Outdoor Dining Area at Bear's Paw Country Club

Naples Golf Communities

Naples has over 70 golf courses. There are private clubs both within and outside of residential communities, and there are a handful of public play courses.

Over 50 golf courses are located within residential communities. In most cases, the residents within these communities have no connection to the club, unless they joined as a member.

A golf community is a community that has a golf club within, and each resident has to be a social member of the club, or in most cases, a social and golf member. Naples has these options:

Bundled Golf – The membership is “bundled” (included) with the home purchase. This is the most common type of golf community in Naples.
Golf Membership Required – Owners must purchase a golf membership. There are only two such communities -Wilderness and Bears Paw.

Golf Membership Optional – Owners have an option of purchasing either a Social or full membership with golf.

Location of Naples Golf Courses

Hole 27 at Heritage Bay - Bundled Golf Community

Naples Bundled Golf

With Naples bundled golf, the club membership comes with the purchase of the home, there is no membership initiation fee, just the annual club fees. Usually there are 800 homes per 18 holes of golf. That compares to around 300 memberships per 18 holes for non-bundled, initiation fee clubs.

If someone wanted to spend the winter golfing in a tropical paradise, then there is no better value.

Advantages of Bundled Golf

Disadvantages of Bundled Golf

There are many great advantages to bundled golf communities:

There is a great sense of fellowship in Naples bundle golf communities. Everyone living inside the gate is a member. Those walking by, at the fitness center, on the golf course, at the restaurants, etc., are all members to the same club. With bundled golf you live where you play.
No membership contribution to join, the club membership is transferred with the home. The membership is bundled with the home and can not be separated. There is usually a small transfer fee charged.
Low club fees vs non-bundled clubs. Bundled golf annual dues are significantly less than non-bundled private clubs, as bundled clubs have more members sharing the operating costs.
Same great amenities of a non-bundled club – clubhouse, restaurants, grill room/bar, card room, golf course, practice facilities, pool, snack bar, tennis, fitness, etc.
The quality of the club and golf course match those of Naples initiation fee golf clubs.

The main disadvantage to bundled golf is tee time pressure in the Peak Season. Traditionally, private golf clubs have memberships in the 300 member range and members are able to golf nearly every day if they desired.

Bundled golf communities average 800 memberships for 18 holes. There are more members in residence during the season than available tee times. As such bundled clubs use a system called Chelsea to allocate tee times to its members. Each club tweaks how Chelsea allocate tee times, along these lines:

Each time a member plays, they get a point.
If a member plays with a guest, then they receive a point for each guest.
The more points accumulated, the lower the tee time request priority.
Point roll off after a certain time period.

Generally, bundled golf members can play three times a week during peak season, and every day in the non-peak months if they are year round residents.

New Bundled Golf Homes by Decade

History of Bundled Golf

Naples bundled golf communities first appeared in the early 1970s with the non-gated Glades. The Glades had a par 3 and a short par 70 course. A decade later Foxfire was introduced. Foxfire is a gated community with 27 holes of golf. Also in the 1980s Countryside was launched, with social only and full golf membership options.

In the mid 1990s a bundled golf explosion hit the Naples area, and continued until the mid 2000s. Buyers during that time had multiple options when buying new construction in a bundled community.

The explosion of new died out with the launch of Esplanade in 2014. There are no other new golf courses of any type planned for the Naples area. But with over 15,000 bundled golf homes, there are plenty of choices available.

Golf Membership Required

Naples has two golf communities, where new owners are required to join the club and pay the club’s initiation fees – Wilderness (built 1970s) and Bears Paw (built 1980s). Both are 300 member resident clubs, with a great Naples location.

With only 300 members each, their club dues are much higher than in bundled golf communities, but there is no tee time pressure. Members and their guest can virtually play golf any time.

Wilderness was Naples first gated community, and its first golf community.

Wilderness Country Club Condos

Colliers Reserve Golf Course

Golf Membership Optional

Naples has several communities where new owners have the option of choosing between either a social or golf membership, and pay the related initiation fees. They include:

Audubon
Colliers Reserve
Grey Oaks
Mediterra
Olde Cypress
Quail Creek Village
Talis Park
The Strand
Windstar
Wyndemere