Naples, Florida - "Golf Capital of the World"
Posted On 2007-03-01 , 1:51 PM
“If you watch a game, it’s fun. If you play at it, it’s recreation. If you work at it, it’s golf.”
- Bob Hope (1903 - 2003)
Naples, Florida – warm all year long in sub-tropical Southwest Florida – has a well earned reputation as the “Golf Capital of the World.” From the beginning, when Charles Lindbergh in 1932 landed his plane to get 9 holes in on a small golf course located near the present day Fifth Avenue shopping district, to the present day, Naples has always been a magnet for golf lovers.
We can help you find the perfect golf home in Naples – a golfer’s getaway; a second home with a  lake and fairway view; an estate home in an exclusive Country Club; or a golf condo shared by buddies for weeks each year to escape the winter weather up north. Just bring your sticks down here, and let us do all the work.
According to www.WorldGolf.com , Naples has more golf holes per capita than any city in the world! Tim McDonald, quoted in WorldGolf.com, says, “the quality of golf in Naples reflects the city itself – upscale and well-tended.” Yes, Naples is well known as an upscale enclave, with great restaurants, world class shopping, boating, and more at your  fingertips (to learn more, click on the articles in the left margin of this website and www.paradisecoast.com). But what makes Naples a nirvana for the golfer, is the sheer variety, and quality, of the golf courses here. Championship golf. Championship golf courses hosting nationally televised events, such as last week’s ACE Group Classic, held at the magnificent Quail West. Naples has it all.
The information you need is a phone call away – about club membership, amenities and special features, market pricing, pre- construction opportunities, and re-sales of existing homes and condominiums in the hottest gated golf communities. There are some exciting values and opportunities on the market in Naples at this time. We can place you in the golf home of your dreams in a tropical setting in Naples, in prices that range from $250,000 to several million dollars.
Q. I am not in the market at this time for a home or golf membership that will require a large financial investment. Is there any alternative for me in Naples if I want to be in a gated golf community?
A. Yes, there is. Perhaps the best solution for you would be to explore a condo or townhome (villa-style) in a “bundled golf” community. In a bundled golf community, when you purchase your residence, membership in the golf club is automatically included (“bundled”). There is no initiation fee required. Membership in the golf club is mandatory, and you do have to pay annual dues, which often are collected and included in master homeowner’s association fees. An example of a bundled golf community in Naples is the popular Cedar Hammock development, built by US Homes/Lennar. Most of these communities contain fine amenities, such as large community pools, tennis,  clubhouse with casual and formal dining, and exercise/fitness centers. If your budget is in the range of $300,000 and up, and you want to play golf a couple times a week, we can match you with the perfect bundled golf home.
Q. I am willing to consider a substantial investment in an estate home in one of the best golf communities in Naples, but I also like the idea of living on the water, or having beachfront facilities. What are my options?
A. This is Naples – there are always options when it comes to luxury living. Pairing golf with the beach here is a great idea, as the Travel Channel in 2005 named Naples as having the “Best All Around Beach” in America. You could live in Pelican Bay ( in a single family home, villa, or high rise condominium) and join The Club at Pelican Bay as an equity member. There is a 27 hole Arthur Hills designed championship golf course on site, and residents in Pelican Bay have use of 2 private access beaches. Communities such as Windstar, offer equity golf membership, and the opportunity to join a beach club, complete with water shuttle transportation, to a private beach on beautiful Keewaydin Island. If you purchase a home in the ultra-exclusive Estates at Bay Colony Golf Club in Pelican Marsh, equity membership confers privileges, including use of the prestigious beach club located right on the Gulf of Mexico in the fabulous Bay Colony subdivision of Pelican Bay. Other gated golf communities which offer off-site, private beach clubs, include Mediterra, and Quail West. Contact us for more information.
Q. How do the best Country Clubs in the finest gated golf communities in Naples stack up with the best such clubs around the country?
A. Very well, actually. For example, the luxurious and feted Grey Oaks Golf and Country Club in Naples, has been named as one of the Top 100 private country clubs by the Platinum Club of America. Grey Oaks has also been named to Travel & Leisure’s Top 100 list. Numerous other golf communities in Naples have won awards and accolades for architectural, environmental, and landscape design.
Q. Is there still an opportunity, in the very best private golf club communities, to use an architect or plans of my choosing, and build my own dream home, to my own specs?
A. Absolutely, although architectural design committee approval and compliance with deed restrictions applies. The preferred builders utilized in these communities are some of the finest in the area. There are still great opportunities in some of the very top communities to build your dream home from scratch. The fabulous Quail West, where even  the streets are in pavers, is one example. This low density Ginn Clubs and Resorts community – just 564 homesites planned over 1,180 acres of preserves, lakes, and 36 holes of championship golf (designed by Arthur Hills) – is a premier location to build a custom estate home right on the golf course. Mediterra, by the award winning developer the Bonita Bay Group, with 36 holes of championship golf designed by Tom Fazio, is another upscale, low density setting to build in an exclusive golf community. Breathtakingly beautiful, and with all the expected amenities, Quail West and Mediterra still offer pre-construction and lot  purchase opportunities.
Q. I need to work on my swing. Are there any top-flight teaching academies in Naples I could use?
A. There are several of the very best. You want to get into “the zone,” to just grip it and rip it. The Rick Smith Golf Academy, at Tiburon Golf Club, and the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, is a prime resource. Tiburon is the home of the annual Merrill Lynch Shootout, formerly known as the “Shark Shootout”, in honor of Greg Norman, who designed the  courses at this spectacular Club, which is surrounded by luxury homes. The David Leadbetter Academy is located at the LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort. Let the world’s #1 golf instructor work it all out for you. Last but not least, the Faldo Academy at the Rookery at Marco, located at the Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club, and Spa, is just minutes outside of Naples. If you still slice after working with these guys, maybe its not the clubs, you know?
Q. Any special local golf etiquette I should know about before playing in Naples?
A. Let’s think – here’s two quick pointers. First, almost all of the fairways here contain Bermuda grass, and while it is good form “up north” to replace divots, here, that would kill the grass. Simply fill in the divot with sand. Second, if your ball lands in close proximity to an alligator, you are entitled to a drop – without penalty, of course.
Look for Jeffrey Ahren of the ImagineNaples.com luxury real estate team at the Victory Golf Show in Valley Forge, PA, at the Valley Forge Convention Center, March 2 - 4, 2007.
For all your golfing real estate needs in Naples, contact the real estate team at ImagineNaples.com:
JEFFREY A. AHREN DOUGLAS M. SHARPE
Direct: (239) 398- 7508 Direct: (239) 298 - 1499
Toll free: (800) 97 IN FLA Toll free: (800) 97 IN FLA
(800) 974-6352 (800) 974 - 6352
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