***** RENOVATION UPDATE *****

Our course is only two months into a complete re-grassing. As of this date, Holes 1-9 had their fairways "sprigged" and are being watered daily for hours between the sprinkler system and the Summer rains.

Bunkers have been refurbished by lining them and adding drainage (no more concrete-like sand to try to blast out of). Green skirting is already sodded in and bunkers were given a different look with overgrown "beards" that grow over and into the lip of the bunkers (interesting!)

Work seems to be shifting on to the back nine for "sprigging" of fairways and grid work on the greens. Speaking of the greens, for obvious reasons, those will be worked on last as we near the fall.

I am posting a link to a nice updated drone video that was shot this weekend by a good friend of mine. Video Credit: Brian "Bo" Scott

Thanks Bo!

Here is the video: https://youtu.be/eigGYfZf7hE

This is my second review in a couple of months of playing the National. The course is coming along nicely and the greens are becoming more consistent and less "bumpy" compared to when the course first opened. The fairways are in great shape and the tee boxes are well cared for.

The rough is treacherous in comparison with other Florida courses. You are severely punished for missing fairways and greens here if your ball finds the thick, lush rough.

My only complaints are that the course is not providing towels for guests and the water stations are too spread out for a course that offers absolutely no shade. The development of the course and community are in the early stages and the course has few if any palm trees to escape the direct sun. More hydration is needed for guests this time of year.

Additionally, they have added a beverage cart but, they only accept cash and won't even consider setting up a cube account for the beer cart. As a result, lost revenue and the ability for players to buy snacks and beverages is basically nil.

The Golf Club at the Everglades is a Hampton managed property that is part of a golf community. I have played there several times this year and quite honestly I just can't seem to like this golf course. To begin with both the front nine and the back 9 begin with a par five that are side-by-side and almost identical to play. It's almost as if the designer wanted you to have deja vu after you made the turn. The fairways are in decent shape and the tee boxes seem to get abused by both the public and the membership which is quite sad in my opinion. The surrounding residential area is still in development however, the developer reports up to 80% completion on the homes surrounding and within the golf course itself.

The biggest pet peeve that I have had with Hampton run golf courses seems to be their sand bunkers. Not many amateurs or weekend players relish getting into the sand. However, sandtraps if played correctly can actually be a saving grace for the player who would have otherwise ended up in a water hazard when missing the green. The bunkers throughout this course have very little sand in them and have an underlayment of what seems to be the equivalent of clay. The player who knows how to hit a sand shot properly will be at a loss if he or she finds themselves in the bunkers on this course. Almost every sand shot will result in a sculled ball flying across the green.

The bar and dining facility and locker room area are very well maintained and the staff are friendly. The pro shop staff however might take a few lessons on how to smile once in a while. I've checked in early in the morning several times and it seems like I'm always interrupting something between the three guys that are working the pro shop.

The guys that take care of loading and unloading your golf cart are fantastic and very friendly please make sure that you leave them a nice tip because they work very hard and are probably the most friendly of all the staff on the grounds. I wish that I could give this golf course a higher rating, I have played here five Times Now this season and for the life of me I'm really not to fond of this track.

The National opened in early 2021 designed by Gordon Lewis that is part of a developing Lennar community. From the tips, the course plays 7309 yards. At present time, the course itself resembles a bit of a lunar landscape as home construction is underway. Bodies of water are found throughout the course itself however, there is little in the way of vegetation, trees or landscaping to date. Very little if any shade can be found in the hot Florida sun at the moment but that should improve as development continues. As of this date, there are only porta-johns on the course is a few areas and a more modern facilities trailer next to the pro-shop trailer.

The pro shop is offering logo items and some golf essentials. The staff are friendly and are getting quite a bit of business with the nearby golf club (Panther Run) being closed for 6 months due to renovation.

The course itself is well thought out and offers challenges for players at every level. Several holes require players hitting from the middle tees and further to tee off over water. In particular, the Par 5 holes at #2 and #8 offer such a challenge. The fairways are in excellent shape considering youthful age of this course. The greens remain a work in progress with bumpiness and greens play tends to be a little slower as a result.

Overall, once matured this course will be a top notch destination in the area.

The Quarry is one of the most beautiful courses in the Naples Florida Area. Built in 2007 as a Hurdzen-Fry design, the course is in the middle of a beautiful gated community that features a private inland lake featuring white sandy beaches. Many of the residents who have frontage on the front nine holes also enjoy the benefit of having private slips for their water toys. The Quarry was recently re-grassed and underwent a complete renovation in the Summer of 2019. Currently, clubhouse renovations are underway and a new pro-shop has recently opened.

The course itself is very beautiful and the tee boxes and fairways are very well established and lush. I found the greens to be a bit slow for my liking. While receptive on your approach, the player feels the need to really hammer the putts to get the ball to move. That of course is something that can be rectified over a period of a day with a cutting and rolling.

