In the world of top-100 golf clubs, there are clubs that are private, and then there are clubs that are PRIVATE. Calusa Pines Golf Club in Naples, Florida, is of the latter variety. I noted as much when I first looked at the club's website, which includes contact information followed by, "Members Only. Private Golf Club By Invitation Only. No phone calls or solicitations please."

And there's nothing wrong with that. Private clubs are intended to be a place to retreat for their members. But private -- even very private -- doesn't mean unfriendly. And Calusa Pines proves that point in a big way. Having been invited by a member to play, I found the club staff and membership very welcoming during my recent visit. Every employee I encountered introduced himself by first name, offered to help with anything I might need, and went out of their way to make sure I felt like I belonged. 

The members (I was lucky to play with two, Ray and Bill, along with Bill's high school-age son) were incredibly warm and friendly. I tend to think that there are a number of factors that account for a club's quality -- the caliber of the course, the clubhouse and amenities, the history and -- certainly -- the character of the membership. And the guys I played with were absolutely terrific. On top of that, our caddies -- Honest Gabe and Sean John -- were awesome ... even as they bet with one another for and against us on every shot! If the website and the sign at the gate made me feel a little bit apprehensive about being a visitor, the staff and members swept those feelings away the moment I exited my car.r.

Calusa Pines is No. 74 on Golf Digest's current list of the top-100 courses in America. Golf Magazine ranks it a bit lower, but still among the top-100 at No. 98. The course was designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry and opened for play just over 20 years ago. The course is architecturally interesting in part because of the work Hurdzan and Fry did to create a course with a lot of elevation change from a site that was pretty much flat before they broke ground. They dug out lakes and used the fill to build up hills that rise to nearly 60 feet in some cases, creating opportunities for elevation change between holes and from tee to green throughout the course.

Some of the course's most dramatic and memorable vantages are from the tees on holes 12, 16, and looking back at the hole from above the green on No. 8 -- all made possible by the earth that was moved by Hurdzan and Fry. Yet, because of the effort that was made to plant mature trees throughout the course as they were building it ... and the 20+ years the course has had to evolve since it opened ... the elevation changes throughout the course feel completely natural. The lack of houses surrounding the course -- there are none visible from the course -- helps to create the sense that this really is a remote escape and a place to retreat for peace and quiet, broken only by the occasional four-letter-word uttered after a tee shot that finds one of the course's many water hazards or a missed putt on Calusa's challenging greens.

Calusa Pines stretches out to more than 7,300 yards from the Gold tees. We played the Black at 6,635 yards. So near to sea-level, the course played every bit of its posted length. Throughout this blog, the yardages I mention will be from the Black tees unless otherwise stated.

Hole No. 1 - Par 4 - 389 Yards

The first hole is an inviting par-4 with a wide fairway that bends gently to the left. An 80-yard-long fairway bunker stretches down the left side of the hole, largely obscured from view on the tee. Another fairway bunker, on the right, is about 285 yards from the tee and offers a perfect line for all but the longest hitters.

It only took me one hole to fall in love with the conditioning of the course at Calusa Pines. The fairways were like lush carpet, and the greens were in great shape -- especially considering we were playing at the end of the club's busy season. 

The approach on No. 1 plays slightly uphill to a green bisected by a narrow ridge falling off from the middle to both the front and the back. Deep bunkers guard the left side of the green and threaten to turn a poor second shot into bogey or worse, especially on days when the greens are running as fast as the membership likes to keep them. 

Hole No. 2 - Par 5 - 551 Yards

The second hole is a long par-5 with plenty of challenge. A waste bunker lines the entire left side of the hole, from tee to green. Getting back to the fairway from the waste bunker and having a shot to reach the green in three can depend on whether you find yourself behind a relatively low bunker wall or one of the high walls that seem to flow like ocean waves along the edge where the rough meets the sand.

From the fairway, long hitters may want to consider going for this green in two, but for most of us, a shot of 200 yards or so, avoiding the fairway bunker on the right, is all that is necessary to set up a short-iron approach as this hole bends to the right.

