Stoneybrook Golf Club |
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Centrally located almost exactly halfway between Naples and Ft. Myers, just five minutes south of the airport off I-75, and within three miles of a half-dozen hotels, Stoneybrook truly is the course for everyone in Southwest Florida. With seven different sets of tees ranging from a burly 7,353 yards for the longest of players to a much more manageable 4,672 for less-experienced ones (and 3,211 yard USGA Jr. tees), Stoneybrook has a place for your game, at a price that'll likely bring you back. And it is one of the first 200 courses in the country to be certified as "Beginner Friendly" by the National Golf Course Owners Association.
Stoneybrook is also a great second-shot course. A good middle-iron game can take advantage of large, receptive greens meticulously maintained by Superintendent Gary Higgins and his crew.
The need for confidence in your driver, mid-irons, and short game leads us to talk about Stoneybrook's wonderful 2-acre practice facility before you find out the hard way that you should have spent some time there. Attention to the details, like having high quality range balls and maintaining all-grass practice tees, give Stoneybrook that private feel. And with a 17,000 square-foot practice green and separate putting and chipping areas, you'll have every opportunity for success in your round.
The most important decision you'll make at Stoneybrook may occur just before the first tee. Armed with the recommendations from the starter as to which set of tees to play (and the differences between those choices are 500-600 yards), you're off on a journey into pure Florida golf in your GPS-equipped cart.
Stoneybrook throws its best at you early, and late, on each nine. The first two holes, the longest par-4, and mid-range par-5, demand accurate tee shots (remember those balls you hit before you played?). The holes at Stoneybrook can also be identified by their names with the first two holes nicknamed "The Omen and Precision". The sand and water behind the first green come into play more than the huge lake next to the tee, making par a very good omen at #1. All the par-5 second asks you to do is play over a lake, through an oak grove and around wetlands to a front-sloping green surrounded by a half-dozen bunkers. Precision fits #2 quite well. The wetlands and nature preserves at Stoneybrook are home to a few resident alligators, fox squirrels and even an occasional bald eagle.
Two of the next three holes are tame par-3s, but only on the scorecard. The signature fifth hole gives Stoneybrook its name and takes "island hopping" to a new level. With its island tees and peninsular green, you can play anywhere from 84 up to 197 yards at "Archipelago". The palm trees, waste bunkers and enormous boulders frame a good-sized green, if you can make a confident swing and hit it. The pin placement will determine how you play the seventh, nicknamed "Sandbar". On the card, it' the easiest hole at Stoneybrook. But with waste areas and bunkers surrounding a large, severely undulating green, if you're on the wrong side of the large green here, you'll probably beg to differ with that assessment.
The eighth, a par-4 with a waste area down the left side that's a preferable miss to the trees right, begins a four-hole stretch that's the toughest on the course. Back-to-back par-5s at nine and ten, "Precipice" and "Eternity", are both great driving holes. Though both are very tough to reach in two, both can be birdied with intelligent approach shots, to a well-mounded and bunkered green at nine and to a horizontal green at the tenth.
The 11th, 12th and 13th are progressively shorter par-4s. Hurricane Wilma's re-design of Timbers (#11) took out nearly half of the tall pines on this gorgeous hole, but even more new trees have been planted to replace them and you'll still be challenged by the tight fairway and steep bunkers. Water all the way down the left side of the 12th is only half the "Double Trouble" with trees and sand tight to the right. #13 is the shortest par-4 at Stoneybrook, but might have the most demanding approach, over water, boulders and sand to a horizontal green.
Nicknamed "The Little Devil", the 14th is anything but little. The longest par-3 at Stoneybrook might just be the longest par-3 in Florida at 274 yards from the tips. Oh yeah, and there's a narrow green between water and a cypress preserve. Little Devil indeed.
Club selection off the tee will make all the difference at the par-3 17th, Mirage. The deep but narrow green may be the most forgiving of the par-3s, but don't take the hole for granted or bogey, or worse, will have you kicking yourself as you head to the home hole. "The Final Drive' is the most reachable par-5 at 452 yards from the regular tees and only 509 from the tips. But going for the green means threading-the-needle between bunkers in front of the green, while stopping the ball before it reaches another large bunker behind it.
Ready to play again? Maybe an individual or group lesson from the experienced teaching staff led by head PGA Professional Bruce K. Harwood II might be the next order of business. A good place to contemplate your next move is in the comfortable clubhouse. Many courses like to believe their restaurant and lounge has a "sports bar" atmosphere. Stoneybrook actually has a sports bar on the premises. Stoney's Sports Cafe, open until 2AM 7-days-a-week, is a great place to unwind and settle those post-round wagers. And the affordable prices of the golf carry over into the well-stocked golf shop, with all the latest apparel and equipment, at significant savings.
A visit to www.stoneybrookgolffm.com or a call to (239)948-3933 can unlock other great rates (especially for groups of 16 or more), stay-and-play packages and other specials.
The dictionary describes value as a quality considered worthwhile or desirable. Once you've played Stoneybrook Golf Club, its value will likely make it a valuable addition to your Southwest Florida golf itinerary
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