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Naples, Florida (Return to Previous Page)
Okay, so you've just taken the 2.25-mile walking trail at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary north of Naples and made your first sighting of a wood stork and a swallow tailed kite (don't forget to check those two beauties off your birding list). Now what?
Well, you've already made your first good choice by picking this part of Florida's Gulf Coast for some sun, sand and serious golf. So, let's see. How about if you hop back on 1-75 (or closer-to-the-coast Highway 41) and head south toward downtown Naples and Marco Island? If the birding walk hasn't taken your breath away, the scenery through this part of Collier County will.
The county is named for Baron Gift Collier, a Tennessee-born businessman who made his millions placing advertising on streetcars. Ironically - and perhaps killing his Goose with the golden egg in the process - Mr. Collier was largely responsible for the building of paved roads in the area, including the Tamiami Trail, the stretch of Highway 41 that runs from Tampa through the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve to Miami. The western part of the Everglades, by the way, takes up a major part of Collier County and that's the reason it's the largest in the state. It's also another wonderful reason to visit here.
Once you see the Gulf side of the county it won't take you long to figure out why it's known as "The Paradise Coast." Beginning at its northern tip and running all the way down past Marco Island, Collier offers some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Aptly named Barefoot Beach to the north is one; Marco's Tigertail Beach is another. All provide staggering views of the Gulf and the setting Sun, many will make you feel as secluded as Robinson Crusoe. Stroll the nearby beaches of Naples, however, and you may find yourself taking a turn into the city for food or fun or to visit a few stores. Like the famous Fifth Avenue in New York City, Fifth Avenue in Naples is all about shopping. The latest fashions, art, the niftiest sandals and shoes (one can never have too many shoes, right?), and for sure some of the coolest golf clothes this side of Pinehurst.
Perhaps the best reason of all for coming here, however, is the sensational golf that's available in the Naples area. According to the National Golf Foundation, Naples is one of the best destinations you can pick in terms of golf holes per capital. Considering the fact that there are nearly ninety courses to choose from, this is no surprise. Also not surprising is that so many top-name architects have chosen to work here. Like golfers, they know a "garden spot" when the see one.
A course that has gotten rave reviews since it was "reborn" in 2004 is Hammock Bay Golf Club. Totally rebuilt on the site of the old Marco Shores Golf Club, Hammock Bay is a brand new design by PGA and Champions Tour star Peter Jacobsen. Measuring 6,912 yards from the back markers (five sets of tees are available), Hammock Bay is as playable as it is pretty but a challenge nonetheless. Somewhat surprising for a course that's so young, many visitors have already called it the best in the area - and that's saying something.
Another new/old layout in the Naples area that has visitors and locals dropping complements by the cartload is the Rookery Golf Club. Originally designed by Joe Lee in 1991, the Rookery was completely redone by architect Bob Cupp and reopened in 2002. A classic, Florida-type design, this gorgeous golf course features wide fairways, large greens and more than a little water to think about. It's a very playable tract, though (harder, obviously, if you take it on from its full length of 7,180 yards), and one of the prettiest courses around. It's so attractive, in fact - and blends so carefully into its natural surroundings - that it has been designated a member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary program.
Eagle Lakes Golf Club is yet another terrific recreation that is brand new to the Naples golf scene! Eagle Lakes is a complete redesign of the former Boyne South, and is arguably Gordon Lewis' finest masterpiece. The course offers five sets of tees to accommodate golfers of all skill levels, but don't let your ego get the best of you here. Water hazards are a challenge on every hole, and the wind can really make this course tough, so it's recommended to play it smart.
Two other fine choices - both in the same spot this time - are the 36 holes at the Lely Resort. The original layout here, Flamingo Island, is a 1990 Robert Trent Jones Sr. design that's typical of this old master's work: it's big, it's tough and it's troublesome. There's plenty of water to contend with, of course, but there seems to be even more sand. Mr. Jones liked his bunkers plentiful - both fairway and greenside - and he liked them deep, too. Make the right choice of the five sets of tees here, however, and you just may find yourself flying some of those bunkers with your tee shots, rather than playing out of them. The second course at the Lely Resort, Mustang, is a collaboration between Hall of Famer Lee Trevino and architect William Graves. Like Flamingo Island, Mustang measures out at over 7,000 yards from the back markers (7,217). Unlike the Jones layout, though, Mustang is a lot more friendly and a lot less penal. The hazards are fewer, the fairways are wider, and the putting surfaces are not nearly as severely sloped. For those reasons alone, Mustang might be a good first choice when you first get to the Naples area.
Two other courses that are very worthy of your consideration can be found to the north of Naples in Bonita Springs. One of them, Raptor Bay, is quite possibly unlike any golf course you've ever seen. A 2001 design by four-time major championship winner Ray Floyd, Raptor Bay is unique in that (1) it doesn't have a single sand bunker, and (2) the grass on the entire course (other than the greens) is cut to the same height. That's right: no sand and no rough. What it does have, however, is plenty of water, numerous environmentally sensitive areas, and a plethora of crushed-coquina-shell-filled waste bunkers protecting most of the holes. It all gives the golf course a very different look, to say the least, but it doesn't lessen the challenge of Raptor Bay in the slightest.
Looking for a great choice for a great golf getaway? Then why not choose paradise? The Paradise Coast.
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