Southwest Florida golf column: Calusa Pines, Naples National ranked among state's best courses

Calusa Pines Golf Club in Naples remained among the best courses in Florida according to Golf Digest. 

The tee on No. 16 at Calusa Pines Golf Club may be highest point in Southwest Florida.

Calusa Pines stayed at No. 3 in the state behind No. 1 Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach and the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach. Earlier, the magazine had ranked Calusa Pines 96th in its America's 100 Greatest Courses.

Naples National Golf Club also made the state list, coming in at No. 19, improving three spots.

Both courses were designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry.

Others in the top 30: 4. Streamsong (Red); 5. Streamsong (Blue); 6. Jupiter Hills, Tequesta; 7. The Concession, Bradenton; 8. The Bear's Club, Jupiter; 9. Trump International, West Palm Beach; 10. Old Memorial, Tampa; 11. Medalist, Hobe Sound; 12. Mountain Lake, Lake Wales; 13. Black Diamond Ranch (Quarry), Lecanto; 14. McArthur, Hobe Sound; 15. Pablo Creek, Jacksonville; 16. Pine Tree, Boynton Beach; 17. Loblolly, Hobe Sound; 18. Floridian National, Palm City; 20. Isleworth, Windermere; 21. TPC Sawgrass (Dye's Valley), Ponte Vedra Beach; 22. John's Island Club (West), Sebastian; 23. The Dye Preserve, Jupiter; 24. Trump National Doral Miami (Blue Monster); 25. Indian Creek, Miami Beach; 26. Adena, Ocala; 27. World Woods (Pine Barrens), Brooksville; 28. Innisbrook (Copperhead), Palm Harbor; 29. Coral Creek, Placida; 30. Old Marsh, Palm Beach Gardens.

Click here to view the list »

Southwest Florida golf column: Drive, Chip and Putt local qualifier set for Thursday

The First Tee of Naples/Collier: Joey Burke from The First Tee of Naples/Collier has been selected to attend The First Tee Life Skills and Leadership Academy in East Lansing, Mich., from July 26-Aug. 1.

Burke will join more than 90 junior golfers from The First Tee, ages 14–17, to participate in this national event.

“It is an honor to be selected,” Burke in a release. “I’m really excited to experience college life for a week while staying on the Michigan State campus and learning new skills that I can use to help our chapter.”

“We are extremely proud of Joey and his accomplishments,” chapter executive director Cindy Darland said.  “We are confident Joey will represent our chapter well during the Life Skills and Leadership Academy in East Lansing, Michigan, and know he will return home with many new skills and ideas to share with us”.

The academy provides participants valuable character education and leadership instruction during the weeklong event. Participants will have the opportunity to develop and hone skills to become leaders in their chapters, schools and communities while experiencing championship golf, career exploration and dorm living.

During the week, Burke will learn from and interact with the top coaches in The First Tee network and meet a variety of young people from around the country.

Burke, 15, is a freshman at Gulf Coast High School in Naples, Florida. He has been active of The First Tee of Naples/Collier for over five years. He is Birdie Certified and currently attends Eagle Level sessions. He volunteers as a First Tee coach with the chapter’s younger participants as well as volunteering at many chapter and community events.At The First Tee, life and golf skills are seamlessly integrated into each experience. The First Tee Life Skills and Leadership Academy is focused on recognizing and rewarding exceptional teen participants in The First Tee for their accomplishments while enhancing skills that will help on and off the golf course.

Terra Cotta Invitational: The top amateur event played last month announced that net proceeds will be distributed to the Fran Cohen Youth Center, The Naples Historical Society Pupils at Palm Cottage Education Program, The Naples Zoo Children's Education Program, and The Naples Players KidzAct Scholarship Program.

Terra Cotta Charities, a 501(c)(3) organization, donates the net proceeds each year to Naples-based children-focused charities and programs. The organization has donated over $447,000 since 1996.

QBE Shootout Summer Series: A sold-out field of 100 players competed on Saturday at Tiburón Golf Club in the second of six events this year.

Scott Blackburn and Abbie Valentine shot a 64 to win the Gross Division. John Irons and Rob Schremp were second with a 66, and Jared Scott and Matt Symons were third with a 68. Bob Michael and Andy Sillin won the Net Division in a scorecard playoff after shooting a 63, over Gerald Coppola and George Lee. Jack Apgar and Paul MacLaughlin were third with a 64.

In the Ladies Division, Kathy Gaff and Jill Martin shot a 7-under-par 65 and won a scorecard playoff. Luanne Liscio and Beverly Ricketts were second with a 65, and Judiann Delan and Marci Charland were third with a 67.

The Summer Series’ next stop will be at The Rookery on Saturday, July 22 at 8 a.m.

Florida State Amateur: Only five Southwest Florida players made the 36-hole cut of the State Am that concluded Sunday at The Bear's Club in Jupiter.

