By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Bonita Bay Club is a six-time GRAA Top 50 Private Facility and has earned the honor of “Distinguished Club – Elite” from Boardroom Magazine. Here at Golf Range Magazine, we have covered some of the Bonita Bay Club’s extensive renovation projects over the past few years and collaborated with its Director of Fitness, Tammy Mugavero, on a few golf fitness stories for our sister organization, the Golf Fitness Association of America (GFAA).
The Bonita Bay Club was formed by a developer in 1985 with one 18-hole golf course and reached five championship courses in 1998. By 1990, the original Marsh Golf Course was rated #60 in the country. The members took over ownership of the club from the developer in 2010, and they just completed their six-year golf master plan in December 2025.
E.J. McDonnell is the PGA of America Director of Golf. McDonnell started at the Bonita Bay Club in 1999 in Outside Operations.
“The Golf Master Plan included total renovation of five golf courses — Marsh, Creekside and Bay Island at the West Club in Bonita Springs and two Tom Fazio designs in Naples. We also renovated the driving ranges at both facilities and added a 2 1/2-acre short game area at the main facility, a four-bay golf academy and a two-bay golf lab for clubfitting, club repair and a state-of-the-art putting studio,” McDonnell details. “The golf academy includes 450 square feet of dedicated golf fitness programming.”
McDonnell says they have 19 TPI-certified trainers, with eight or nine having higher certifications in their specific disciplines.
The short game area comprises four greens, several bunkers, fairway cut areas and undulations that make practice a valuable aspect of membership. The space allows for 140-yard shots to the greens, but the staff keeps members to within 30-40 yards to lessen the chance of errant shots causing a problem in this golfer’s paradise.
The golf academy has Swing Catalyst, Smart2Move force plate technology, Trackman launch monitors, Foresight Sports GCQuad and Zen Swing Stage. Add to that the Zen Putting Stage with SAM PuttStudio in the golf lab, and McDonnell’s team has all the tools possible to help members hone their skills and enjoy the game of golf more than ever.
McDonnell’s golf team consists of 160 staff members, with almost two dozen of them being PGA of America Golf Professionals or Associates pursuing membership. This is not an accident. Completion of PGA education is a very important factor that McDonnell considers when adding to his golf staff.
“Going through the PGA’s Professional Golf Management Program and completing all the required work in a timely fashion shows one’s dedication. It shows they care,” McDonnell explains. “So when we’re hiring people, if they’re nice and they care, we can train them to do almost anything that needs completing to ensure the member experience is as exceptional as our members expect.”
Bonita Bay Club has 1,250 full golf memberships, and members play an average of 25,000 rounds per course. The Bonita Springs facility hosts more rounds than in Naples because there are no homes near the latter. There is more late afternoon nine-hole play at Bonita Springs. Naples, on the other hand, supports a plethora of wildlife, including bears, deer, turkeys, bobcats, panthers and more.
The club also offers racquets, swimming and fitness, so members enjoy a holistic and healthy lifestyle.
When asked what it means to be a six-time GRAA Top 50 Private Facility, McDonnell had this to say:
“We take a lot of pride in winning these awards because one of the most overlooked aspects of many clubs is the practice facility. And so, we’re always looking to improve the member experience, and the practice facilities are a huge opportunity for us.”
For more information about Bonita Bay Club, log on to its website today!
