Aerial of the Day #378 - 24 Jul 2003

[Scott_Burroughs]

Good luck to Suzy Whaley!


Holy cannoli, Batman!  Enough sand down there?  Let's see,
we've already done sand-laden Pine Valley, WW (PB), John's
Island West, Tobacco Road isn't available as completed, and
Dunes Club in MI is 9 holes.  Hmmmm.....what else is there?

[Keith Williams]

Did a doctor leave his mark on this course?  Is this course a
textbook design?  This course has a name with similarities to
a couple of recent AOTD's...

[Anthony_Nysse]

A doctor did leave his mark on this course, but not THEE doctor-Formally a Top 100, has sod wall bunkers, aminly a winter retreat area for the snow birds!!Do they have a "National" membership?

[RJ_Daley]

When it comes to golf course architecture, this guy wrote the book...  
My biggest pet peave with this course, or any other, is rocks lining too many ponds and features.  
I haven't played it, but I hate the over use of rock retaining walls (.)
The city this course is in has a sister city by name where you can get a very good original style pizza.

[Gregglink]

Two Doctors had a hand in this one.

Dottie Peper won a big event here before the course was open for members.

[Scott_Burroughs]

I like it when others do the clue-giving.


Postcard from here would start with "Bonjourno!"?

Yes, another Doctor-designed sandy course has also been
shown, that one near Monterey.

I distinctly remember the golf magazine ads for this place
when it was first opening about 10 years ago.  To
paraphrase:  "If you're not a CEO of a major corporation or at
least close to it, don't even think of asking us for an
application."     Don't know if the corporate status level is
still desired or at least unwritten, but a $225K equity
initiation will get you in.  Annual dues are $10,500 a year,
which works out to be $875 a month.

First AOTD shown from this very retirement-centerred part of this state.

[Dan Grossman]

I really enjoyed this course when I played
it in February.  It is one of my favorite courses
that I have played in [this state] as it was pretty
interesting, I thought they did a nice job of
blending the pines and waste areas to not make
them look artificial and there weren't any houses.

The risk / reward par 4 just above the club house
(the one w/ the green sticking out into the pond)
is a pretty cool hole too.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Besides having part of the name in common with the AOTD
from 2 days ago, the CRs and slopes are also very close
(high, meaning this is a brute, too, though this one's about
230 yards shorter).

An alliterative name.

Is there a wide Gulf between this course and the 2nd best
from this part of the state?

[Scott_Burroughs]

This is Naples National, in Naples, FL, designed by Michael
Hurdzan.  Once a Top 100 course, this Pine Valley-like oasis
of sand (though on flat land) tried to attract the jet set crowd
to this retirement haven of SW FL.  It also hosted the LPGA
Tour's World Championship of Women's Golf in 1994, won by
Dottie Pepper (mentioned previously).


The layout/color aerial is here (previously shown by Dan G):



and pics:





from the web site:

http://www.naplesnationalgolfclub.com/


other clues include:

"cannoli" and "Bonjourno" are Italian terms, of
which "Naples" / Napoli is a major city in Italy.  Also "The
city this course is in has a sister city by name where you can
get a very good original style pizza"

"a doctor leave his mark on this course" = "Dr. Hurdzan"

"Is this course a textbook design?" = Hurdzan wrote the
book "Golf Course Architecture: Design, Construction &
Restoration"

"has a name with similarities to a couple of recent AOTD's" = "National"

"National"

"First AOTD shown from this very retirement-centerred part
of this state" = SW FL

"Besides having part of the name in common with the AOTD
from 2 days ago, the CRs and slopes are also very close
(high, meaning this is a brute, too, though this one's about
230 yards shorter).  Dallas "National" was 76.1, 155, NN is
76.2, 150.

"An alliterative name." = NN

"Gulf" of Mexico nearby

Hurdzan and Fry now have Calusa Pines nearby NN, which is
#62 on GW's Modern list.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Shivas,

What about George W. Dunne?