By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Award-winning PGA of America Golf Professional Adam Rosuck made the move from Chicago to South Florida last September. As he celebrates almost one year in the Sunshine State, his new club is undergoing some significant renovations, on and off the course. Rosuck, a long-time contributor to our sister publication, PGA Golf Shop Owners Monthly, and a former Merchandiser of the Year and Bill Heald Career Achievement Award recipient in the Illinois PGA Section, is the PGA of America Director of Operations at Colonial Country Club in Fort Myers, a Troon Privé property. Colonial Country Club is a bundled golf community of 1,699 homes. 711 doors have golf memberships, with the other thousand enjoying social memberships. The course hosts 55,000 rounds of golf per year, with the majority of them taking place from November to May.
“I was brought on to assist with the golf program, in addition to other responsibilities,” Rosuck explains. “The club recently promoted its 1st assistant, Bobby Conway, to the PGA of America Head Golf Professional position. I’m here to support him and lend my expertise to our current golf shop and cart building renovations and reopening. The golf course renovation is being overseen by our Director of Agronomy, Pat Tohill.”
In March 2024, led by President Dan Casciano and with the support of its members, the club announced a full golf course renovation that would begin in April 2025. Currently underway, the member-approved multi-million-dollar project includes a complete re-grassing of the golf course with Bimini Bermuda grass, new putting greens throughout the 18-hole layout, installation of new practice putting and chipping greens, a new irrigation system with state-of-the-art remote capabilities, tee and bunker renovations, reconfiguration of the cart paths, bulkhead replacements and waste and drainage improvements. These upgrades, led by the course’s original architect, Gordon Lewis, will improve playability, aesthetics and sustainability.
“Gordon is great. He’s very hands-on and is on the property all the time. He does a lot of Florida properties,” Rosuck says.
The club has upgraded to Bimini Bermuda, a commonly used turf in SW Florida. The 21 greens will feature USGA spec greens with Tif Eagle Bermuda grass. In addition to the 18 greens on the golf course, they’re re-doing an existing 4,000 square foot putting green and adding a new 6,000 square foot putting green and an extensive short game complex with a larger chipping green and bunkers. Their 20-station aqua practice range will have a newly resurfaced grass tee area to complement a synthetic strip that they put in play when volume or ground conditions warrant.
“The golf shop and cart building renovations are now just getting underway,” Rosuck adds, also confirming the course and practice facilities work began in April as scheduled. “As a residential community, rerouting wasn’t an option, but there isn’t anything we haven’t touched on the golf course.”
Although the exterior walls of the golf shop will be unaffected, a substantial interior remodel is taking place with new fixtures, floors, walls and offices. They’re also moving the cash wrap counter to offer a fresh new look that hasn’t been altered since the club opened more than 20 years ago.
The golf course is scheduled to reopen in mid-December, with these extensive course restorations and practice facility and golf shop renovations being completed in time for most of their busy season.
A new cart building is being built to house the club’s 90 electric golf carts and provide additional bag storage, enabling the CCC team to store upwards of 750 member golf bags. The structure will also support club repair efforts and will have an employee lounge that staff can use to wind down after a shift or fuel up when starting a new one.
Finally, Rosuck says they also renovated the fitness facilities with new equipment that promotes a healthy lifestyle on and off the course. Led by Health & Wellness Director Cara Coor, the fitness center’s upgrades will enable her and her team to create vital golf-specific and general fitness programming for their members. We’ll cover it all in an upcoming issue of Golf Fitness Monthly, the monthly digital publication of the Golf Fitness Association of America. We’ll also check back with Rosuck in the new year to get his members’ reaction to the extensive work being done at Colonial Country Club on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
