Lely Resort Golf & Country Club - Flamingo Island Course

First time on Flamingo but have played Lely’s Mustang course several times over the past 10 years. Conditions today were well below my expectations based on those rounds. No question some of that is due to Covid-19, and some is due to 3 previous days of heavy rain preventing mowing some of the course. Driving range also closed, so couldn’t warm up. Greens were very good but fairways and tee boxes were mediocre. Traps were unplayable due to the recent rains so we were told to place any shots out of them into the grass; certainly understandable given the rain. Worst part was no water available to drink, and only one beverage cart for 36 holes (that is, covering both of the Flamingo and Mustang courses). When we asked for water before the first tee we were told the cart was out there but we never got service despite calling the pro shop out of desperation and asking them to bring us water by the time we got to the 14th tee. Very hot and humid, so we were parched by the 18th hole. Very willing to overlook glitches given the challenges of the pandemic but we paid too much for those conditions and failure to provide water. Unacceptable. I will not go back.

Mustang has my vote flamingos green we’re a beautiful green but having been air ratted real took the beauty away lots of crab grass in fairways

I’m 12 handicap and was disappointed with the course, burnt fairways burnt rough. Greens were sandy, with the collar of green having a distinct line from that really affect path of ball when it cross. A lot of blind shots that for a resort course doesn’t make sense. Overall that was my second time playing the course first and last

Great day of golf, the pace was great. One problem was 1 Cart girl for 36 holes? Skip a few drinks and pay a few girls to work the course.

In my idea of a golf course. This is not a $149.00 course. Greens rock hard. I had one green that left a ball mark. Sand traps are poor at best. Rock hard underneath about a 1/2” of loose sand. I consider myself a fairly good bunker player. But had balls just jump out of the bunkers. I know I wouldn’t pay that price again. But it Is supply and demand. And they were busy. Peak season to play. I would expect more for the price. I have some $50.00 courses back home that would put this to shame.

For the price you left feeling like you overpaid for this course. The rough was inconsistent in it quality and maintenance. All the greens were rock hard - we never saw any ball marks and none of the greens held our balls. We saw one cart person in 18 holes and no rangers. The course layout is very good - very well bunkered, so practice sand shots, The staff was very friendly.

I love the layout of Flamingo. It has a ton of tee options that can suit anyone’s game. Unlike many courses in Florida not everything is right in front of you and you have choices to make on how to play holes. You can be aggressive and try to carry some traps or play it around those traps. The greens were in good shape, pretty fast but receptive to a good iron approach. This year Lely closed Flamingo for a few weeks to overseed the fairways and that is paying off right now. The fairways are in excellent shape. I also love playing out of the sand at Flamingo and you need to love it because you will be in the sand here at some point. From the tees we played (Green/white) the par 3’s were 175 yards, 160 yards, 115 yards and 150 yards so each gives you a different shot which is always fun. A couple of signature holes that involve water. The par 4 4th hole and the 17th. Both are great holes rewarding accuracy on the approach shot and “staying out of danger” on the drive. I wish Lely would invest more in this course because I think it’s one of the best tracks in Southwest Florida

Great course. Holes par 3 neat layout,

hole 5 great par three over water with sloping green

front to back, well trapped.,

par three 15th great par three over water into the wind.

finishing holes 16, 17 and 18 wonderful chalenging.

Love this course

Played the Flamingo..Course was better than I remember 2 years ago, and was in excellent shape..Greens rolled true and guessing they stemped about 10..Hit fairways and the course is there to be had although the greens weren't a walk in the park. Really fun round in 3 hours 40 minutes..only negative thing to say was it was 200 for the round. But its Naples in primetime..Really enjoyed the experience there and hope to be back!

What a disappointment. Had played there before and it was an average course in decent condition. Greens and fairways this time were in poor condition, and that is being kind. It must have been 2 weeks since they had anyone filling in fairway divots. Rough was mostly hardpan. Most of the greens had bare dirt section around the perimeter. Starter talked about what great shape it was in. Don't know what course he was playing. Tees were ok. Can't believe they had the nerve to charge $170 to play. To add to my displeasure, we only saw the beverage cart once in 41/2 hrs. Don't believe I will play it again.

Woke up and had slept on my neck wrong, tried to cancel, Golfnow was not having it. So with 3 icy hot pads, ibuprofen and limited mobility I went out to the course. I always arrive over an hour before my round (like to see if the starter can sneak me out) + putt, chip maybe hit a bucket of balls. I get to course and just want to pay so I can put my clubs on a cart and was told No U have to wait I cant book you in yet. So bad neck and back and all I lugged my clubs to chipping area, driving range & putting green before finally being allowed to put my clubs on a cart. Beer lady was rude behind the bar but was super busy.

