Hit the Greens

Southwest Florida is recognized as one of the world’s best destinations for golf, so bring your clubs.

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If you have a penchant for golf, you’ve come to the right place. While the entire region is dotted with spectacular courses, Naples is known as the Golf Capital of the World, since it has more holes per capita than any other city in America. No doubt about it, the variety and quality of places to drive, chip and putt are one of the many reasons people flock here. While a number of area courses are private, you’ll find more than two dozen public offerings that will challenge and delight you.

No list is complete without Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, which features a pair of 18-hole, Greg Norman-designed courses—The Gold (par 72, 7,382 yards) and The Black (par 72, 6,949 yards). Additionally, for those more inclined to watch golf rather than play it, Tiburón annually hosts the grand finale of the LPGA Tour season and the CME Group Tour Championship in November, and the PGA Tour’s QBE Shootout in December.

A few exits north in Estero, there’s Old Corkscrew Golf Club, a stunning Jack Nicklaus-designed layout that maxes out at 7,393 yards and doubles as a certified Audubon International Silver Signature Sanctuary.

Back in Naples, TPC Treviso Bay is a 7,367-yard course situated on 188 acres with 18 holes alongside the 110,000-acre Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Players will feel like they’re one of the pros, thanks to amenities like the PGA Tour-designed practice facilities, which offer a great club experience both for beginners and avid golfers.

Among the other local standouts are Calusa Pines Golf Club, Valencia Golf & Country Club, Naples National Golf Club, Naples Grande Golf Club, Lely Resort Golf & Country Club and the Tom Fazio Signature Course at The Club at Gateway in Fort Myers. Time to tee it up.