Old Collier Golf Club in Naples is sold to the Hoffman family of companies

David Hoffmann loves his exclusive golf club in Naples only by invitation.

So much so that he bought it.

On Friday Hoffmann announced that he had acquired the Old Collier Golf Club including its 18-hole championship golf course.

The private club and its golf course are located on 400 hectares on the Cocohatchee River west of US 41 in North Naples.

Hoffmann bought the club and all of its properties through the Hoffmann Family of Cos., Which has bought up a staggering number of local businesses in recent years, including the Hertz Arena, Florida Everblades hockey team, Naples Princess Cruises, and Naples Transportation & Tours.

Hoffmann did not provide any information about the purchase price.

“I’ve been a member of Old Collier for five years,” he said. “I love the membership, the staff, the beautiful facility.”

This is not the first foray into the golf business for the Hoffmann family.

“We have other golf courses in other parts of the country. We are currently building one. So it is a business that we are active in and that we understand,” said Hoffmann.

The local golf club, he said, also fitted well into the family’s hospitality portfolio, particularly in southwest Florida.

The family took over the Old Collier Club around noon on Friday when sales officially closed. Shortly afterwards, Hoffmann said he had met with all employees who were excited about the new ownership.

The course was recently recognized as the world’s first Audubon International Certified Gold Signature Sanctuary. About half of the property has been preserved in its natural state.

“It’s like a nature reserve out there,” said Hoffmann. “We’re really excited to own it.”

Designed by the famous architect Tom Fazio, the square was opened in 2001. The course is now 20 years old and could use some improvements to its greens and bunkers, which Hoffmann will be doing next summer.

He said he wanted to upgrade the course, with plans to make it more voluptuous and “a little bit more challenging”.

There are no plans to close the club while improvements are being made.

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“We are and will be open to business,” said Hoffmann.

When asked whether the Equity Club was making a profit or a loss, Hoffmann said: “I would say this golf course is doing well. We are excited about this investment.”

He said Collier Enterprises first offered to sell the club to its members. When members declined, Hoffmann said he took the opportunity to add it to his family’s long-term investments.

“I have a lot of friends who belong there,” he said of the club. “That was really a big part of the decision, and I think this is a world class place. It’s the kind of place we like to own.”

The members, he said, come from all over the world – and they leave the greatness of what has been achieved in life on the doorstep when they arrive at the club for a round of golf.

The sole purpose of the club is to provide “the pure pleasure of playing golf” to its members.

With 240 members, the club is full and does not accept any new ones, said Hoffmann.

In an email, Patrick Utter, a senior vice president of Collier Enterprises, confirmed that the Old Collier Golf Club was “successfully acquired” on Friday by a company owned by the Hoffmanns.

Utter did not provide any further information and referred all questions to the new owner.

When asked why Collier Enterprises wanted to sell the golf club, Hoffmann said it had attempted to reposition some of its assets. The company, he said, had also put up for sale its Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club, which he was unwilling to buy.

Located on the edge of Rookery Bay National Reserve on Thomasson Drive across from Port Royal, the yacht club has 35 wet and 325 dry boat slots, a full-service marina and waterfront restaurants.

The property moved into new ownership Tuesday, Utter confirmed, and the buyer is a limited company known as the Naples Marina Owner.

The new owner has not yet made any public announcements about the acquisition or its plans.

“Collier Enterprises is proud of the excellent reputations that Old Collier Golf Club and Hamilton Harbor Yacht Club have built for their rich history,” said Utter. “Our company wishes its members and new owners all the best for the future as we continue to focus on our network of business units and efforts.”

Hoffmann described both properties as “one-in-a-lifetime” asset purchases.

“The Collier family,” he said, “did a great job building and running both.”

Since David Hoffmann and his wife Jerri moved from Illinois to Naples in 2015, the family has been one of the largest privately owned commercial property owners in southwest Florida.

The majority of the company’s real estate is located in downtown Naples on Fifth Avenue South and in the nearby Third Street South neighborhood.

The Hoffmann of Cos family. today operates more than 30 companies in Florida with 2,300 employees, most of whom work in the greater Naples area.

There are a total of 240 companies with 6,000 employees worldwide.

See similar https://www.naplesnews.com/story/money/business/local/2021/10/02/hoffmann-family-adds-old-collier-golf-club-its-portfolio/5949785001/

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