Now about the golf:

Chip&putt area is very nice includes a bunker as well. But, the way the ball reacts to the practice green (no stick can’t stop it) as opposed to on course is way different.

Balls at the driving range are included which is really cool.

Putting green is just average. I like the holes cut into the greens. It takes literally 5 mins.

Course is beautiful aesthetically pleasing! especially holes 3,4,5,6 and the back stretch thru the woods + 16 & 17

The brims around the greens are in bad shape told mustang is in better condition (excited to play there next)

I got paired up with a starter named Doc and he was awesome. He helped me on where I wanted to place shots as the layout is a bit funky and ignored my duck hook the first 3 holes trying to adjust to my neck & back. Had great conversation you can tell the guy is a really good man. God bless him and his family. I would LOVE to be a member there. But being in season + being a little light in the pocket book doesn’t seem like it would allow for that. Thank you Lely for a great experience. Tell the people in the club house to smile a little I was a bit uncomfortable in the pro shop and honestly would have bought balls & probably a hat or shirt had I not been so turned off by that experience. I know I don’t have a Rolex or pull up in a Bentley like some clientele. coming to a golf paradise like this is a real treat and a blessing that I don’t get to enjoy often.

I think maybe some people in the pro shop lose sight of the fact there are people like me playing the course too. All in all, I had a blast !!!!

Played Lely Flamingo early 12/28/2019. This is a well designed challenging course but it felt like a public resort course. Tee times are cramped together and David the starter is trying to manage a lot of players going off on both Flamingo and Mustang. The Flamingo course was wet, fairways in only good condition, greens were very good - not real fast. However, Lely is now showing its age and management is not maintaining parts of this facility and it shows. Cart paths are cracked, fences around pond/path areas are falling apart, water station needs an update, etc. There is also a mix of grasses growing in the rough areas and select trees and tree base areas not far off the fairways are not being cleaned up and trimmed. I have photos but you get the idea.

Staff was courteous

The course is very dry and the greens are in fair condition. It’s a great layout and fun to play.

The layout of this course is fantastic. Very challenging. I used every club in my bag. The greens were sandy because the have been dressed but they putted fine. Bunkers could use some more sand but they weren’t bad either.

I understand they are talking about a reconditiiningjod the curse in a couple years. When that happens, there will be none better.

It should be a crime to allow such an amazing RTJ routing to fall into this state of disrepair. Negligence and/or greed is only compounded by the fact they charge more than $150/round in season and cannot even be bothered to have regular marshals/PAs on the course (5 hours is closer to the norm than 4 here).

Note: as a member of the Classics CC, this is one of 3 courses I can play under my membership.

It is as disappointing to have to write this review as it was to play the Flamingo for the first time in roughly 6 months. Make no mistake, this RTJ layout is up there with the best course designs you will find anywhere. That’s why it is such a shame that the course conditions have been allowed to deteriorate to the virtually unplayable situation now. Bare patches are about as common as finding your ball on some grass whether in the fairway or around the greens. There’s generally more grass in the rough, except that more of it is weeds than Bermuda. Only a few greens had bare spots today, so that was a positive.

Likely due to playing before 9am, we managed to finish under 4 hours. Closer to 5 is more the norm in season here, so come prepared. In keeping with that norm, our foursome did catch up with a group that began with about a 2-hole head start and waited the entire back 9 on nearly every shot. When we thought we were at last seeing a PA (marshal/ranger) on 17, it was someone changing out a cart that was low on battery life. Amazing as this means someone was monitoring the carts remotely enough to see this issue and there was enough staff for someone to ride out to make the switch, yet no one was available to break up the logjam group(s). For a club that charges upwards of $150/round in season, it can only be negligence or unadulterated greed that allows the players’ experience to be sullied consistently.

Until the general public starts voting with its wallet and playing elsewhere, it is likely the annual lip service devoted to rehabbing this course will continue translating to “wait til next year.” That’s a shame, and it is only compounded by ignoring basic aspects of the customer experience like pace of play as a general rule.

what a nice course. Water, sand en challenging greens.

The first 9 open and the 2nd more with trees (and houses). We had a good time and will return

Really enjoy the golf course layout and pace of play was great. It was a fun course to play as I am a fan of Robert Trent Jones golf courses. Just wish the greens were faster. But the staff was extremely friendly and helpful and this alone will bring me back.