The elevated green on No. 2 is protected by the waste bunker that crosses in from the left and a greenside bunker on the right. The fairway pinches in toward the front of the green, making it difficult to run a low shot up to this flag for right pin placement. If the hole is cut on the left side of the green, tucked behind the waste bunker, most players will want to keep their approach shot to the right and be happy to escape with par.

Hole No. 3 - Par 3 - 135 Yards

The members call this hole the shortest par-5 in golf. Find the middle of the green, and this could be a birdie hole. But anything hit near the edges of the green will bound downhill into either a deep waste bunker or low collection areas front, right and long from which it is very difficult to put enough on your pitch to reach the flat of the green while not hitting the ball so hard that it goes over the other side. It looks so innocent from the tee, but the 3rd is a devilish little hole every bit as threatening to the scorecard as the famous par-3 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass.

Hole No. 4 - Par 4 - 409 Yards

The 4th hole plays to a fairway that appears wider than it really is. There is water down the entire right side of the hole. And players who pull the driver will find the landing area pinched tight by fairway bunkers on the right and a waste bunker that lines the left side of the hole. The smart play off the tee may be a fairway wood or hybrid that sets up a mid-iron approach to the large, two-tiered green.

From the fairway, the hole bends around the lake to the right; the more risk you take off the tee, the less water you may need to cross on your approach -- a design element used by Hurdzan and Fry throughout the course. The green on No. 4 slopes gently up from the front to a more level second tier in the back. It's guarded by a large, deep bunker left of the green and a smaller bunker over the right-back. 

Hole No. 5 - 414 Yards - Par 4

The fifth hole is a relatively straight par-4. The landing area for the tee shot is narrow, with a large waste bunker running down the left side for the first 250 yards or so off the tee and dense trees down the right hand side. This is definitely a hole where it's better to be straight than long ... though long can come in pretty handy if you're also straight!

The approach to No. 5 presents a green guarded by a large bunker right of the hole with water beyond that. The bail out for this hole is definitely left of the green, and players may opt to play a low, running shot toward the left side of the green versus a high ball that might flirt with the flag but that also might find its way right into big trouble.

Hole No. 6 - 513 Yards - Par 5

No. 6 is a reachable par-5, but with water down the entire right side of the hole, the smart play may be a conservative approach that aims to set up an easy wedge third shot in hopes of a birdie and to secure a par. The fairway is fairly wide, and the player has the option to play a drive conservatively down the left side of the hole, aiming just inside the fairway bunker on the left ... or to take a more aggressive line over the left side of the right fairway bunker in the hopes of cutting out some distance and setting up to go for the green in two.

For those who choose to lay up on their second shot, a series of fairway bunkers left and right put a premium on accuracy. To make matters worse, anything right of the fairway will bound downhill toward the water. Keep this shot center-cut to set up a wedge or short-iron in to this green.

The green on 6 isn't quite shaped like a tortoise shell, but it will reject just about any ball that lands on its edges. Play to the center of this green for par, or take your chances flag-hunting and be very precise or you'll find yourself playing your fourth from off of the putting surface.

Hole No. 7 - 226 Yards - Par 3

Just left of the tee complex on No. 7 is a not-quite-halfway house with a very friendly member of the Calusa Pines staff waiting to sell players everything they might need to fuel up for a really memorable stretch of holes. And I have to say ... I love the par-3 7th. It's a long, beast of a hole -- more than 225 from tee to green. I was the only player in our group to reach in regulation, hitting a perfect hybrid. But mine was not the only par. It's a fair hole with a green that offers a lot of options for those who play short off the tee. And the uphill chip or pitch into the green gives players an opportunity to stop the ball close to the hole in order to scramble for their pars. 

