heading to Ft. Myers for a few days at the end of the month. Need some guidance

Guys I'm looking for some places to play in or around Ft. Myers, FLA. Some ppl on twitter suggested old corkscrew but others have said its a brutal round. Any other suggestions?

I know my review is 2 years old but take a look....

Posted 05 December 2012 - 11:23 AM

I wanted to review on a few courses down in the Naples / Ft. Myers area.
I was down there Dec 1 - Dec 4 2012. I was looking for budget minded courses and fun courses since handicaps for my foursome ranged between scratch and 25.
We were staying on Sanibel and didn't want to drive any further than 50 minutes.

Dec 1, Saturday - [b]STONEYBROOK[/b], Estero.
CONDITION: We played it twice and it was in great shape. Seven sets of tees, seven! I have no complaints about this course, very playable and you can score on it. You are not penalized for good shots out here. Everything is in front of you. Homes along the course and errant drives will find a rooftop or two.

FAIRWAYS: The fairways were generous and there was plenty of water but it rarely came into play.

GREENS: The greens were in great shape ran true.

OVERALL: Good. Carts with GPS. We got around in 4:10 in the morning and were held up on just a few holes. In the afternoon we finished in 4 hours. flat and walkable.
Price booked through [url="http://Golfnow.com"]Golfnow.com[/url] was $59 in the morning and $38 for the replay.

Dec 2, Sunday - [b]TWIN EAGLES[/b], Naples.
[b]Eagles course[/b]
The Eagle course hosted the CME Group LPGA Titleholders Tournament this November.

CONDITION: Every green was elevated and if you were long you were penalized. Everything ran off the back of these greens. Coming from brisk weather in Chicago I had to adjust to the warmer weather and take into account the additional distance I was getting. There were plenty of unique optical challenges, more than a few rectangular greens and many thought provoking playing angles, enhanced by a variety of pin placements. Our pin placements were difficult.

FAIRWAYS
The fairways were generous but there were plenty of bunkers throughout the course. One right handed golfer in our group who plays a big draw ran through 8-9 fairways into bunkers. Really no rough to contend with.

GREENS
The greens were in great, great shape ran true. The best of the weekend.

[b]Talon course[/b]
The Talon course hosted the ACE Group Classic for five years.
CONDITION: Great shape, I felt it was easier to play than the Eagle.

FAIRWAYS
The fairways were generous but there were plenty of bunkers throughout the course. It reminded me of links style courses, there are deep pot bunkers that are strategically placed throughout. It is a fair course – and although water comes into play on most holes, it can be played without any forced carries.


GREENS
They were sanded, but no aeration holes were evident, they ran true but were slower than the Eagle's greens

OVERALL
Great. WOW! a gatehouse? Did I take a wrong turn? Nope they were expecting us. The drive within the complex was stunning! $3 million plus homes on the main drag. What a beautiful facility. The clubhouse was 47,000 sq. ft., yikes. So this is how the other half lives? A member of our party was wearing cargo shorts that I hadn't noticed but the pro shop did and asked him to change. Well he had to buy shorts there, but Twin Eagles was nice enough to give him the wholesale price on a pair of Nike shorts for $35. They also stopped another golfer from leaving the clubhouse and asked him to tuck in his shirt. We aquired tee times by calling them directly. I felt the Eagle course played much harder than the slope and rating that is listed for the course.
Carts with GPS. We got around in 4 hours in the morning and were didn't see too many other golfers. In the afternoon we finished in 4:15 hours. Both course are spread out through the housing community. The houses never come into play but there is so much distance inbetween many of the holes its not feasable to walk it. YOU COULD NOT BEAT THE PRICE WE GOT. I'M AFFRAID TO SAY IT. $65 a round booked directly through the pro shop.

Dec 3, Monday - [b]BONITA BAY EAST CYPRESS[/b], Naples.
CONDITION: Another stunner.

FAIRWAYS: The fairways were a bit tighter than Twin Eagles or Stoneybrook. You are going to plan your shots on this course. There are a number of short par 4's where you will have to go 5 wood or hybrid unless you can carry your driver 270 plus. No real rough.

GREENS: The greens were in great shape ran true.

OVERALL: Great. Carts with GPS. We got around in 4:15. We were held up a number of times by some older gentlemen in front of us, and the twosome behind us was always right there. Plus it was Sunday. A bit of a slow round. At one point there were 3 groups on 1 hole. 1 on the green, 1 on the fairway and us sitting on the tee box. Another stunning facility. The main drive with the deer milling around, the club house was beautiful. The service was good. Turkeys in the parking lot. $87 through [url="http://Golfnow.com"]Golfnow.com[/url]

thanks. will give me something to chew on

I've been down there for baseball tournaments, so I have not been able to get on the courses listed above, but IMO almost anythign down there is a good choice!

I would recommend either Old Corkscrew or TPC Treviso Bay.

Be sure to check with the courses re: aerification. Some are done for the summer and some are still punching away down here. Recommend Old Corkscrew and Bonita Bay East courses.

Corkscrew is a challenge, but a great one.

Played old corkscrew in July. It was one of the best courses I've played

SInce you are in Fort Myers. See if you can get on The Plantation. It is the best course in the area IMO. I played Corkscrew in July and was underwhelmed after all the hype I have heard, but you can get on it for a great rate right now so it is well worth trying.
Riverhall and Verandah are nice courses. Verandah is on golfnow their Old Orange course is great. Verandah and Riverhall are about 20 minutes from fort myers. Riverhall is playing dry and fast right now, so its fun.

thanks guys feeling better with some of these choices