The front nine departs the clubhouse and rolls through the residential area of the Quarry community. The first three holes give the player a beautiful vista of the private lake to the North. The fairways are fairly generous for the recreational golfer. Holes one and two are pretty straight forward. The Par 5 number three hole provides a challenge for the second shot as the green is found around the gentle sweeping dog leg to the right. The green itself is surrounded by homes making the approach a little interesting but nothing too difficult.

Between holes 4 and 5, there is a beautiful trek through the woods. We noted quite a bit of wildlife during our round to include: deer, turkeys, armadillos, turtles and pink spoonbill.

Just before making the turn to the back, to the right of the ninth green is a very active waterway featuring egret, spoonbill and various other aquatic aviary to view.

The back nine features more wildlife than the front and the more memorable hole is the par 3 #15 where we played a 185 yard tee shot to the green over a nice body of water. #15 for the Men features a "no lay up, do our die" tee shot to the green. The finishing 18th provides you with a gorgeous view of the clubhouse as you set up for your approach shot.

After your round, the clubhouse is your next stop. The staff from start to finish were absolutely wonderful. We get to enjoy this club as a reciprocal from our club and we felt very much at home here. The food menu provides something for everyone and whether you choose to dine in, sit at the bar or, watch others coming in from the balcony overlooking the 18th green, you will agree that this course is really something special.

I highly recommend the Quarry to anyone visiting the greater Naples Florida area. You won't be disappointed.

We played here today as part of a reciprocal with our home course. The price was fantastic and the Staff members here are all very welcoming, friendly and very professional. We were not used to a quicker green speed so to be honest, we struggled with putting today through 9. However, getting the hang of the speeds made for a better back nine.

The course did undergo a complete renovation a couple of years ago and the fairways and rough are in excellent condition. The greens were very fast but, they made the game very challenging adding at least 8 strokes to my game today personally. They were very hard and most approaches if not hit short, slid right off. Pin placements today were medium to hard with regard to difficulty. Several holes were cut into slopes and behind bunkers making for tough play.

All very well worth while in my opinion. I'll be going back to play in 4 days and I look forward to another challenge.

Panther Run Golf Club is located in Ave Maria Florida approximately 35 miles of Naples. The course was designed by Gordon Lewis in 2006 and features some very beautiful vistas and abundance of wildlife. The course is 7,532 yards when played from its tips but still offers wider fairways and larger greens for players of all skill levels. The course is part of a Del Webb community.

I am both a resident and a member here and of course that may lead some to believe that I am partial to my home course. As of this date the course is scheduled for major renovation and will be close to both public and private play beginning the first week of May of 2021 and hopefully will open again in November of 2021.

Currently the fairways are in decent shape however, issues with the irrigation system and PH levels of the soil in recent years have led to a degradation in certain areas of the fairways and aprons to the greens. The greens themselves are in good shape at this however, the maintenance staff normally do not cut and roll the greens as often as other courses do. So traditionally, the greens at Panther Run tend to be slower then most you would find in the Naples Florida area. The bunkers throughout the entire course need work in my opinion. Sand is often compacted and is thinly layered in spots leaving hard, clay like surface under the golf ball. This leads to far to many thinly struck bunker shots.

The staff at our club take very good care of the patrons and membership and from an insider point pf view who sees the daily operation I can tell you that they work extremely hard at keeping our club and our course running.

The Rusty Putter restaurant offers a good variety of food and the bar is a very favorite place for members to gather. Over the last few years the menu at the restaurant has undergone some changes for the better and the restaurant is currently being managed by a new manager who has made positive changes in the waitstaff. Renovations to our club should include updates to our pro shop as well as the range and practice facilities along with the entire golf course itself. However, we are told that at this time Hampton golf will not be updating the restaurant facilities until a later date following the renovation.

I play our home course 3 to 5 times a week throughout the entire calendar year. As mentioned earlier, the fairways are generous with regard to width and the greens for the most part are not as difficult or as fast as other courses that I have played. Water is visible throughout the course and can come in to play depending upon your swing or shot shape. Several hidden water danger areas that are not readily visible would be as follows:

On #9 par 4, the player needs to be aware that there is water that comes into play from the tees to the left should he or she pull straight or hook the tee shot. Also, on #11 par 4, the same caution applies. On #13 par 5, your second shot if pulled left could find the pond on the left. And finally, on #14 par 4 the tee shot could fall into trouble again left if the player reaches the three little hills to the left of the fairway at approximately 200 yards from the #3 tees. The water hazards discussed are not readily visible to the player from the tees or on #13 during the second shot.

Overall, Panther Run Golf Course was designed and plays to its intended purpose, as a retirement community course. I have played with a 2 handicap player who did play from the tips and shot an 80 even though he struck the ball very well, it did seem to challenge his game as a first time visitor. Please come visit our course after the renovation, we are proud of Panther Run G.C.