The Club at Mediterra
Reed Koehnlein, North Course Superintendent and Stephen Coyne, South Course Superintendent
Located in Naples and styled after the Mediterranean countryside is The Club at Mediterra. The club is home to two courses designed by Tom Fazio, the South and North, which opened in 2000 and 2002, respectively. With a proposed renovation coming to the South Course in 2026 and a membership eager to learn about it, Mediterra turned to Mitch Leininger, USGA Green Section Agronomist East Region, to help make a presentation to the club members.
“What’s special here at Mediterra is that they have a real involved membership that wants a great golfing experience,” says Leininger. “So, they have a team assembled here to help carry that out for them.”
Part of that team is South Course Superintendent Stephen Coyne. He knows well the benefit of having a USGA agronomist visit and what it can do for his course. “If I have an issue or need help, I have someone who sees thousands of golf courses,” he says. “Their background is bit more diverse, seeing different golf courses in different regions. So, to reach out to these guys and get some feedback is good.”
General manager Carmen Mauceri agrees. “We’re ready to perform another round of improvements to our courses,” he says. “And we thought the best course of action to start that process would be to partner with the USGA, bring them in as the guiding principle of what we need to do in our foundation for our success. And have them collaborate with not only us but the membership through the process.”
Along with the Fazio Design Group, who are spearheading the renovation, Leininger gave a membership a look at what changes were being made and why they were being made. “Part of our mission at the USGA is to unify the golf community and that’s what we’re doing in this room together,” he told the members. “We traditionally showcase the best golfers on some of the best courses in the world. But I’m here to help showcase your club, as well as the people who help maintain it.”
Leininger went over what led to the renovation. And why this was a good time for Mediterra to go through this process. “We know that you have 25-year-old greens. You also have older construction materials that have met their life expectancy. And drainage systems that have older materials as well,” he explained.
Reed Koehnlein, superintendent of the North Course at Mediterra, has also experienced the value of a Leininger CCS visit. “Mitch has been out two or three times since we initiated this renovation process,” he says. “It’s something we initiated for our membership and it’s excellent information for them to understand life expectancy of different aspects of the golf course.”
Leininger believes the ongoing collaboration between Mediterra and the USGA will provide lasting benefits for the club in the long term. “Our industry is based on relationships. Reaching out to the USGA lets you know that you’re dealing with an organization that has history, and that puts research behind it. We can put all of these things together and give them the support that they need.”