Hole No. 8 - 280 Yards - Par 4

No. 8 is one of the most photogenic holes -- and may be my favorite hole -- on the course. At only 280 yards, one would think this is a birdie hole. And it can be for anybody who finds the fairway off the tee. But the huge waste bunker that runs down the left and the huge, deep bunkers in front of and behind the green make finding the short grass a big challenge. Visually, the sand down the entire left side is intimidating, and the trees that line the left side of the hole make the fairway appear to be much narrower than it actually is.

The approach on 8 plays uphill to an elvated green, and the bunkers just look massive, staring back at a player. They hide the green beyond and make it look much smaller than it really is. I had what should have been an easy wedge into this hole that I bladed, sending my ball way up and over the greenside bunker right and long and ultimate settling in the mulch high up on the bank above the green. 

The look back at No. 8 gives players one of the prettiest pictures on the course, but you don't want to play from the hill long and high above the green. I found myself with an awkward lie on the mulch, playing to a green that sat a good 25 feet or more below me, that ran away from me toward large bunkers and offered almost no hope of a good outcome. As I stood over my ball and prepared for some kind of flop shot swing, one of the members I was playing with asked from the green if I had a "hero shot" in me. Turned out, I did -- my flop swing landed in the rough short left of the hole and spun almost straight sideways toward the flag, settling just a couple of feet from the cup. Given 100 tries, I'm not sure I could pull that off again! Made for a wonderful memory on a wonderfully memorable hole.

Hole No. 9 - 421 Yards - Par 4

The 9th hole is a fantastic way to close out the opening nine. The tee shot plays from an elevated tee to a narrow fairway with water down the entire left side and long, as well. There is a fairway bunker left that will prevent some errant tee shots from finding the lake, but that's a terrible place from which to try to reach the green. Given the length of this hole and the fact that the approach plays uphill to an elevated green, players probably don't want to give up too much length off the tee in exchange for accuracy, but finding the fairway on this hole is particularly important to your chances of scoring a par.

The second shot on 9 is one of my favorite second shots on the course, playing uphill across the water to a green guarded by bunkers left and right with a beautiful view of Calusa's wonderful clubhouse beyond. 

The green on No. 9 isn't quite a biarritz green, but it is designed with a bit of a collection area in the middle and two higher tiers front and back. Playing to a pin on the back tier, players need to be sure to take enough club on their approach shots or even their short chips and pitch shots from around the green to reach the back level because putting from either the front or the collection area in the middle of the green can make this a challenging two-putt.

Hole No. 10 - 376 Yards - Par 4

The tee shot on No. 10 is easy. Just don't go left. At all. There is no room over there. Anything left is wet. Period. Oh, and the trees to the right are no picnic, either. But it's a relatively short hole. So just get it in the fairway -- even if that means hitting a hybrid or a long-iron, and you'll have a legitimate opportunity for par or better to start the back nine.

From the fairway, the approach shot offers a player options to run a low ball into this green or to hit a high ball into this green that slopes primarily from back to front. Bunkers left and right frame the green visually but are far enough apart to offer a wide runway up to the putting surface for players who choose to keep it low. Birdie is a real possibility on this hole.

Hole No. 11 - 171 Yards - Par 3

By the 11th hole I was convinced -- Calusa Pines has an outstanding collection of par-3 holes. And we hadn't even reached the best one yet! With water left, playing from an elevated tee to terraine that slopes from right-to-left, this mid-length short hole offers plenty of challenge. The small green looks like it ought to be pretty easy to find off the tee with almost no trouble in front, but the large bunker to the left seems to call to balls in mid-flight like the Sirens calling out to seduce Odysseus in Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. There's almost no way to fight it; mis-hit your ball even a little, and it will find its way to that sand ... or worse, a watery death. Or, step up to the tee, see all of that water and sand left, and bail-out right, which will leave you with a devilish chip to a green that runs away from you and makes it near impossible to stop your ball close to the hole.

Hole No. 12 - 419 Yards - Par 4

No. 12 is another fantastic par-4. The tee sits high above the fairway, offering a dramatic view of the hole and the opportunity to hit a longer drive as your ball hangs in the air for an extra couple of seconds. The fairway slopes from right to left more than can be seen from the tee, and with water down the entire left side, the best play is a drive to the right half of the fairway. 

