SW Florida is a hot spot for golf trips, retirement, and relocation
Idyllic Naples, Florida has long been home to a collection of resort, daily fee and private courses designed by many of the game’s greatest golf course architects. With nearly 100 18-hole equivalent golf facilities, close to 1,400 total holes and over 300 days of sunshine a year, this coastal chic enclave on the state’s southwest coast has certainly earned its moniker, “The Golf Capital of the World.”
For have-clubs-will-travel golfers, timing is imperative when planning a Naples golf trip. Peak season winter rates at top courses can easily exceed $250, while the summer months bring deep discounts but also a significant golf course maintenance throughout the market. The early fall and late spring shoulder seasons are optimal times to plan a visit, with reasonable rates, fewer crowds and less thunder and lightning
And for those who fall in love with the area (they number in the thousands, annually), retire or relocate to Southwest Florida, Collier County and southern Lee County are home to more golf communities, per capital, than any region of the country. “Old Naples” in the city’s center and to the south, as well as coastal stretches along the Gulf of Mexico are home to multi-million-dollar homes and condos. Outlying areas like North Naples, Golden Gate, Bonita Springs, and Estero offer plenty of modern touches and more affordable price points.
Top tier
Old Corkscrew Golf Club is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in rapidly growing Estero in southern Lee County. The brawny, 7,393-yard layout sprawls over 275 acres of native, grasses, trees and wetlands marked by vast waste bunkers, pristine fairways, and the Golden Bear’s signature green complexes. Unique to the area, Old Corkscrew is a pure golf experience devoid of housing and other distractions. All the better for focusing on the task at hand and managing the course’s eye-popping 151 slope rating from the tips.
A few miles to the south, golfers will appreciate the one-two punch of the Gold and Black courses at Tiburon Golf Club. Both tracks were designed by Greg Norman and are home to PGA and LPGA Tour events: the QBE Shootout and CME Group Tour Championship, respectively. The combo sets up perfectly for the relatively long days of late summer and early that can still accommodate 36 holes.
The JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort anchors the Naples region’s southern end, and the Hammock Bay Golf and Country Club is the property’s marquee offering. Jim Hardy and former PGA / Champions Tour player turned commentator Peter Jacobsen designed the course, which recently underwent a $4.8 million overhaul that entailed the installation of saltwater tolerant paspalum grass.
Double up with a round at sister course, The Rookery at Marco, a Joe Lee original that was touched up by Bob Cupp in 2002 and in 2014 by Hardy and Jacobsen. Both courses are private, but guests of the Marriott have access to select tee times. If the south side of Paradise coast is your target destination, this is the place to be.
Also playing
The Lely Resort Golf and Country Club is quintessential Naples golf, with two resort tracks and one private course: The Mustang and Flamingo Island are open to public play, designed by Lee Trevino and Robert Trent Jones Sr., respectively. Both are typically in good to great condition, and practice junkies will appreciate its two full-service practice facilities, including a 54,000-square-foot driving range with target greens.
TPC Treviso Bay was designed by the “mayor of Naples,” Arthur Hills, and former PGA Tour player Hal Sutton. Located across U.S. 41 from the Lely Resort Golf and Country Club, it makes for a convenient and compelling triumvirate with the Mustang and Flamingo courses. The 64,000-square-foot clubhouse is a stunning homage to the halcyon days of golf’s big and bold phase.
Preferred private
The Club at Olde Cypress is owned by luxury home builder Stock Development and boasts one of only two P.B. Dye designed courses in the area. The club and surrounding community are centrally located just minutes from beaches, shopping in Old Naples and the Southwest Florida International Airport.
Like his famed father and mother, Alice, P.B. has always had a penchant for crafting courses that appeal to both men and women golfers. Olde Cypress is no exception as witnessed by the sheer number of ladies golf groups, tournaments, and events. The club is the centerpiece of a highly sought-after, 450-acre gated enclave with resale homes ranging from $550,000 to over $1 million.
Olde Cypress is wrapping up a multi-million-dollar remastering of the golf course this fall. The expansive project entailed the resurfacing of all 18 greens, practice green and chipping area; enlarging, leveling, and re-grassing tee boxes; installation of a new subsurface drainage system and new prescription turf on the driving range. Bunkers (there are over 90) are being touched up with new edging and sand.
Additionally, the pro shop was reimagined with interior design upgrades ranging from color pallets, woodwork and lighting to countertops, artwork, and flooring. In short, Olde Cypress is perfectly positioned for upswell in golf participation and membership demand that’s forecast to continue into the foreseeable future.
For golfers who prefer a multi-course club setup, Shadow Wood Country Club in Bonita Springs features 54 holes of championship caliber golf. All three courses have been recently renovated by Rees Jones and provide spectacular playing conditions year-round. Shadow Wood is in the process of building a brand new 3,500-square-foot pro shop which will overlook the expansive practice facilities and feature unique retail opportunities for its members.
Game improvement gurus will love the practice facilities, which boast a double-sided range and numerous short game practice areas. The Shadow Wood Golf Academy is located at the back of the range and offers an indoor hitting bay, club fitting studio, and all the latest technological aids to help members improve their game. After a round of golf, members sip cocktails by the firepits on the club’s Sunset Terrace or dine at one of Shadow Wood’s many venues.
At the very high-end of the private community and club spectrum is Mediterra, situated on Naples’ northeast end just minutes from Bonita Springs and Vanderbilt Beach. Mediterra’s “see-it-to-believe-it” 60,000-square-foot clubhouse is the epicenter of club life, boasting a new 1,850-square-foot outdoor covered bar and terrace with unobstructed views of the community’s two award-winning Tom Fazio-designed golf courses.
Just a smooth wedge away from Mediterra is Talis Park, site of the only Pete Dye/Greg Norman design collaboration outside of Medalist Golf Club across the state in Hobe Sound. Talis Park features a variety of residential options, including single family, move-in ready homes, condos, coach homes and the stunning “Isola Bella,” an exclusive, 4.5-acre enclave of 17 waterfront estate homes by the Seagate Development Group.
Night life
Fifth Avenue is still the place to be when it comes to a night out on the town. Chic shops, decadent restaurants and vibrant bars and clubs line this famous street. Anything, and any cuisine, is possible, here with eateries ranging from traditional American to sushi and Italian. Further north in Bonita Springs, Coconut Point Shopping Center is stuffed with fast-service and sit-down restaurants, as well as the ever-popular Tommy Bahama Restaurant. For a true taste of Naples tradition, pay a visit to The Bay House along the Cocohatchee River.
Getting there
Collier and Lee Counties share the Southwest Florida International Airport, and the Naples Area benefits from this optimally sized, easy-to-access transportation hub’s location in south Lee County just minutes from Estero, Bonita Springs, and Naples. For decades, Midwesterners made their way south on I-75 or U.S. 41 to their Southwestern Florida termini in sunny Naples. Making the trek to Naples has become “a thing” again, what with many folks not ready to return to air travel just yet.
