What used to be flat, uninteresting land was turned into a whole new golf experience.
In 1957, imagine there were no gated sanctuaries, no condo-lined fairways, no golf carts whisking from garage to tee, because that was the year that Naples’ (and the country’s) first golf course community was created called Palm River. Second golf course built in Naples; the original Palm River Golf Club wasn’t the greatest golf course in the area. It was generally flat, so that you could stand on almost any hole and see several of the others. In 2001, Palm River Golf Club received a new name, LaPlaya Golf Club, and was completely redeveloped and an entirely new golf course was created.
LaPlaya Golf Club, LLC was formed as a joint venture by affiliates of Barron Collier Companies and Stephen J. Lockwood & Co., LLC, owner of Palm River Country Club having purchased it in 1996. The partnership retained Bob Cupp, of Cupp Design, Inc., renowned as one of the finest golf course architects in the country to design a completely new course with construction beginning in 2001 and was completed in the fall of 2002.
Summer of 2015, LaPlaya golf course was under construction again, rebuilding all 18 greens, re-grassing all of the tee boxes and adding even more tropical plants and trees. The epitome of the lush Florida golf, LaPlaya Golf Club is Naples hidden gem.