For buyers comparing golf communities, a club's initiation-fee terms when a member leaves are one consideration. In May 2026, the club's membership approved a $110 million clubhouse project, the kind of number that reads like unambiguous good news for anyone shopping golf communities in Bonita Springs. For a buyer comparing Bonita Bay with nearby communities, the club's project funding and initiation-fee terms are also worth considering.
The sections below look at the project, membership structure and published cost figures.
The Vote That Passed
Bonita Bay Club describes itself as Florida's largest member-owned private golf club; the approved clubhouse for its main Bonita Springs campus will span two phases and 140,000 square feet. The project, built in a Florida coastal style, replaces existing structures and adds a expanded version of the 55th Hole restaurant with an integrated sushi bar, a new Sunset Lounge for casual drinks, and a rooftop bar overlooking the golf courses and the Gulf of Mexico. Plans also include a 360-person ballroom that doubles as a daily card room, several private function rooms, and a lower-level parking garage.
CEO and General Manager Fred Fung has framed the project as the final phase of a longer transformation rather than the start of a new one. That framing matters. Since members bought the club from its original developer in 2010, they have put roughly $250 million into capital projects across the property, according to the club's own account, reported by the Business Observer. Adding the new clubhouse brings member-funded reinvestment since 2010 to roughly $360 million. That is a genuinely large number for a private club, and it did not happen through outside investors or a corporate parent writing checks. It happened because members kept paying in.
How Club Membership Is Funded
For buyers, an important distinction is that Bonita Bay Club is separate from the Bonita Bay community's homeowners associations. Buying a home in Bonita Bay does not include club membership, and club dues are not the same line item as HOA assessments. Golf membership is its own purchase, with its own initiation fee and its own annual dues. Public club data as recently as 2020 listed no equity attached to the golf initiation fee; buyers should confirm current terms, including whether any portion is refundable if they resign or sell.
That structure has not stopped the price from climbing. Public listings tracked over the past decade show golf initiation fees rising from roughly $50,000 in 2014, to $95,000 by 2020, to $150,000 by 2023. Annual golf dues followed a similar path, from about $12,120 in 2014 to roughly $19,500 by 2023.
| Year | Golf initiation fee | Annual golf dues |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $50,000 | $12,120 |
| 2020 | $95,000 | $16,200 |
| 2023 | $150,000 | $19,500 |
That is close to a threefold increase in the entry fee in under a decade, with the latest listed figures dating to 2023.
The Club a Few Miles Away That Handles This Differently
Not every private club in the Bonita Springs and North Naples corridor works this way. Tiburon, a nearby golf community, offers a Medallion membership structure where members can recapture roughly 80% of their initiation fee when they leave. That is the only club in the immediate area that offers anything close to that recovery rate. Tiburon does also offer an Associate membership without a residency requirement, and that version carries a non-refundable initiation fee, so the recapture benefit is specific to one membership tier, not the whole club. Still, the contrast is real. At Tiburon, a portion of what you pay in comes back out. Bonita Bay's public club data as recently as 2020 listed no equity attached to the golf initiation fee; confirm current terms with the club.
For a useful comparison, buyers can ask both clubs for current terms for the specific membership tier they are considering.
Membership Capacity and the Waitlist
Bonita Bay's golf membership has historically been capped at roughly 1,250 members across the community's five courses, a limit that has produced a waitlist multiple sources describe as running five years or longer, and one that remains a multi-year wait as of mid-2026. The cap is one feature of Bonita Bay Club's membership structure; the figures above show initiation fees rising over time. A fixed membership limit and rising fees are both relevant context for buyers comparing access and cost.
For comparison, Talis Park, another golf community in North Naples, carried a full golf initiation fee of $140,500 as of 2023, close to Bonita Bay's $150,000, but with a shorter waitlist. Bonita Bay Club's courts hosted the FineMark Women's Pro Tennis Championship, an ITF-sanctioned event held from April 27 through May 3, 2026, drawing a field that included players who had competed at the US Open the previous year. The championship was one event on the club's calendar.
Construction History and Member Access
For buyers weighing whether clubhouse construction may disrupt daily life, the club's previous projects offer context. The Naples campus clubhouse, along with a new short-game practice area, Golf Academy, and Club Fitting Lab, was completed in 2024 without closing golf, tennis, or dining on that side of the property. More recently, Clive Daniel Home and Lutgert Construction completed a renovation of the Esperia-Seaglass clubhouse this past spring, refreshing the Social, Card, and Billiards Rooms for that section of the community while the rest of the club's calendar, including the tennis championship, ran on schedule. Member access to dining and amenities is expected to continue through both phases of the new project. For buyers, those construction details are one part of evaluating the club alongside its membership costs.
What This Means If You're Comparing Golf Communities This Season
Every amenity at Bonita Bay is priced separately. The golf club is its own purchase. The marina, home to Backwater Jack's and Sweetwater Lifestyles' boat club, is its own arrangement. None of it is bundled into the price of a home, which means your total cost of ownership depends entirely on which pieces you choose to buy into. Before you sign anything, it is worth asking for a few specific things in writing.
- The current initiation fee and annual dues for the membership tier you want, since public figures lag actual current pricing
- Whether the club's equity or non-equity status has changed, especially around a major capital campaign
- The current waitlist length for golf membership, and whether any credit applies if you start on the sports or social tier
- What happens to your initiation fee if you resign, sell your home, or transfer the membership
None of this makes Bonita Bay a worse choice. It makes it a different one, and the difference is worth pricing into your decision the same way you would price in a longer commute or a smaller lanai.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does buying a home in Bonita Bay include club membership? No. Club membership is optional and sold separately from the home, with its own initiation fee and dues.
Is Bonita Bay Club currently equity or non-equity? Public club data as recently as 2020 listed no equity attached to the golf membership. Buyers should confirm current terms directly with the club, including whether any portion of the initiation fee is refundable.
Will the new clubhouse affect current members' dues? The club's announcement does not specify a dues increase tied to this project. Ask for the current fee schedule and any planned assessments before you budget.
If you are weighing Bonita Bay against Tiburon, Talis Park, or another Southwest Florida golf community and want help pricing out the real cost of club access alongside the home itself, The Grant Group works these numbers with buyers every season. Request a Private Consultation and we'll walk through the membership math before you make an offer.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
