Our Blog

2019 Season Ending Celebration "Sand and Sea!"

The 2019 Season Ending Party was a wonderful celebration to culminate the end of another successful season here at Shadow Wood Country Club. It’s always great to see our members having a blast at the Club; eating, drinking, laughing, dancing, and enjoying life here at Shadow Wood with their friends and family. Thank you to everyone that joined us. For those of you departing in the summer time, safe travels, and we look forward to your return! For those of you staying in town, we look forward to more fun times with you at Shadow Wood over the summer.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 20th Annual Men’s Legacy Invitational! This year, we had 154 teams with guests from 118 clubs all over the nation. A special congratulations to our overall champions Mr. Michael Dunn and his guest Mr. Robert Kletjian, and our father-son champions Mr. Jack VanPelt and his son Mr. Jon VanPelt. We are excited to share this special video capturing all of the spectacular moments from the 2019 Men's Legacy Golf Invitational and look forward to continuing the Legacy tradition next year at Shadow Wood Country Club. Please sit back, relax and enjoy the video!

Shadow Wood Country Club's 2019 Ladies Legacy Golf Invitational was a fantastic event. Our members and their guests enjoyed a journey down "The Silk Road" at this themed 2-day premier golf event. There were 94 teams that joined us, including guests from all over the state and the nation. We thank everyone that joined us and are looking forward to continuing the tradition of excellence with next year's Legacy event. In this video you'll see the extraordinary journey the ladies enjoyed on the Silk Road at Shadow Wood Country Club!

In this special Behind-the-Scenes video, Executive Chef Richard Crisanti takes us on a tour of East Fork Creek Gardens, a local aquaponics farm in Fort Myers, where they are growing fresh, organic artisan lettuce for Shadow Wood Country Club. Chef Rich took a trip to the farm to learn all about the processes in growing the lettuce, and the inner workings of the farm, and got to sample delicious fresh fruits and vegetables along the way. East Fork Creek’s aquaponic farming method uses less than 10% of the water used in conventional growing, and no pesticides, herbicides, GMOs or chemical additives are ever used in any step of the growth process. A top priority for our culinary team is to provide sustainable, unprocessed, locally grown ingredients straight from the farm to your table! We hope you enjoy the tour.

Our Chefs at Shadow Wood work hard to provide our members an exceptional dining experience. With a wide variety of tastes and preferences to accommodate from such a diverse membership, it is important to provide options on all ends of the culinary spectrum. Amongst our innovative breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus, our endless dining choices range from casual to gourmet. For our wine enthusiasts, we offer Fine Food and Wine, Vintners Wine Dinners, and Wine Tastings. Foodies will enjoy a plethora of various gourmet events offered year-round. For those who opt for a lighter fare, our Casual Dining options include Brick Oven Pizza Night, Taco Night, Burger Nights and more. At select social events, our culinary team offers exciting Live Action Stations where they prepare the food right in front of your eyes! There is something for every taste palette and dining preference at Shadow Wood Country Club.

Featured Entrées:
Roasted Rack of Lamb & Bouquet Salad

A top priority for our Chefs at Shadow Wood is providing quality food from sustainable sources, and we do so by acquiring farm to table from local farmers and seafood from sustainable fisherman not harming the environment with practices such as overfishing. “At Shadow Wood, we take pride in ensuring the sustainability of our food. We do so by buying from vendors that produce natural, hydroponic, GMO-free, and pesticide-free ingredients,” said Executive Chef Richard Crisanti. As environmental needs are evolving, and food sustainability is becoming more and more important, it is our commitment to be ethically responsible in this sense. “We work hand in hand with our vendors to know exactly where our food comes from and won’t bring in anything that is subpar in quality,” he added. For example, the Steelhead Trout currently offered on the menu is raised in pure Rocky Mountain spring water, in the heart of Idaho, raised from their own elite pedigree, 100% traceable steelhead eggs.  

