Naples is often called the Golf Capital of the World, and the nickname is earned. Collier County packs in one of the highest counts of golf holes per capita anywhere in the country, the LPGA ends its season here every November, and the weather makes winter golf close to perfect. The catch for visitors is that most of those courses sit behind private country club gates. This guide focuses on the ones you can actually play, plus the pro golf worth watching.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Reputation | Widely known as the Golf Capital of the World |
| Marquee course | Tiburon Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton, two Greg Norman designs |
| Big event | LPGA CME Group Tour Championship, November 19 to 22, 2026 |
| Public and resort options | Tiburon, Naples Grande, Lely Resort, ArrowHead, Eagle Lakes, Hibiscus |
| Cheapest time to play | Summer and early fall twilight rates, roughly May through October |
| Dress code | Collared shirts, no denim or cut-offs at most courses |
Golf is woven into daily life here in a way it is almost nowhere else. The region draws comparisons to Palm Springs for the sheer density of courses, and much of the winter social calendar revolves around club play. The flip side is that the majority of Naples courses are private, member-only country clubs, so a visitor or new resident cannot simply book a tee time at most of them. The good news is that the handful of public and resort courses that are open to everyone happen to include some of the best golf in Southwest Florida.
Tiburon Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Naples is the one course name every golfer here knows. It offers two 18-hole championship courses designed by Greg Norman, the Gold and the Black, built with stacked sod wall bunkers, coquina shell waste areas, and no conventional rough, so it plays like a links course dropped into the tropics. It is a public and resort facility, meaning you do not need a membership, but that access comes at a price, with in-season green fees that often run north of $300. Tiburon sits at 2620 Tiburon Drive in North Naples, and it is the home of both the LPGA and PGA Tour events described below.
Naples Grande Golf Club is a Rees Jones design tied to the Naples Grande Beach Resort, routed through wooded terrain with water in play throughout, and one of the few premium rounds you can reach from a beach hotel without a long drive. Lely Resort Golf and Country Club at 8004 Lely Resort Boulevard has two public courses, the Flamingo Island course, a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design, and the Mustang, so you can play two very different layouts at one address while the third course there stays private.
For a more everyday round at a friendlier price, ArrowHead Golf Club at 2205 Heritage Greens Drive is open to the public daily except Christmas, takes tee times up to four days ahead, and is one of the better value options in town. Eagle Lakes Golf Club at 18100 Royal Tree Parkway and Hibiscus Golf Club at 175 Doral Circle round out the semi-private options in East and South Naples, both open to public play and both a good deal easier on the wallet than the resort courses.
Every November, Tiburon hosts the CME Group Tour Championship, the season-ending finale of the LPGA Tour, where the world's best women golfers compete for one of the largest purses in the sport. The 2026 edition runs November 19 to 22 on Tiburon's Gold Course, with an $11 million purse and the CME Globe title on the line. It is one of the best chances all year to watch elite professional golf up close in Naples. The same Gold Course also hosts the PGA Tour's QBE Shootout, an unofficial team event that brings big-name players to town in December, so late fall is prime spectating season.
Timing changes everything about golf in Naples. Winter, from about December through April, is high season: perfect weather, packed courses, the highest green fees of the year, and tee times that need to be booked well in advance. Summer and early fall, roughly May through October, flip all of that. Rates drop sharply, especially for twilight rounds, and courses are wide open, with the trade-off being heat, humidity, and near-daily afternoon thunderstorms. If you are golfing in summer, tee off early and keep an eye on the radar. Our surviving summer in Naples guide has more on timing outdoor plans around the heat.
Most Naples courses, public ones included, enforce a dress code: collared shirts for men, no denim, and no cut-off shorts, with soft spikes only. Call ahead or check the course website if you are unsure, since standards vary from the resort courses to the county options. Book tee times online or by phone as far ahead as the course allows, especially in winter, and ask about twilight or replay rates if you are flexible on timing. If you are new in town and hoping to join a private club, most require a sponsor and an initiation fee, so the public and resort courses above are the place to start.
Naples is widely known as the Golf Capital of the World, thanks to one of the highest numbers of golf holes per capita of anywhere in the country.
Yes. Most Naples courses are private, but several public and resort courses, including Tiburon, Naples Grande, Lely Resort, and ArrowHead, are open to the public.
Tiburon Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton, home to the LPGA's CME Group Tour Championship and the PGA Tour's QBE Shootout.
November 19 through 22, 2026, on the Gold Course at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples.
Summer and early fall, roughly May through October, when twilight and off-season rates drop well below winter high-season prices.
Yes. Most require collared shirts and prohibit denim and cut-offs, so call ahead or check the course website before you play.
Plan the rest of your trip with our things to do in Naples guide, see what daily life is like in our living in Naples guide, or browse the full events calendar for tournaments and more.