Mustang Golf (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 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.
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 Mustang Golf Club.
MUSTANG GOLF CLUB REVIEW
Like its sister course the Flamingo Island, The Mustang is replete with abundant fairway and greenside bunkering, and also features many water holes. The hazards however, are
not nearly as penal, which makes the Mustang more playable for mid and high handicapped players. The fairway and green-side traps are more level to the playing surfaces,
resulting in easier recoveries, and the areas around the greens are reasonably flat, affording ample opportunities to bump and run. With wide fairways and few forced carries, the
Mustang is playable for all levels of golfers. At 7217 yards from the back tees, with 8 par fours between 424 and 478 yards however - scratch golfers will find their game
adequately challenged.
The opening hole is a relatively short par five that presents a good scoring opportunity, and is followed by a mid length par four that plays along a wide, gently sloping fairway.
Bunkers lining the left side and another past the 150 on the left creating a challenging tee shot on the third. Be aware that a water hazard that is semi-visible off the tee rests
immediately left of the cart path, and runs all the way to the putting complex. A lay up towards the fairway bunkers is the prudent move on the par four 4th, which bends left and
plays considerably easier from the white tees (356 yards) than it does from the greens (434) or blacks (456). Number five is a pretty par three over water, with considerable bail out
room short, amongst the fairway traps fronting the green. The large center fairway bunkers make you pick a side off the 6th tee. Keep in mind that a water hazard comes into play
past the 150 on the left - and a marsh cuts across the fairway about 130 yards from the green. Another water hazard is positioned for trouble on seven, as the pond along the right
cuts towards the fairway about 120 out. There is lots of room on the pretty par three 8th, though the tee shot must carry a water hazard. Nine finishes with water in play on the right
about 170 out. Stay left off the tee past the bunkers and this is a good scoring hole.
The back side opens with a wide open par five that narrows on the approach, with a long bunker along the left and a pond far right of the green. Eleven is a whopping 478 yards
from the tips - but just 401 from the white tees. There is plenty of room along this rolling fairway. There is water short and right and bail out room left on the par three 12th - anything
long may also find a hazard that rests past the down slope 10 yards deep of the putting complex. Thirteen begins with a tee shot that must navigate a lake positioned to the left,
which filters across the fairway just in front of the tee areas. More water comes into play left of the fairway and also on the right about 200 yards out on 14. There is plenty of room
for error to the left on the approach. On 15 - more water on both sides of the fairway, which is nonetheless generous. The noose tightens past the 150 yards stake, but opens up
again near the 100 yard marker. This bottleneck should not come into play for most golfers. Sixteen is a beautiful par three that plays entirely over water from the back tees, with the
hazard in play short of the green and along the right side from all other tee areas - better long than short here. The is more of the wet stuff right of the cart path about 220 away and
also on the left near the 150 marker. Land on the wide fairway however, and the approach is a simple one. The finishing hole plays along a well bunkered fairway that narrows
about 130 out. Position the tee shot on the left side of the fairway and this may present the best birdie opportunity of the round.
With all the water in play on this course, one would expect to lose a good supply of balls. This was not the case on our round however. There are few forced carries, and the
hazards can be negotiated with reasonable shot placement. Almost always, there is ample bail out room - making this a very player-friendly golf course. Good golfers will be
rewarded with ample birdie opportunities for well played shots - as the greens roll true and are only mildly undulating.
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 Flamingo Course - click here.
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