Bonita Bay Now Winter 2021 | Page 10

LIVING the

BONITA BAY LIFE

WITH JOCELYN CUNNINGHAM
JOCELYN CUNNINGHAM MOVED to the United States from her native Australia in 1998 and has had an extremely successful 33-year career with Deloitte , one of the Big Four accounting organizations and the largest professional services network in the world . She lived in Connecticut and New York and owned a vacation home in Tampa , Florida , with her then-husband .
An avid golfer , Jocelyn had teamed up with a group of friends who loved to play whenever and wherever they could . One of the women happened to own a home in Bonita Bay . “ Every January , she would invite us down to play in the Ladies Members ' tournament , which was great fun and something we always looked forward to ,” Jocelyn explains . For 10 years , Jocelyn and her friends would participate in the tournament which would take place on one of the community ’ s five world-class courses : Marsh , Creekside , Bay Island , Cypress , and Sabal .
The community website describes its courses as follows :
• Marsh weaves its way through natural wetland terrain . Beautiful oaks and palmettos form a backdrop for challenging golf , where length has its advantages , but precision is rewarded .
• Creekside features broad fairways and defined carries . Elevation changes create a subtle feeling of rolling hills . Bunkers and moguls surround the greens to fortify the challenge .
• Bay Island draws from the rugged , natural lay of the land as the longest and most formidable of the three west courses . Water hazards , sand traps , and thick stands of oak and cypress feature prominently .
• Cypress opens with wide fairways punctuated by strategically placed bunkers . The back nine becomes tighter , with holes often cutting through dense stands of trees . Steep-faced bunkers , plenty of wetlands and water , and slick-running greens are signature features .
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• Sabal , bordering on a wildlife preserve , is a little shorter and tighter than its sibling course . Long white sand bunkers flank undulating fairways . Ponds intimidate , especially on holes nine through 12 , which curl around a 35-acre lake . Multitiered greens with false fronts and terraces require focus until the ball is holed .