Owen Joyner of Bonita Springs shot 73-72-82-77/304 to tie for 39th. Naples' Ryan Celano (82-73-74-77/306) and Andrew Potter (73-81-76-77/307), Fort Myers' B.J. Kuhn (79-74-85-75/313) and Grant Renegar of Estero (82-73-79-85/319) also made the cut.

Rob Thorngate of Naples (77-79-156) missed by a stroke and Austin Schultz of Fort Myers (81-76/157) missed by two. David Morgan (77-81/158), Carl Santos-Ocampo (84-75/159), Jayson Iten (84-80/164), Jonah Manning (90-74/164) and Matt Leiti (84-81/165) also missed the cut.

Cristian DiMarco of Longwood won by four strokes with a 280 total.

Southwest Florida golf column: Pelican Bay's Gene Fieger wins Chapter PGA Stableford

SFPGA Pro-Assistant: Trey Sones and Jeremy Wells of Alico Family Golf Center in Fort Myers tied for second on Monday at Imperial Country Club in Naples.

Sones and Wells lost in a playoff to Kevin Murphy and Patrick Rada of McArthur Golf Club. Travis Wehrs and Adam DeArmond of Fiddlesticks tied for fourth. Justin Bertsch and Nick Mariano of Hideout and Jonathan Sutera and Justin Smith of Bonita Bay West were part of a tie for eighth.  

LPGA/Girls Golf: 9-hole stroke-play tournament, at Spring Run (6-24) -- 1. Annika Church 35; 2. Vivian Guite 38; 2. Claire Sattler 38; 2. Addison Klonowski 38; 5. Muffy McCabe 39; 6. Sadie Johnson 40. Twenty-five girls competed.

SFPGA Junior Prep Tour: Keegan McGinn of Bonita Springs tied for first in the Boys 11-12s at Quail Creek Country Club on June 21 with an 87. Jonathan Elter of Naples was third in the Boys 9-10s with an 80 and Braden Miller of Naples was fourth with an 82. 

Gregory Moore of Cape Coral tied for fifth in the Boys 13-18s with an 85, and Mason Dozer of Estero tied for ninth with a 92. Morgan Franklin of Fort Myers was fourth in the Girls 11-12s with a 102.

The First Tee Junior Tour: at Pelican Bay (6-22): Division I -- Boys: 1. Christian Taylor 71; 2. Drew Dieter 72;  Division II -- Boys: 1. Mason Dozer 87; 2. Willem Jaron 95; Division I -- Girls: 1. Makenzie Hotchkiss 75; 2. Vivian Guite 79; Division II -- Girls: 
Pearl Jenkins 109. Next event, June 29 at Hideout.

Men's Summer Interclub: at The Quarry (6-23): 1. Terry Beall (Naples Heritage)-Gregg Sundeen (Wildcat Run)-John McNeiley (Wildcat Run)-John Mullen (Lely Classics); 2. Ed Smith (Lely Classics)-Roger Parsons (Miromar Lakes)-Mya Swe (Heritage Palms)-Walter Seidel (The Everglades); 3. Jim Pickens (Grandezza)-Jack Robinson (TwinEagles)-Skip Blounts (Glen Eagle)-Earl Fuller (Lely Classics); 4. Jeff Laughlin (Foxfire)-Kevin Jarnagin (Spanish Wells)-Vince Wepprecht (Glen Eagle)-Jeff Heier (Foxfire). 

Next event, Friday,  at Vanderbilt Country Club.

Impact Zone Golf: Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-noon, supervised practice, $30 per session (or included with IZG Academy Membership); 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Trackman Combine Swing Analysis, $99 for an hour; 8 a.m.-2 p.m., Two-day Signature School with Bobby Clampett, $1,995 per person (includes Sunday) -- all at Tiburón; Sunday, free clinic, 1 p.m.; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Trackman Combine Swing Analysis, $99 for an hour; Monday, 5-7:30 p.m., supervised practice at headquarters; Tuesday, 4:30-6 p.m., supervised practice, Tiburón; July 5,  11 a.m.-11:45 a.m., Golf Fore Ladies Clinics, $30 per person. Call 236-5536.

Alico Family Golf: The Fort Myers center is having its Customer Appreciation Day on Friday from 5 to 10 p.m. A live band, free barbecue sandwiches, and massages will be offered, with $5 mini-golf, $5 small range buckets and $5 for nine holes on the short course. 

Rotary Club of Fort Myers-Sunrise raises funds: The organization presented a check for $25,200 to The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools and its Take Stock in Children program through the third annual Gravity Benefits Sunrise Rotary Pro-Am Classic that was played on May 19 at The Forest country Club. 

Funds raised will provide post-secondary education for at-risk, low-income students in Lee County.

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