed elsewhere, call first.

What the hurricanes changed

Hurricane Ian hit on September 28, 2022. Sports Illustrated reported that as many as 500 Florida courses were in its path, two-thirds of them in Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties, and that most Gulf coast courses reopened within a week. Troon said its hardest-hit clubs were in Cape Coral, Cape Royal and Del Tura, and the Tiburon cart tunnel flooded.

The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club on Sanibel was reported as the last Southwest Florida course to reopen, its front nine in December 2023, after regrassing with a salt-tolerant turf. Helene and Milton in September and October 2024 brought more surge to the barrier islands; Milton made landfall on October 9, 2024. On the hotel side, LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort fully reopened in May 2024.

Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. Read hurricane season golf in Florida and Sanibel golf.

What to play instead

Rates were seen in the files as dated and change. See the Stoneybrook guide, the Hibiscus course guide, the Saltleaf course guide, and public golf courses in Naples for every course you can book. For the clubs that are private rather than closed, read private golf clubs in Naples, and for the area's courses side by side, Naples golf courses.

Other winter golf towns have the same churn; compare closed golf courses in Palm Springs and closed golf courses in Myrtle Beach.

Plan it on the map

Open the Naples golf map to see only the courses that are open now, with their access marked. The $30 plan builds your trip from courses that will take your booking, so a closed or private course never lands on your itinerary.