It’s not surprising that Calusa Pines Golf Course in Naples has been named to another prestigious “best courses” list. What is a little surprising is that it’s the only golf course in Southwest Florida to make Golf magazine’s “30 Best Golf Courses in Florida” that was released on Thursday.
But there will be no complaining here.
The distinction for Calusa Pines, which is tucked away on a pretty piece of property east of I-75 off Immokalee Road, provides another opportunity to brag about how great Southwest Florida is for golf with many people visiting here, or even retiring here, because of the numerous high-quality public and private golf courses available in Collier and Lee counties.
Calusa Pines is a private golf course and as the experts at Golf point out, very unique because it is not tied to a gated community. In other words “pure golf” the magazine editors said in their description, and “quiet rounds are guaranteed.”
More impressive is the fact that in November, Calusa Pines made Golf’s list of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the U.S., coming in at No. 93.
“The course encapsulates the best that Florida has to offer: scrubby, sandy soil; pine trees; the occasional lagoon; and some shockingly fine land movement,” said the course raters about Calusa Pines.
Rated above Calusa Pines on the Florida list were: No. 1 Seminole in Juno Beach, No. 2. TPC Sawgrass-Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, No. 3 Streamsong-Red (Bowling Green) and Streamsong-Blue, which are located in Bowling Green, southeast of Tampa in the central part of Florida.
Here are some other facts about Calusa Pines:
When did it open: 2001
Who designed the course (architects): Michael Hurdzan/Dana Fry
Yards: 7,203 (from the back tees)
Par: 72
According to the website: The club doesn’t release membership information, has no tee times, and features a strong caddie program as members and guests are encouraged to walk the course.
Did you know? Golf great Phil Mickelson played Calusa Pines in November 2019.
Source : Naples News
