Naples Golfers Guide Featured Course Stories

Widely recognized as golf’s greatest ambassador and statesman, Arnold Palmer recently celebrated his 80th birthday. Like the legend’s countless contributions to the game, many of the courses Palmer has designed around the world are timeless. You can find one of the King’s finest works, Wildcat Run Golf Club, a Signature Palmer design, in Southwest Florida. The club, like its creator is a champion and has achieved great success in every endeavor it has pursued. Let’s take a closer look at Wildcat Run and “Experience the Pride,” as the club’s membership does every day.

THE COMMUNITY
At its core, Wildcat Run Golf Club is a place where neighbors become lifelong friends and that has been the club’s philosophy from the very beginning.

In the two years since it has opened, the accolades have poured in for Old Corkscrew. Since late February of 2007 when the legendary Jack Nicklaus played 18 holes in a course opening exhibition round, the club has been recognized with four prestigious awards: the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) named Old Corkscrew its 2008 Florida Course of the Year; Golf Digest placed Old Corkscrew Golf Club on its prestigious list of America’s Best New Courses; Golf Magazine listed it as one of the “Best Courses Near You” and Zagat Golf Guide included the club in its 2009 edition of America’s Top Golf Courses.

And then to top that off, Old Corkscrew lured Southwest Florida’s best known golf instructor to relocate his golf academy to the site. In January, 2008, Mike Calbot, better known as Southwest Florida’s Golf Doctor, relocated his International Golf Studio and TRIAD Golf Schools to Old Corkscrew. Calbot has more than 38 years of teaching experience and has been giving golf lessons in Southwest Florida since 1978.

Founded in 1979, a full 20 years before the Southwest Florida city of Bonita Springs officially became a city, Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club is one of Lee County’s finest and most established private golf clubs.

Entering its 30th year of operation, Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club, a member-owned and operated club, is situated within the 600-acre gated community of Spanish Wells. The club has 27 holes of championship golf, a new 32,000-squarefoot clubhouse with several fine and casual dining venues, an excellent tennis program, occe courts, swimming pool and a technologically sophisticated fitness center.

Spanish Wells is tucked away in the consistently expanding city of Bonita Springs, which is conveniently located between two metropolitan areas, Naples and Fort Myers, and equidistant from Tampa to the north and Miami to the east.