Public Golf in Naples, FL

[Brian Brown]

I will be traveling to Marco Island the week prior to Easter and am looking to play at least one round.  Can anyone recommend a course that is open for public play, my searches mostly showed private clubs.  Thanks.

Bri

[Andy Troeger]

Brian,
I thought Old Corkscrew was pretty good--its a Nicklaus design north of Naples in Estero. Its definitely difficult (seems to be a given for anything Nicklaus builds) but worth the play if in the area. Its probably about $125, maybe less if you can get a twilight rate.

[Rory Connaughton]

Second Old Corkscrew. Tough but fun.

[Bob Harris]

Bonita Bay East (Fazio) is now open for public play.

http://www.bonitabayeast.com/

I played the Sabal course about a month ago and preferred it over Old Corkscrew. 

[Jason Topp]

Brian:

This thread contains some description of Naples courses although my focus was more in the Fort Myers area:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,43060.0.html

My favorite course that allows some public play in Fort Myers is the Plantation Country Club - which is across the street from the airport.  They usually have a few tee times on GolfNow.com.

[Mark Saltzman]

Brian,

It seems I'm in the minority, but I did not enjoy Old Corkscrew.  I found the course just too hard.  Too many holes were just hazard on both sides, hit it straight or get another ball (especialy 8 and 18 come to mind).

Another option is Naples Grande.  They are technically private, but allow guests of the Napls Grande hotel to play.  I put a call into the head pro and they were very accomodating.  Course feels a bit like a resot course with not much elevation changes and a fair bit of water, but I enjoyed it.

Mark

[John_Conley]

Bonita Bay East (Fazio) is now open for public play.

Wow.  Those are pretty good.  I've heard my beloved Bonita Bay has fallen on hard times, but I had no idea.  If I recall, Creekside has not been played for a few years now.  This leaves Marsh and Island as the only ones private to the members?

A great recommendation, Bob.  I think I heard adjacent Twin Eagles was open to the public now too.

[Bob Harris]

A great recommendation, Bob.  I think I heard adjacent Twin Eagles was open to the public now too.

It is for the present.  A friend is a member and lives on the abandoned Player course.  The members have been told that the Player course is to be bulldozed and redesigned.  No mention if they were going to bring the Nicklaus Group back.

[JNC Lyon]

Re: Old Corkscrew

My Dad played it a few weeks ago.  He reported the course was:

A) Charging $185 for 18.

B) Way too tough from tee to green.  Like many Florida courses, one bad swing means a 6 and two bad swings mean an X.  Some enjoy this type of golf occasionally, but others do not enjoy it at all.  Mark S, your take sounds pretty close to how my Dad described the course.

C) In terrible condition.  The greens were uniformly bumpy and slow.

This combination would indicate that Old Corkscrew is a layout to avoid while down there.

In general, Naples is a terrible place for public golf, especially relative to how many golf courses there are in the area.  A couple good ones to try are Hammock Bay, which is just outside of Marco Island, and the Beach Club, which is a neat old course in the center of Naples.

[Rory Connaughton]

Wow John, I played Old Corkscrew at the beginning of the month and the course was in great shape and firm and fast.
Greens were in excellent condition.

It is a difficult course for sure.  As for cost, there are specials to be had.

[Patrick Hodgdon]

I'll second Bonita Bay East. The Nicklaus at Twin Eagles is good too depending on wht they are charging. (the player course should definitely be bulldozed)

Hammock Bay is also good.

You may also want to give Kelly Blake Moran's design, The Hideout, a call. They are private but I think an unaccompied tee time could be had and at a still decent rate comparable to the others mentioned. ($120-190)

[Matt_Ward]

Can someone comment on Pelican's Nest and what it's been like now ?

[Andy Troeger]

According to the website the rate at Old Corkscrew in April is $125. It is $185 now as mentioned through the end of the month.

Old Corkscrew is very difficult and does have a fair amount of water. I wouldn't consider anything about it unfair or excessive, but if you're looking for playability and an easy warm up type round then its not the place to go. Its a test. Not having been in a couple years I can't comment on conditioning, but it was great when I was there.

I haven't played the other options, so I can't really make any comparisons to the other options mentioned.

[Germain Pepin]

Tranks all for this great information, i am planning a trip in a near future in this area.