Five Signature Golf Holes on Florida's Paradise Coast

In Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades, golfers have more than 90 public and stay-and-play courses to choose from. Yet certain holes have a way of rising above the rest. These are the holes that become stories over dinner after your round, on the drive to the airport, and during winter conversations about your next golf trip to Florida’s Paradise Coast.

Tiburón Gold Course: Hole No. 16

At 205 yards, the 16th on Tiburón's Gold Course at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón typically requires a longer club than many resort-course par 3s. The first thing many golfers notice isn't the distance, though—it's how little green seems to be visible from the tee.

Step back and watch a group play this hole, and you'll likely see the same behavior each time: golfers step onto the tee looking confident, then spend a little extra time studying the shot. Between the water, the bunkers, and a green that can be difficult to judge from a distance, commitment becomes just as important as club selection.

Most golfers spend their pre-shot routine thinking about the water. Then the ball lands. During the annual professional golf tournaments played here (the CME Group Tour Championship and the Grant Thornton Invitational), players routinely discover that the challenge doesn't end when the ball reaches the putting surface. 

Tiburón Black Course: Hole No. 6

The sixth on Tiburón's Black Course stretches 615 yards, but distance is only part of the challenge for this par 5.

The opening shot asks players to thread the ball between water on one side and coquina on the other. Find the fairway, and the decisions continue. Try to bite off too much on the second shot, and water remains a concern. Play conservatively, and a bunker short of the green makes reaching the green in regulation more difficult.

Birdies can happen here, but so do large numbers. What makes the sixth memorable isn't a single hazard or dramatic feature. It's the way every shot asks for discipline.

Hammock Bay: Hole No. 11

Some par 3s test execution, while others test conviction. The 11th at Hammock Bay (which you can play if you’re a guest of the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort & Spa) happens to do both to golfers of all handicaps.

Standing on the tee, golfers immediately notice the ravine separating the tee boxes from the green. The carry itself isn't overwhelming, but the visual can plant doubt at exactly the wrong moment.

A shot that comes up short leaves a blind pitch back toward the green. Too much club brings coquina into play behind the green. The hole tends to suit golfers who are comfortable turning the ball over from right to left. Everyone else must decide whether they trust the swing they've brought to the tee.

LaPlaya Golf Club: Hole No. 12

The 12th at LaPlaya measures only 133 yards—a number that tends to create confidence before golfers reach the tee. Then they see the green.

A ridge runs through the putting surface, separating the front and back sections. Depending on the hole location, portions of the target can seem tucked away from view. Miss slightly right, and a waste bunker enters the conversation.

It's the type of par 3 that causes golfers to double-check their yardage. Reaching the green isn't the difficult part, but finding the correct section to aim for? That’s another matter entirely.

The Rookery at Marco: Hole No. 18

A great finishing hole should create uncertainty until the final putt drops, which is exactly what the 18th at The Rookery succeeds in doing.

Water runs the entire length of the right side, creating pressure before the swing even begins. At 445 yards from the back tees, the hole requires two quality shots to reach a green that is among the smallest on the course.

After a round spent weaving through wetlands populated by wading birds, herons, and the occasional eagle overhead, The Rookery saves one final challenge for the clubhouse stretch. It's the kind of closing hole that can change a scorecard—or salvage one.

The Holes That Become Stories

Florida's Paradise Coast has no shortage of excellent golf courses. But when golfers compare notes after a visit here, the conversation usually turns to holes that look like nothing else – and the heroic shots that made them feel like the pros who play here.

Experience these holes for yourself and you’ll understand why Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades is more than just a great place for a golf getaway. It’s Paradise in Every Sense for golfers.