Opened in 1957, this course in Naples, Florida, boasts a somewhat understated entrance, in fact it’s not even signposted, a similarly undestated Clubhouse, but a wonderful golf course and practice area. Designed by Dick Wilson, the course has undergone some renovation, most notably to raise the fairways for drainage purposes, and as a result, some lakes and other water hazards have been added to a course that also has around 125 bunkers protecting typically raised greens. Dick Wilson passed too early, as he had designed or renovated some storied courses including Seminole and Deepdale.
The Club’s name is derived from it’s location. As noted on the Club’s website: The name, Hole-In-The-Wall, was derived because the property was the northern section of the Hole In The Wall Ranch. At the end of the nineteenth century, before the Tamiami Trail was even thought about, there were two separate areas of settlements in Naples. One was east of the Gulf Coast strip from Gordon Pass and the other was east of Naples Bay and Cypress Swamp.
This swamp prevented direct land traffic between the two settlements and became known as the "Wall". To overcome this barrier, early settlers cut a rough road through the swamp which became known as the "Hole In The Wall".
This is a link to the Club’s website: https://www.holeinthewallgolf.org
This is a pretty exclusive Club, with a very small and I suspect far from impoverished membership. Everyone I met was extremely friendly, and I was fortunate enough to play in with Sandy T and Peter W, along with my WFGC buddy KK. I did not play especially well, and was still excusing my game on the hip replacement. The only good news was that another mid-80’s score has pushed my Index up to almost 7. Somehow, despite being comprehensively beaten, we won a box of Srixon balls. The day was almost complete for a Scotsman!
Despite my rather weak game, I really enjoyed the course. Reasonably forgiving fairways, but some equally challenging approach shots with heavily bunkered greens. I thought the greens were in fabulous condition. The course also has no real estate around it, which is very nice and perhaps somewhat unique in Fla these days.
Here are some pics I took on the day. You can see the magnificent banyon trees at the first teeing area, and tell it was a pretty spectacular March day, 2023.
You can also see from the map below that the course is adjacent to a number of other Clubs in the Naples area: Royal Poinciana, Wilderness, Grey Oaks, Kensington, Naples Grande and Windermere. It’s fair to say Florida has built many courses in the past 50 years, and in general the construction activity in the Naples area when I was there was incredible. So many grand homes being built with some very fancy prices attached to them. A Bentley dealership, naturally, and some other high end auto shops, plus some very fine dining indeed. The place had been hit pretty hard by hurricanes in 2022, and there is not much elevation above the ocean, so I would imagine there will be even more reconstruction as weather volatility increases in the next two decades.
A superb golfing experience and I hope I get the chance to go back and play again.