The golf course at what would become the Cape Coral Country Club opened in 1961, quickly becoming a golfing gem that earned the right to host the first NCAA championship to be played in Florida. The club house opened in 1967.
The first public meeting regarding the future of the old golf course acreage was so packed the city of Cape Coral scheduled a second session, in a larger venue, to make sure residents had the option of providing input in person.
The second meeting was held at City Hall in council chambers and not in the public works building in anticipation of a another large crowd.
About 20 people attended the second session Thursday, with most providing opinions on what the city should do with the 175-acre site in the South Cape.
Joe Petrella, Parks and Recreation director, said the purpose of the meetings, and an online survey that has drawn nearly 1,000 responses, is to see what residents want to see on the property at 4003 Palm Tree Blvd.
“It’s 175 acres. It’s large so there are a lot of things we can do. We can have green space, but that’s not up to me, that’s up to the community,” Petrella said. “We’re trying to get as much input as we can to ensure we’re doing this right.”
The city is looking to transform the Old Golf Course site – dormant for nearly 20 years – into a vibrant park to serve residents. The city hopes from these meetings and the survey it will get some direction from the public.
District 4 Councilmember Jennifer Nelson-Lastra, in whose district the land is located, said she has heard a lot of ideas for the property.
“Right now, we’re just planning. I encourage you to listen, ask questions and if you haven’t done the survey online, you can do so,” Nelson-Lastra said. “It’s a very exciting time in District 4.”
Most who came said they want to see the area remain open space where residents can enjoy nature near the city’s historic downtown.
Ola Hawatmeh said she loved the transparency of the meeting and that she wanted to see the park’s natural beauty preserved.
“I’m surprised they haven’t tried to get federal funding for the park in grants. They’re there. They’re available. We can’t put everything on the taxpayers,” Hawatmeh said.
Julia Ettari said she wished there was a better turnout and that the park should remain green space since it’s cheaper than building all sorts of things on it.
“It should stay green space so it doesn’t cost us more money. I just want to see a park there,” Ettari said.
There were others who wants to see the old golf course return to being a golf course, though on a smaller footprint.
Charlie Pease, who heads the Cape Coral Technical College, said he wants to see part of the property include a golf course, only with nine holes and Par 3s.
“Parks and Rec takes on many forms, and one of them is golf. This was a historical course in Cape Coral. There’s an opportunity where people want to play quick rounds of golf to have a golf course element,” Pease said. “It’s easy to build on 20 acres and you’d still have 150-plus acres to do what you want to do.”
The 175-acre parcel that was once home to the Cape Coral Country Club, built by the city’s developers. The golf course opened with its first 9 holes in July 1961. The second 9 holes opened the following year. Its luxurious two-story club house opened in 1967.
The club, and the Cape Coral Yacht Club, which opened in 1962, were amenities the city’s developers, Leonard and Jack Rosen, built to draw residents to the then-fledgling community.
The historic course closed in 2006 and clubhouse and outbuildings were razed in 2007. The city purchased the site for $10.4 million in August 2024.
The city survey concerning the golf course acreage may be found at may be found at https://engagepros.mysocialpinpoint.com/cape-coral/cape-coral-golf-survey .