Featured Entrées:
Tropical Lobster Salad & Skillet-Roasted Steelhead Trout 

One of the many benefits of dining at Shadow Wood Country Club versus a regular restaurant establishment is that our Chefs are here solely to serve you. They use your feedback to constantly improve and evolve our dining options. We change our dining menu every few weeks to keep our offerings fresh and relevant, while still providing your classic Club favorites. We always make sure to provide heart healthy, gluten free, and vegan dishes for our members. To go a step further, our culinary team takes our members preferences into very careful consideration while serving them, by keeping record of various allergies and dietary restrictions to ensure a dining experience catered to them.

Featured Entrées:
Tuxedo Tuna & Pan Seared Scallops

To provide top quality cuisine, we enlist only top quality talent. Our head Chefs, Executive Chef Richard Crisanti and Chef de Cuisine Boun Chanthavong have a combined 40 years in the culinary industry. Both Chefs graduated from top culinary universities; Chef Rich from Johnson & Wales and Chef Boun from Le Cordon Bleu. Chef Rich is a Certified Executive Chef (CEC), a World Certified Executive Chef (WCEC), a Certified Culinary Administrator (CCA), and a Certified Culinary Evaluator. He is the President of the ACF (American Culinary Federation) Caxambas Chapter of Southwest Florida and received the Presidential Medallion Award at the national convention in 2017. In 2013 and 2014 he received the honor of Chef of the Year through the Caxambas Chapter. Chef Rich is a member of many prestigious culinary societies such as the Disciples of Escoffier and the Chaine des Rotisseurs. Chef Boun is a Certified Executive Chef (CEC) and has been an active member of the ACF (American Culinary Federation) for over ten years. He recently placed first at the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association’s “Farm to Table Vegetarian Signature Competition" with his delicious Mushroom Stuffed Zucchini Cannelloni featured below.

Featured Entrées:
Mushroom Stuffed Zucchini Cannelloni & Roasted Beets with Apple Salad and Pesto Vinaigrette

We truly do have the best of the best here at Shadow Wood, including flavorful cuisine, top notch wine events, unparalleled culinary expertise, and distinguished service. All the aforementioned characteristics attribute to what makes Shadow Wood one of the top Clubs in Southwest Florida, and the Club where people are proud to belong!
 

Golf Tip with Mark Moffatt

Our Shadow Wood video series “Tips from the Pros” feature Shadow Wood professionals sharing with you the knowledge of their expertise. The video below features Mark Moffatt, Director of Instruction, sharing his golf tip on an exercise that will help you hit further with your current swing technique. Mark earned his Class "A" PGA Membership at Pinehurst Resort where he was a Golf instructor and a part of the operations team for the 1999 US Open. In 2000, Mark opened The Club at Mediterra as Head Golf Professional. He was one of the first 100 PGA Professionals to earn the "PGA Certified Instructor" designation and is also a Jim Hardy Plane Truth Certified Instructor. This year, Mark was recognized as the 2018 Southwest Florida Chapter PGA Teacher of the Year.

Tennis Tip with Scott Harrington

Our Shadow Wood video series “Tips from the Pros” feature Shadow Wood professionals sharing with you the knowledge of their expertise. The video below features Scott Harrington, Head Tennis Professional, sharing his tennis tip on forehand volley. Scott Harrington joined Shadow Wood in 2012 as an Assistant Tennis Professional and was promoted to Head Tennis Professional in 2013. He has been a member of the United States Tennis Professional Association for over 20 years. Scott is also the seasonal Tennis Director at the Siasconset Casino Club in Nantucket, Massaschusetts. Scott was an All American tennis player at Palm Beach College and ranked #1 in the nation Men's USPTA Open Doubles.

New Year's Eve Gala at Shadow Wood

We were pleased to have 150 members join us to ring in the New Year at the Club at our annual New Year's Eve Gala. Our members danced the night away accompanied by live entertainment from Paul Vesco Band, gourmet food live action stations, culminated by a grand balloon drop at midnight. Please enjoy this special live action video created from the highlights of the night. It was truly a special evening. Thank you to everyone who joined us and Happy New Year!

Last week at Shadow Wood, we hosted a 2 day Junior Golf Camp for the children in town for the holidays. It was a huge success with over 30 kids participating each day! It was wonderful to see them having so much fun either learning the sport of golf, or building upon the skills they already have. In the video below, you’ll see the juniors in action participating in the day’s activities such as snag baseball, birdie ball tic tac toe, and more.

Flyover Friday! Please enjoy a video flyover of Hole 16 on the South Course at Shadow Wood Country Club. Let us know in the comments which course & hole would you like to see a flyover video of next; with 54 holes of golf at Shadow Wood there are plenty to choose from!

Flyover Friday! Please enjoy an early morning video flyover of this beautiful Par 4 on the 11th hole of the North Course at Shadow Wood Country Club. Let us know in the comments which course & hole would you like to see a flyover video of next; with 54 holes of golf at Shadow Wood there are plenty to choose from!

In the video below, “Catch of the Day with Chef Rich”, Executive Chef Richard Crisanti prepares a 70 pound Swordfish fresh from the Atlantic Ocean in preparation for a special Bistro Dining menu feature for our members this weekend. The featured dishes will be an appetizer of Swordfish Kabob with Pina Colada Sauce or an entree of Grilled Swordfish with Pineapple Salsa and Black Rice. Please enjoy this behind-the-scenes video of Chef in action, and make sure to stop by the Club to try these delicious dishes for yourself!

We had over 200 members celebrate the holiday season at the Club with our newly formatted Holiday Celebration event. Along with a new event, we wanted to give you a new way to relive the festivities of the evening with a special live action video created from the highlights of the night. It was a lively evening full of food, drinks, dancing, and laughter. Click the video below to check it out; We hope you enjoy! Thank you to all who attended, and happy holidays!

Golf Tip With Mark Moffatt

Our Shadow Wood video series “Tips from the Pros” feature Shadow Wood professionals sharing with you the knowledge of their expertise. The video below features Mark Moffatt, Director of Instruction, sharing his golf tip. Mark earned his Class "A" PGA Membership at Pinehurst Resort where he was a Golf instructor and a part of the operations team for the 1999 US Open. In 2000, Mark opened The Club at Mediterra as Head Golf Professional. He was one of the first 100 PGA Professionals to earn the "PGA Certified Instructor" designation and is also a Jim Hardy Plane Truth Certified Instructor. This year, Mark was recognized as the 2018 Southwest Florida Chapter PGA Teacher of the Year.

In April 2018, Shadow Wood began the summer-long renovation of its South Course, led by world renowned golf course architect, Rees Jones. The North Course renovations he and his team completed last summer were met with very positive accolades from our membership and we are confident and excited about his proposed plans for the South Course. To see Rees Jones’ master plan for holes 1-9, please click here. To see the master plan for holes 10-18, please click here. We are currently 4 months into the renovation and our Golf Course Maintenance team has reported that it is going on schedule and the results are phenomenal thus far. Throughout the journey, our Director of Agronomy, Eric Ruha, has documented the progress of this huge project. Read all about his thoughts and observations from this renovation below!

April 19, 2018:

We are now completing the 9th day of construction on the South golf course led by Architect, Rees Jones along with his associate, Bryce Swanson. The weather conditions are perfect for construction and will keep the crews moving in the right direction.”

May 5, 2018:

“The construction crew is moving along nicely on the back nine of the South course with these dry, warm days. They enter their 5th week of work on May 7th. We are looking forward to a two day visit from Rees Jones and Bryce Swanson to approve some green surfaces this upcoming Monday and Tuesday. We are tentatively scheduled for Tiff Eagle green planting the last week in May on holes 10 through 18.”  

May 9, 2018:

“Construction continues to progress on the back nine South. Our most recent tour from Rees Jones this past week was very productive with the approval of several green surfaces and the placement of some specimen oak trees. These trees will be in strategic areas of the rough and will frame the holes from the tees in certain areas.”

May 30, 2018:

“This May is on the books for receiving a record amount of rain in a short amount of time. We are working closely with the construction company on the South to keep on track. We are working towards a day to grass the back nine greens with #18 and the large putting green being constructed as we speak. When the greens are ready, the Tiff Eagle, Ultradwarf Bermudagrass sprigs will come in from Georgia and will be hand planted on the approved greens surface from Rees Jones.”

June 13, 2018:

“We have achieved a special milestone with the South course renovation project! Greens were grassed upon final approval from Rees Jones last Thursday. Pike Creek Turf Farm brought a crew down to hand shake the harvested sprigs and cut them in with a tractor/roller. They completed the back nine and the large practice putting green by 2 p.m. that day. My team then waters on a nonstop schedule during the heat of the day. New sprigs require constant irrigation in the first few weeks as there is no significant root structure to sustain the tiny plants.”

July 23, 2018:

“The South course renovation continues to move along smoothly. Last week's milestones are as follows:
- Rees Jones and Bryce Swanson toured the course on Monday,  July 16.
- Bunker lines and contours were approved on the final bunkers to be completed on #18 and the entire front nine.
- The last three greens surfaces (7, 8 and 9) were approved for grassing on all nine greens,  July 19.
- Greens were grassed in Tifeagle Ultradwarf Bermuda on Thursday,  July 19, as scheduled with Pike Creek Turf's crew out of Georgia.
- The back nine greens completed their 45th day of growth yesterday as we enter the 7th week of grooming this new turf.
- Rees and Bryce were impressed with all progress and processes.”

August 13, 2018:

“The South Course renovation remains on schedule and is going well! In the first photo, we can see hole #10 with some nice Tifeagle Ultradwarf greens that are now in their 10th week of growth. While they look green and lush, many more practices still need to be accomplished this summer to have them smooth and true and ready for play this season. In the second photo, looking from the back of the green of hole #2, we can see the newer Tifeagle greens turf at just 3 weeks old. These greens will catch up to the back 9 soon with the dedication and hard work from your Shadow Wood maintenance team!”

We are looking forward to unveiling the finished renovation project to our members and their guests this season. Stay tuned for more updates as our Golf Course Maintenance team continues to make great strides towards completion of the South Course renovation!

For the past few years, Shadow Wood’s Director of Instruction, Mark Moffatt, has taken members on fantastic golf trips both around the United States and abroad. It all began with the first member golf trip to Southwest Ireland in 2014. Mark has a fond appreciation for Ireland, and desired to share its culture, sights, and world-renowned golf links with Shadow Wood members. The trip was a huge hit, and his golf trips have gained a lot of momentum amongst members since then. Based on suggestions and feedback from members for upcoming trips, the desire to explore Pebble Beach was at the top of list. Highly regarded for its breathtaking golf courses with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, Pebble Beach has been ranked as one of the top public courses in the country and is home to the annual AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. This week Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, two of the golf courses the members played, will host the U.S. Amateur.

 Mark, along with his wife Tracy and 34 Shadow Wood members, embarked on their journey to Pebble Beach, California on August 1, 2018 for their 6-day, 5-night adventure. The group stayed at the famous Inn at Spanish Bay, an upscale golf resort on the popular 17-mile drive. Mark described it as an elegant hotel on an extremely large property, even noting that it was a 15-minute walk just from his room to the lobby! Member Jeanne Pelletz, who attended the trip, shared that “the vistas were extraordinary- words cannot describe and photos really do no justice.”

On the evening of their arrival, the group was greeted with a luxurious Welcome Reception Dinner featuring a delectable 7-course tasting menu of the Chef’s fall selection of cuisine. Mark indicated that the dinner was fabulous, and that everyone enjoyed the food and camaraderie. “Pebble Beach rolled out the 'green carpet' for the members of Shadow Wood Country Club. Our welcome cocktail party was over the top!” added Mrs. Pelletz. It was a wonderful start to the fun-filled week that they had ahead.

Throughout the trip, they experienced the excitement of Spyglass Hill Golf Course, the Links at Spanish Bay and Pebble Beach Golf Links, the Lodge at Pebble Beach, 17-mile drive, Monterey Bay, the towns of Carmel and Monterey, and much more. Some of the group ventured off to “Taste of Carmel”, a local wine and food tour at Carmel-by-the-Sea. Between golf, fine dining, and sightseeing, there was never a dull moment. In between all the activities, the group relaxed by the massive fire pits enjoying the nightly bagpiper and drinks.
 

On the last evening of the trip, the group relished a Farewell Dinner overlooking Stillwater Cove at the Lodge at Pebble Beach; Mark said it has unbelievable oceanfront views overlooking the 18th green. The dinner was the perfect ending to a wonderful vacation. Everyone had a magnificent time on this “bucket-list” trip with most members having been their first time going to Pebble Beach.  One couple, Myrna and Steve Kline were returning to Pebble Beach for the first time since their honeymoon. “Another key component to these trips is that not only do friends have a chance to take a golf trip together, it is a chance to meet members we may only see in passing” said Mrs. Pelletz.  “When you are on vacation with people, you have a chance to really get to know them. I see that as a real plus to these trips.”

Shadow Wood's next member golf trip will be a golf and sightseeing trip in Fall 2019 to one of the most beautiful regions in the world, the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain. They will touch down in the vibrant city of Malaga and travel the Andalucía region. The group will play the most preferred golf courses in the region including the site of the 1997 Ryder Cup, Valderrama Golf Club. They will also enjoy play at Real Sotogrande Golf, LaReserva at Sotogrande, San Roque Club and Finca Cortesin Golf Club. Mark looks forward to exploring the region along with our members, taking in all that Spain has to offer.

The members of Shadow Wood Country Club recently approved a plan to build a brand new covered outdoor casual dining venue. The leading country club architect and design firm, Peacock + Lewis, has been contracted to complete this project. Construction is set to commence April 2019 and will be completed by the end of the year. The $5.2 million project will be funded without bank loans or debt. The project will not cost any more than the current annual fees in place.

The project stemmed from the desires of our current as well as prospective members. Every year in our annual member survey, we receive valuable feedback on the current state of the Club as well as enhancements that can be made to improve the member experience. The results showed a strong member desire for casual dining with 85% of members stating that it was important to them and over 50% of members indicating they would use the club more frequently if the club had a drop-in casual bar and grill that was open regularly. This type of venue will be able to accommodate members for dinner when there are other events going on at the Club without requiring reservations. In consideration of prospective members, statistics show that casual outdoor dining is the dining venue of choice for a younger generation. Over 90% of our members under age 60 indicated it was important or very important. The addition of this restaurant will enhance the lifestyle of our current members and provide extraordinary amenities for future members of Shadow Wood.

Shadow Wood Country Club is committed to investing in its Club facilities to provide the ultimate member experience with the best amenities. We are excited to unveil this fabulous new outdoor casual bar and dining venue to our members for them to enjoy with family and friends.

“This will give our team of employees a chance to deliver a new type of dining experience to our members in a more casual setting offering everything from lite bites to five-star meals under the direction of our Executive Chef Richard Crisanti.” said Shadow Wood’s General Manager Brian Bartolec.

The expansion will include 262 seats and a large center gathering bar. A variety of seating options will allow for a magnificent unrestricted view of our beautiful golf courses. The proximity of the existing Event Plaza and fire pits from the new dining area will provide for a comfortable cocktail space before and after dinner while enjoying colorful sunsets or the warmth of the fire. The new dining venue will include a folding glass door system which can be left open or closed to heat or air condition the space to make it an enjoyable indoor-outdoor dining experience in all weather conditions. A new self-contained outdoor kitchen will be built to serve this new dining venue. It will house a pizza oven and include an open glass window to showcase our culinary team in action.

The menu, created by our Executive Chef Richard Crisanti, will feature a wide variety of delicious appetizers, salads, sandwiches, calzones, pizzas and more. The menu will be changed periodically and always include healthy choices. Chef Rich is looking forward to putting his world class cooking skills to a new use. “Our culinary team will be offering the latest food trends alongside traditional favorites in the new dining venue. Our goal is to always be the number one dining choice for our members!” he said.

Tennis Tip with Dave Dooley

Our Shadow Wood video series “Tips from the Pros” feature Shadow Wood professionals sharing with you the knowledge of their expertise. The video below features Dave Dooley, Director of Sports, sharing his tennis tip. Dave has been with Shadow Wood for 16 years and has been an active member of the United States Tennis Association for over 30 years, ranking twice as Florida USPTA Pro of the Year.

What a season it has been here at Shadow Wood Country Club! With every season that comes and passes, Shadow Wood continues to grow, expand, and evolve while remaining true to its core: A Club where people are proud to belong!

Between October and May, our team hosts around 600 events between golf, tennis, bocce, social and dining. Oftentimes, there will be as many as 4 to 5 events per day. Needless to say, there is always something going on at Shadow Wood, and enough variety within these events to accommodate all our different members and different membership categories.

Highlights of the Season

This season was whirlwind of fun. It kicked off in October with our “Havana Nights” Season Opening Celebration, and culminated in April with our “It’s Always 5 O’ Clock In Margaritaville” Season Ending Celebration. Both parties had over 800 people in attendance and were a smashing success. In between the two, some highlights of the season were our Thanksgiving Brunch, Holly Ball, Preserve Holiday Dinner, New Year’s Eve Celebration, Sweetheart’s Ball, The Men’s and Ladies’ Legacy Golf Invitationals, Themed Dinner Dances, Weekly Themed Happy Hours, Chef’s Cooking Classes, Golf/Tennis/Bocce Championships, and so much more.
This season we welcomed 40 new members and are ecstatic to have them as a part of our Club community. To all our new members- Welcome! For any newcomers still wondering how to get best acclimated to the Club, we have some fantastic resources such as our Ambassador Program, New Member Golf Group, Newcomers Breakfasts, and more.

Summers at Shadow Wood

Although 65% of our members are seasonal, the activities here at the Club still go on all summer long for our full-time residents. Throughout the summer months, you can expect an exciting calendar of:

- Daily Lunch Hours and Bistro Dining on Friday Evenings
- Weekly Wednesday Happy Hours
- Reciprocal golf and dining opportunities at participating local Clubs
- Weekly card games such as duplicate bridge
- Themed Summer Dinner Dances
- Memorial Day Golf/Tennis Outings, Independence Day Golf/Tennis Outings, and Labor Day Golf/Tennis Outings
- 4 new Pickleball courts being built by our Tennis complex

South Course Renovation

This summer, golf course renovations on the South Course are currently underway. The renovations are being led by world renowned golf course architect Rees Jones. Rees Jones’ renovation on our North Course last summer was met with very positive accolades from our membership, and we are eagerly awaiting the completion of the South Course renovations. His plans for the South Course are projected to make the playing conditions and experience better than ever for our golfers! Our golf course maintenance team has reported that the renovation has been moving along on schedule and going fantastic so far. Our Director of Agronomy, Eric Ruha, frequently sends out Golf Course Update emails to keep our membership updated regarding the renovation, with a detailed account of what is being done, as well as pictures of the amazing progress that is being made. These updates can also be found on the member’s side of our website by scrolling over “golf” on the top header, and clicking “golf course updates.”

What’s To Come

Our Shadow Wood team is hard at work this summer planning calendars, activities, events and themes for our 2018-2019 season! We will have the details out by mid-summer so that our members can start planning for the next exciting season at Shadow Wood Country Club. 

The dinner dances that we host at Shadow Wood Country Club are always a favorite social event among our members. For our dinner dances, we have a special tribute artist or band put on a show for our members, accompanied by dinner, drinks, and dancing. Some artists we’ve had perform in the past have been tributes to Neil Diamond, The Eagles, Elton John, Disco, Rod Stewart, and more. This season we had some classic acts such as Rat Pack, Duos through the Decades, and coming up this month will be our Motown Music Dinner Dance featuring a Stevie Wonder tribute performance.

These events are a joy for everyone involved- our team loves providing dinner dances for your enjoyment, our members love to let loose and have fun, and the artists enjoy providing a lively evening for our members, as well as paying tribute to some classic musical legends. Our Annual Member Survey is currently underway and includes a section for members to select which dinner dance entertainers they would like to see at the Club next season. Our team can’t wait to see what members select so we can bring you another exciting season of dinner dance opportunities next year!