Players who successfully find the fairway off the tee on the 12th hole will have a real scoring opportunity despite the hole's 400+ yards of length. The green is guarded only by one small bunker to the left, and the water shouldn't be much of a factor on the approach for all but the worst hooked shots. The green will reject shots that don't find the center of the putting surface, but it is otherwise level, and what slope there is in the green will help to hold shots anywhere but the edges.

Hole No. 13 - 586 Yards - Par 5

The 13th hole plays out to a narrow fairway with a huge waste bunker to the right. The hole doglegs sharply around that bunker, and some players have discovered that they can cut a tremendous amount of yardage off the hole by playing their tee shots intentionally up and over the trees to the right and into the 14th fairway. It's a dangerous route because of all of the trouble if you don't reach the 14th fairway and because you run the real risk of hitting somebody playing down the next hole. Still, it's an option. For those who play the hole the way it was intended, a drive in the fairway will almost ensure that this is a three-shot hole. My host, however, did intentionally play into the waste area, knowing that he could hit hybrid out of there to set up a short third shot into the green and a possible birdie. 

From the fairway, the play is to hit a long second shot over the waste bunker on the right to set up a short-iron or wedge approach to the green. Easier said than done, as I found out. There are bunkers left of the fairway that you want to avoid at all costs if you hope to have a shot at birdie or even par. That said, the green on this hole is receptive except around the edges and is designed with a slope from back to front that helps it to hold even long-iron or hybrid and fairway wood shots that might run through a lot of other greens on the course.

Hole No. 14 - 293 Yards - Par 4

No. 14 is one of those holes that really suit my eye. The hole is a dogleg that plays over and around a lake to the left. Tall trees stand ready to bat back the drives of players who attempt to bite off too much of the dogleg, and a large waste bunker on that side of the hole also protects against those who would attempt to dramatically shorten this hole or even go for the green from the tee. Hitting a natural draw, I found myself looking at a hole where I could safely aim down the right side and pull my ball around the bend in the fairway without really facing any trouble at all. 

From the right side of the fairway, there is virtually no trouble to worry about on this hole. It's a simple, straight-forward pitch into a large, receptive green. Make good contact with your wedge, and there is no reason this shouldn't be a tremendous scoring opportunity for most players.

Hole No. 15 - 414 Yards - Par 4

On the way to the tee at No. 15, you once again pass what I call the not-quite-halfway-house, and it's an ideal time to refuel for the closing four holes on this magnificent coure. The 15th is as straight as it gets at Calusa Pines, bending just slightly from left to right, and demands two solid shots to find the green. The waste bunker down the entire right side of the hole makes recovery and par a difficult proposition at best. And any ball left of the fairway off the tee will kick farther left into low-lying collection areas full of rough from which reaching the green will require a miracle. 

From the fairway on 15, the long, narrow green remains an elusive target. Balls played to the left side of the green will bounce left and away from the putting surface. Balls played right run the risk of finding the waste bunker, making for a very difficult up and down. Par is an excellent score on this hole. 

I love the way the mounding and trees frame this hole -- and many others on the course -- creating a stadium feel and also adding to the sense of seclusion, as if each hole exits in a space apart from the other holes on the course. 

Hole No. 16 - 161 Yards - Par 3

It's hard for me to say I've got a favorite hole at Calusa Pines, but 16 may very well be it. This par-3 is gorgeous. Stretching away, out into the lake, this peninsula hole is everything you could want in a par-3. This is a true "fortune favors the bold" kind of hole. There's room to leave the ball short of the green with anything down to a wedge in order to keep your ball dry, and you might save par from there. But did you really come to Calusa to play it that conservatively? No, of course not. Get your yardage, choose your club, and stick something close on this small green ... that looks even smaller as the left side is obscured below the high face of the greenside bunker. And, much like the 17th at Sawgrass, the size of the green relative to the fastness of the lake that surrounds it makes it appear an even smaller target to fearful golfers standing on the tee. If I wasn't clear before, I love this hole.

