Ten Years Running: Gulf Harbour Is a Distinguished Club Again

For the tenth year in a row, Gulf Harbour has been recognized as a Distinguished Club by BoardRoom Magazine. We're proud of this one, and the credit goes to the people you see at the club every day.

The Distinguished Club designation is the hallmark of excellence for private clubs, one that must be earned and continually maintained through a thorough, three-step, merit-based process.

“For me, the Distinguished Club recognition is about much more than an award. It recognizes the journey Gulf Harbour has been on for nearly ten years,” said Lonnie Eberhard, Gulf Harbour’s Chief Operating Officer.

“We made a commitment years ago that we weren’t going to stand still. We were going to continually improve our facilities, our service, our programming, and most importantly, the experience we provide our members every single day.”

“What makes me most proud is that this didn’t happen because of one person or one project. It happened because our members, Board, leadership team, staff, Master Association, and Marina all continued pushing Gulf Harbour forward together. After nearly ten years of that commitment, this recognition validates the direction we’ve taken but it certainly isn’t the finish line. Our goal remains very simple: keep improving, keep raising the standard, and make sure Gulf Harbour continues to be one of the very best private club experiences in Fort Myers and Southwest Florida.”

What it takes

For Gulf Harbour to even be considered for the designation, we first had to be nominated by the Distinguished Clubs nomination committee, comprised of current Distinguished Clubs. Each time, an evaluator visits in person, tours the property and meets one-on-one with each member of our leadership team. Everything gets scored against standards that a committee of private club leaders updates annually.

BoardRoom runs the program with Forbes Travel Guide, the recognized authority of luxury destinations. It's the only recognition of its kind decided by an on-site assessment rather than an industry vote.

Ten years of building

Since our first designation in 2017, much has changed here. We moved the golf shop, opened the Wellness Center, rebuilt the golf course with Kipp Schulties, renovated our tennis complex and restored Eagle Perch Island. Now the clubhouse renovation is in its final months.

The evaluators kept coming back through, and we kept meeting the standard. That says a lot about a staff that carried on while the campus changed around them.