A jacuzzi floating on to the 18th green at the Dunes Golf & Tennis Resort on Sanibel Island during Hurricane Ian underscored as much as anything the reality of what happened in Southwest Florida on Sept. 28, 2022.
Hurricane Ian ripped apart the coastal communities from Cape Coral to Marco Island, and many of the golf courses in the Category 4 storm’s path was flooded and torn apart. The Dunes was one of those courses, and for the most part it was unrecognizable in Ian’s immediate aftermath.
It has taken herculean efforts by many to get golf courses in the region operating again. There was added urgency with Ian hitting a month ahead of what is the busiest stretch of months in Southwest Florida for golf. Some course, like The Dunes, remain closed.
The News-Press and Naples Daily News connected with courses in the region to find out their status six months after Hurricane Ian. Here is a detailed report on those courses: