Fore forward: Discount airline renovating golf course near its resort under construction

Allegiant, the discount airline headquartered in Las Vegas, might have secured a triple tourism threat with the company’s recent acquisition of a golf course minutes away from its planned Sunseeker Resort in Charlotte Harbor.

Thanks to the purchase of Kingsway Country Club in Lake Suzy, company officials say they will soon be able to offer transportation, lodging and golfing services to both tourists and business travelers, all within a short distance of one another.

The course will close for renovation in April 2020 and reopen in December 2020 under the Sunseeker Resorts brand, company executives say.

“Kingsway Country Club holds a special place in the community, and this renovation will build on its legacy by transforming it into one of the top-tier golf destinations in the country,” says Micah Richins, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Sunseeker Resorts, in a statement. “With an extraordinary golf course coupled with premier event and dining space, the new club will be an incredible asset to the area and for the guests joining us at Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor.”

The company already serves a multitude of customers traveling to and from Punta Gorda Airport as its only commercial airliner. Allegiant recently announced several more nonstop routes will be added later this year, which will increase the airline’s destinations to 47 from Punta Gorda.

Allegiant officials declined to provide the purchase price for the Kingsway Country Club, an 18-hole golf course with an 18,000-square-foot clubhouse. The reconstructed golf club will be operated in conjunction with Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor, which is under construction and expected to open in 2021. The company estimates the resort will take about $470 million to construct and will require about 1,000 employees to operate. The golf course will require an additional 50 employees, Richins says.