As a Grandezza resident and golf club member, during the summer season we have reciprocal arrangements with many of the other golf clubs and resorts in the area. This is a great benefit for year round (and if you are not year round) residents and members. The reciprocal time period runs from May through October each year. With my new reviltaized golf game (but not yet much improved!) I've set out to play some of the local excellent courses. I've written about a few earlier. This one is about West Bay Club.
The West Bay Club is a fairly large community of condos, coach homes, single family homes, and two high rise towers. The high rise towers are just now undergoing interior completion, there are resales and lots for new home construction. It is located in Estero just west of US 41 and continues west to Estero Bay. There is a bit more about The West Bay Club located on my website or a direct link is here.
Now the golf...the course architects are Pete Dye and P.B. Dye, a double whammie, and it's just gorgeous. We met a few very proud club members as they waived us through (we were just a twosome) on the 16th hole aptly name "High Anxiety". It is the #2 hole in difficulty. I was thrilled managing a respectable drive into the center of the fairway with the new found audience but what next after reaching the ball? The members, equipped with the latest range devices, pointed to the flag not quite visible, on an elevated platform, to the right, just passed a hazard that crossed the fairway some 205 yards away and playing about 215-220...yikes! Suffice it to say, the drive was the best part of that hole!!
We decided to play the Back Tees when we started because we hadn't seen the course ever before. The Back Tees are the shortest at just under 6,000 yards but, the slope from there is 130. The next hole, 17 a par 3 named "The Wall", played about 185 yards (170 all carry) over a lake on to the green. I managed my tee shot to the 1st cut off the green about pin high and putted my way to a bogey.
There were many more memorable moments throughout the round as we toured the beautiful course and the grounds. My round started off double, double, and bogey with one par on the front and one par on the back so I was feeling reasonably good but, then the reality of my game set in. I'll be back!
