Flamingo Island (239) 793-2223 LELY RESORT GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB
Florida Golf Course Review
General information
Lely Resort in Naples offers golf on 3 championship courses designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., Gary Player and Lee Trevino - representing the most comprehensive golf of it's
kind on the Gulf Coast. The resort is set in an upscale residential community that offers a variety of neighborhoods and social amenities with memberships available that include
golf, tennis, and a variety of lifestyle activities. The planned Players Club & Spa will soon feature steam rooms, saunas, massage therapy, a state of the art fitness facility with
cardio and free weight work out areas, aerobics room, fitness/lap pool, outdoor pool and spa, plus 2,500 square foot social area. You can visit the Lely website by clicking on the
link at the bottom of this page - for information on facilities, memberships and residential opportunities.
Open for public play are the 7,217 yard Lee Trevino designed Mustang, and the 7,171 yard Robert Trent Jones designed Flamingo Island Course. The Mustang is a player-friendly
layout featuring generous fairways and landing areas with 12 lakes adding challenge and aesthetic beauty, and is rated 4 1/2 stars (out of 5) by Golf Digest Places to Play.
Flamingo Island, by contrast, features design elements for which Mr. Jones is famous - sculpted fairways and bunkering and contoured putting surfaces that make play tough but
fair (rated 4 stars). Both courses are serviced by a beautiful clubhouse that features a pro shop, lounge and restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus upscale men's
and ladies' locker rooms with showers. The practice facility is comprehensive, with a complimentary grass range, short game area, and 3 huge putting greens.
On course golfers will be pleased with the Par View GPS that is standard on all carts, providing accurate information from tee to the pin, hole diagrams and tips and other useful
information. Standard marking systems are also in place, including marked sprinkler heads and black/white striped 150-yard poles that also double as target areas off the tees,
which by the way, also provide yardages measured to the center of the green. Weather covers on all carts are a much appreciated feature, keeping golf bags dry during inclement
weather. Scroll down for photos and a complete review of the Flamingo Island Golf Club.
FLAMINGO ISLAND REVIEW
During our early January visit the Flamingo Island course was in extraordinary condition. It is no wonder that this course has been designated as one of America's best by
Golfweek Magazine. The sculptured fairways, bunkers, tee areas and putting surfaces are stunning, and the variety in design makes the course both fun and challenging. Huge
fairway bunkers are commonplace - making accuracy off the tee just as important as distance. The fairway bunkers are not just there waiting for errant shots - they instead creep
out into the playing areas creating contours that will challenge the shot making abilities of all golfers. Additionally, greenside traps sit precariously amongst mounds and
undulations that often front the putting surfaces, creating the need for soft, arcing approaches.
The opening hole is a good starter - a mid-length par four with an ample fairway bordered by mounding and traps that plays to a green with more of the same. Number two is a
snaking par five that plays to a well bunkered elevated green. At just 501 yards from the tips, this is a good scoring hole. The third is a simple three par with a slightly raised putting
surface, and is followed by a par four with a narrow fairway featuring a water hazard that juts out towards the playing area about 50 yards away. A tee shot aimed left of the 150 and
right of the fairway bunker will set up for the best approach. The par three 5th is a beauty over water that is pretty much all carry - a precision shot with mounding in back and
bunkers short and right of the undulating putting surface. A fairway trap on the left makes the tee shot on six a tough one - inviting a lay up about 20 yards past the 150. The
approach to a well bunkered green complex is just as demanding. The dogleg left par four 7th is tough to cut, as the fairway narrows past the 150, and waste area borders the left
side. Again the 150 yard stake is a good target. For the average golfer, a tee shot placed to the right of the fairway traps is a fortuitous play, leaving an open second shot placed
between 100 and 50 yards out - before the large bunker that sits about 30 yards out. Long hitters may be able to carry the initial bunker complex and go for the green in two. The
finishing hole on the front invites a tee shot placed left of the 150 - as anything to the right may reach the water hazard. Water will also effect the approach on that side, and a large
bunker left makes reaching in regulation a feat worth savoring.
The back begins with a couple of score-able holes. Anything left and past the 150 yard stake off the tee on 10 will find water however, and another hazard in front of and to the left of
the green makes the short par three 11th interesting. Number 12 begins with a short carry over a pond, to a wide open fairway that narrows with another water hazard immediately
right of the green. The 13th and 14th are reasonable par fours that are mid-length and score-able. The approach to a well protected putting complex (water right and strategically
placed bunkers), with some beautiful residences in the background, presents a gorgeous image. The par three 15th is also aesthetically pleasing - as a rock bordered water
hazard cuts diagonally in front of the putting surface. This is the last of the par threes on Flamingo Island - all of which are mid range and memorable. Number 16 bends to the left
with fairway bunkering on both sides, and more traps also positioned short of the green. Water left of the green makes the approach on the dogleg left 17th a tough one, and the
closing hole also features a hazard on that side, with a tough approach to a double tiered green.
A word to the wise - try to keep your approaches below the hole, as many of the putting surfaces are sloped from back to front. Work on your short game on the range - especially
with the sand and lob wedges, as soft landing pitches are required for up and down possibilities after offline approaches. Bump and runs are few and far between here.
Flamingo Island is an incredible golf course, in an incredible setting, complete with great amenities available to the golfing public. his was our favorite course of the two and we
highly recommend it!
Click here to visit the Two Guys Who Golf Detailed Information page with a link to this course's web page (if available).
For the Two Guys Who Golf pictorial review of the Lely Mustang Course - click here.
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