Naples golf trip itinerary: four days and six rounds you can actually book

This Naples golf trip itinerary gives four days and six rounds you can book without a membership or a resort stay: a twilight round near the airport on arrival, Saltleaf and its par-3 nine, Stoneybrook, a Lely Resort 36 and an early round before your flight. It uses a central Estero or Bonita base and published booking windows.

Most of Southwest Florida's golf is private, so the trick is stringing together public courses that are close to each other and to RSW. This plan does that, with two swaps for groups who want Tiburon or Marco Island. Drive times are OSRM free-flow estimates from downtown Naples unless noted; prices were seen November 3, 2026 and change.

Quick facts

• Rounds: six (five full 18s plus a par-3 nine).
• Base: Estero or Bonita Springs, between Naples and Fort Myers.
• Airport: RSW, about 15 to 25 minutes from Estero and Bonita.
• Longest window: Saltleaf, 90 days. Shortest: Fort Myers city courses, 7 days online.
• Best months: November, early December and late April for weather and rates.
• Swap options: Tiburon (Ritz-Carlton guests) or the Rookery and Hammock Bay (JW Marriott Marco guests).

The Naples golf trip itinerary at a glance

Day 1: land at RSW, twilight at Eastwood

Fly into RSW, pick up the car and head to Eastwood Golf Course, the City of Fort Myers' longer course, over 7,100 yards through pines and water. In November 2026 the city charges $70 with cart before noon, $55 from noon to 3 pm and $35 after 3 pm, tax included. Online tee times open 7 days ahead on foreUP; groups of two or more must reserve. If your flight lands early, San Carlos Golf Club, close to RSW and I-75, is the other easy first-day option. The Eastwood course guide has the full rate bands.

Check into the base. Embassy Suites Fort Myers-Estero has two-room suites and breakfast by I-75 at Corkscrew Road; Hyatt Place Fort Myers/Coconut Point lets you walk to dinner.

Day 2: Saltleaf and the Leaf

Saltleaf Golf Preserve is the former Raptor Bay, rebuilt by Raymond Floyd and reopened around January 2024. It has no sand bunkers, just raised greens, native areas and wind off Estero Bay, and no full range, only warm-up nets. It is a premium daily fee: GolfPass put peak winter green fees around $289 in April 2024, and the club's own page sends you to TeeItUp for current rates. Book up to 90 days ahead with a card, and cancel 48 hours out.

After lunch, play the Leaf, Saltleaf's walking-only par-3 nine, which GolfPass priced at $30 for players already on the 18. Our Saltleaf course guide covers the tees; pick from 4,770 to 7,075 yards.

Evening: Coconut Point's restaurants, or the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point next door, about 4 minutes from Saltleaf.

Day 3: Stoneybrook, then the beach

Stoneybrook Golf Club is the most serious public test in Estero. Pick the right tees: the Champions set is 7,314 yards at a 143 slope, and most visitors belong on Traditional at 6,090. The 2026-27 card is $130 in the morning, $99 in the afternoon and $70 at twilight in November and December, rising to $199, $170 and $105 from January to April, plus tax, with dynamic pricing. Public tee times open 1 week out; bring a card, since the club is cashless. See the Stoneybrook course guide.

Leave the afternoon free. Lovers Key State Park and Barefoot Beach Preserve are both near Bonita Beach; our things to do in Naples guide has more.

Day 4: 36 holes at Lely Resort

Drive south to East Naples for a Lely double. Flamingo Island, the Robert Trent Jones Sr. course, is long and watery at up to 7,095 yards; Mustang, Lee Trevino's layout, is the friendlier second round. Both share the Lely Resort public tee sheet, so a group can book both from one site. A GolfNow listing put Flamingo Island at about $108 with cart for September 14, 2026; Mustang's rates are not published. The Flamingo Island course guide and our Lely Resort golf guide have the detail.

Have dinner in downtown Naples, about 16 minutes away, on Fifth Avenue or Third Street; see where to eat in Naples.

Day 5 (optional): an early round before your flight

With an afternoon flight, play Fort Myers Country Club, a 1917 Donald Ross course owned by the city and close to the airport. It is par 70 and 6,780 yards from the Black tees, at the same city rates as Eastwood. Note that non-playing riders are not allowed from October 15, 2026.

Swaps for a different trip

• Swap in Eagle Lakes: Eagle Lakes, east of Naples, charges $89 to $109 in November and December 2026 and $55 from 2:30 pm, a good twilight round after the Lely morning.
• The Tiburon splurge: stay at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburon and replace days 2 and 3 with Tiburon Gold and Tiburon Black. Hotel guests book tee times with the room; fees are not published and the resort fee is $66.60 a night. Avoid the tournament weeks.
• The Marco splurge: stay at the JW Marriott Marco Island and play The Rookery at Marco and Hammock Bay, the resort's two guests-and-members courses on the mainland.

Making this Naples golf trip itinerary work

• Book in order of window. Saltleaf first (90 days), then set reminders for Stoneybrook and the city courses a week out.
• Pick the right month. The same plan costs much less in November or late April than in February or March, when spring training and the snowbird peak fill tee sheets and roads.
• Play mornings in summer. From June to September, afternoon thunderstorms stop play most days.
• Budget extra drive time in season. OSRM ignores traffic; I-75, US 41 and Daniels Parkway can add 15 to 45 minutes from January to April.

For the costs, read our Naples golf trip cost guide; for a bigger group, the Fort Myers buddies golf trip guide; and for bases, where to stay in Naples for golf. Booking details for every course are in our Naples tee times guide.

Plan it on the map

Open the Naples golf map to see every course and stay in this plan with drive times from downtown Naples. The $30 plan builds your own day-by-day trip around your dates, group size and budget, with the booking windows lined up.