Having Fun With SWFL Golf Course “Reciprocals”!

One of the KEY “perks of owning and living in a Southwest Florida golf community is the off-season reciprocal play system.  Virtually every SWFL private golf community offers its members a “Reciprocal List” of 40-60 area golf courses that they can play during the period of May 1 through October 31.  In most cases, the cost of the round is equivalent to just slightly more than the cost of a cart fee; and, quite often the hosting club will throw in a heavily-discounted lunch/beverage in an effort to lure golfers into their dining facilities.

Whether your home community is a bundled or non-bundled private club, the “Reciprocal List” of each community will typically include an outstanding mix of each of these types of golf communities.  During the summer period, each golf community shuts down one day per week for minor on-going maintenance, and shuts down two-to-three times, for one-to-two weeks at a time, for major maintenance (aeration, etc).  The reciprocal system allows individual members and group foursomes to play other high-quality, challenging golf courses during these shutdown periods.  And, the process for setting up tee times is quick and easy…just call your local club pro and he/she will contact the reciprocal club and set up your preferred tee time.

After playing 40-60 (or more) rounds of golf on your home course during January though April—and getting to know every yard of fairway landing area, and every inch of break on the greens—the reciprocal program offers you a very affordable opportunity to test your finely-honed golf skills on a course that you can’t play in your sleep.  As all golfers appreciate, playing a golf course for the first time can be an interesting—but often humbling—experience…and it also enables you to discover other courses, and golf communities, that you really like.  You may like some of them so much that you’ll play them multiple times during the reciprocal period, and play them from year-to-year; and, in the extreme case, you’ll possibly relocate to one of them in the near future.

If you haven’t bought in Southwest Florida yet and you’re in the process of scouting out housing and golf communities, please be sure to ask each club’s Membership Director and/or Golf Pro to give you a copy of their most recent “Reciprocal List”.  In some cases, you can access this list on the community’s website.  If you already own in one of our wonderful area golf communities, you’ll automatically receive a “Reciprocal List” online and/or via handouts or mailings.

As you review each list, I’d suggest that you look for the following golf courses.  These are all outstanding golf venues, and ones that you’ll thoroughly enjoy playing.  If you compare this list to my exclusive “GURU Top 25 SWFL Golf Communities” list on my website (GolfHomeGuru.com), you’ll see that all of them are also on that list.  There’s no coincidence here, as a major consideration in formulating this list was the quality and playability of the golf course, as determined by my past/current customers, and by me.

• Bundled Golf Communities
• Naples: Naples Lakes; Vanderbilt; Esplanade; Treviso Bay. Bonita Springs: Bonita National. Estero: Pelican Sound. Ft. Myers: Colonial; Legends. These courses have a number of different designers, and they’re all fun, well-maintained and scenic, and challenging.  Naples Lakes is a superb Arnold Palmer “Signature” golf course that was the last golf course that his design company updated before he passed away.  Treviso Bay is SWFL’s only TPC-designated golf course, co-designed by Hal Sutton and Arthur Hills…and it demands good shot-making!
• Equity/Non-Equity, Economically-Priced Initiation Fee Golf Communities
• Naples: Imperial. Bonita Springs: Hunters Ridge.  Ft. Myers: Verandah; Gateway; The Plantation.  These are also extremely well-maintained, challenging golf courses, again with a mix of golf course designers.  Imperial and Verandah have 36-holes; and, Gateway has the area’s most unique practice range, consisting of a “Golf Academy” school, multiple chipping/short iron greens, and two full-size practice holes.  
• Equity/Non-Equity, Medium-Priced Initiation Fee Golf Communities
• Naples: TwinEagles; The Quarry; Greyhawk/Golf Club of the Everglades. Ft. Myers: Gulf Harbour.  TwinEagles has two 18-hole courses—one designed by Jack Nicklaus—and it hosted the ACE/Chubb Classic (PGA Champions Tour) for a number of years.  The Quarry also features fresh water boating; and Gulf Harbour has its own Gulf-access marina and ridiculously-expensive yachts.
• Equity/Non-Equity, Premium-Priced Initiation Fee Golf Communities
• Naples: Fiddler’s Creek; Olde Cypress.  Bonita Springs: Palmira. Estero: Shadow Wood at the Brooks.  Ft. Myers: Fiddlesticks; Miromar Lakes.  Fiddler’s Creek not only has a great golf course, but it’s another opportunity to add Gulf boating and a beach club to your amenities resume when you live there.  Ditto for Shadow Wood at the Brooks, and they also offer 54-holes of golf. The two courses at Fiddlesticks are high on my list of personal favorites (how could you not like a course named the “Long and Mean”?), and they just lowered their mandatory golf membership initiation fee from $81K to $50K. Miromar Lakes is an Arthur Hills “grip it and rip it” course off most tees, but tougher shots into its greens.  They also have midwest-size fresh water boating lakes.
• Equity/Non-Equity, Elite-Priced Initiation Fee Golf Communities
• Naples: Grey Oaks; Mediterra; Quail West.  Bonita Springs: Bonita Bay.  Ft. Myers: Renaissance.  Very few clubs have these elite clubs/courses on their “Reciprocal List”; but if you do, DO NOT pass up the opportunity to play them.  Spectacular Grey Oaks has three totally-different, very challenging courses; Mediterra has two magnificently-manicured Tom Fazio courses; and, Quail West has two equally-beautiful Arthur Hills-designed courses.  Bonita Bay holds the local record with 90-holes of golf, with three courses on-site in Bonita Springs, and two wildlife-laden courses located in northeast Naples.

The above list features the premier golf courses in SWFL, and you’ll undoubtedly enjoy every round on them.  I apologize to the many other fine area courses that didn’t make my list…because most of them are also worthy of your time and money. But, in my experience, the ones listed above are extraordinary opportunities for reciprocal FUN!