Hole No. 17 - 390 Yards - Par 4

One of the things I really like about Calusa Pines is that so few holes are straight, and no two consecutive holes feel the same. The closing holes are a perfect example, with 17 playing left to right and then 18 playing right to left. The water right on 17 makes the left half of the fairway a safer play off the tee, but that also means a longer approach shot to the green. Those who play down the right side may be rewarded with a significantly shorter approach, but they're dancing with danger, including both the water and a large fairway bunker at the bend.

The green on 17 is wide and slopes from left to right. A large bunker in front of the green makes it tough to see how much room you have to land your approach on the putting surface. It's not a terrible idea to play your approach just short-left of this green in order to avoid risking a ball in the bunker, setting yourself up for a chip and a putt for par.

Hole No. 18 - 487 Yards - Par 5

The 18th is a fantastic finishing hole -- a short, sweeping dogleg left par-5 with plenty of opportunity for a dramatic ending to your round. A big waste bunker reaches again and again toward the fairway down the left side. Players attempting to cut the corner of the dogleg run a real risk of finding themselves in the sand, up against one of the many faces of the waste area with little or no chance of reaching the green in two. But for players whose drive finds the left-hand side of the fairway, getting home in two becomes a very real possibility.

From the tee, it looked like my drive was perfectly placed down the left side of the fairway ... only to turn out that my ball had taken a bounce left into the waste bunker. Fortunately, I was far enough back from the face to be able to get the ball up in the air and advance it down the fairway. Meanwhile, I watched my host, Ray, crank a driver from the deck off to my right that came up just short of the green.

I absolutely love the look of this hole, rising to the green and then beyond to the clubhouse. The beautiful blue skies, fully of puffy white clouds that are so common in souther Florida doesn't hurt the picturesque quality of this view, either.

I found myself sitting 75 yards out from the hole, hitting my third shot on the closing hole. My caddie, Sean, handed me my sand wedge without asking what club I wanted and just said, "Finish strong. Best shot of the day." I'd been hitting my wedges poorly all day; finding it difficult for some reason to make solid contact and either blading or fatting almost anything I hit with a wedge. But bouyed by Sean's confidence, I hit a near-perfect 3-quarter sand wedge to about five feet. Just like he'd said -- best shot of the day, and an excellent way to finish my round.

Sitting just beyond the 18th green, this cannon seemed an appropriate symbol of the defenses Calusa Pines has in store for those who come here with ideas of scoring low. Tight fairways, large bunkers, intimidating water hazards, lightning-fast greens and more ... Calusa Pines will fire everything in its arsenal at you. And players who survive it can hold their heads high, however they score.

I could not have had a better time visiting Calusa Pines. Well, OK ... I could have scored a little bit better. But in terms of the experience, it was incredible. The course is wonderful. It is extremely well conditioned, especially considering the fact that I was playing at the end of a full winter season of member play. I can only imagine how spectacular the course must be in late fall, when the high season is just getting started in southern Florida! The staff was terrific. And my host and playing partners were the best company I could have hoped for -- so welcoming and just an absolute joy to play with.

And I can't wrap up this blog without commenting on the showers in the men's locker room. I don't know that I've ever experienced water pressure like that -- and it felt amazing after playing in the hot, southern sun for four hours. After getting cleaned up and changing clothes in the locker room, Ray invited me to share lunch with he and his family on the veranda. It was a lovely gesture from a truly wonderful host. His family was delightful, and the time we spent talking about many things other than golf was every bit as meaningful to me as the time we spent on the course. I've said all along that the people I meet and the friendships I forge along the way in this journey to play the greats will be the real reward, and Ray -- along with his family and both Bill and his son -- are perfect examples of that. They're also great as models of the type of host I aim to be at my own club, and I hope they know how much I appreciated the experience to spend the day with them.

Have you played Calusa Pines? What did you think? Share your thoughts on the course and my blog post in the comments below, or shoot me an email at shawn@iputtaround.com.