The Sanctuary Turns 25

Now celebrating a quarter century of history on Sanibel Island, The Sanctuary Golf Club has been a staple in the community for decades. Although first settled in the late 1880s, it took nearly another century before investors started dreaming up plans for an upscale golf course community on the site where the Sanctuary now stands. Eventually though, the city and developers came up with an agreement to construct hundreds of homes, a community center, swimming pool, tennis courts and clubhouse in the area. By the late 1980s, the first club memberships went up for sale, followed up a few years later by groundbreaking for The Sanctuary. Completed in the early to mid 1990s, construction of the golf course was followed up by a clubhouse and pro shop. Fast-forward another decade and the clubhouse came up for renovation, enclosing the outdoor patio. Just a couple of years ago crews performed another renovation on the building, but they regressed the golf course in the mid 2000s. This was followed up by a new swimming pool and wellness center that opened up in early 2017. These days, The Sanctuary Golf Club offers players an Arthur Hills-designed course, weaving around lakes and preserves. Bordering a wildlife refuge too, the course additionally supplies sweeping views of mangrove forests and of Pine Island Sound, plus golfers often enjoy spotting area wildlife and birds that make a home in the area. Meanwhile, the clubhouse offers up both casual and fine dining options, plus events such as wine dinners, catering and cooking demonstrations. The golf course additionally provides for a number of golf clinics and events throughout the year, with annual tournaments and camps, as well as convenient options found at the Golf Shop. In addition, The Sanctuary provides nearly 300 different homes within its boundaries, including the availability of condos, detached villas and single-family residences.