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In the beginning

Nestled in among the low-slung houses in pretty Lakewood community near the county government center, Lakewood Country Club has been a fixture on the local golf circuit for the past 30 years.

“It was here before Naples became a golf hot spot,” says assistant golf professional Matt Young. “There are about 100 courses in the area now, and at that time there were only about 40.”

The club is anchored by the golf course, but also features tennis, a pool and a restaurant to serve its members.

It’s a private club, but like many others welcomes summer golfers who hold charity cards. More substantial summer (as well as winter, of course) memberships are also available at varying prices.

Right now, it costs just $17.50 to play the 18-hole, par 60 executive course with a charity card, and Young reckons that’s about as competitive as an area course can be.

Membership Director Dennis Carnes and his team of fellow club members take care of the variety of memberships and discounts on offer.

“We vote on what they should be,” he says, adding that overall prices are highly competitive with similar courses in the area.

The changes, the result

General Manager Eileen Fowler says the emphasis these days is not on expansion, but on continually upgrading the facilities for its members.

“Through a generous donation from a member, we are making the entry to the clubhouse more easily handicap accessible,” she says.

Other improvements have included renovating the pool, the bathrooms, the deck and also replacing the floor in the clubhouse.

As for the course itself, Young says, there’s been little change over the past 30 years apart from cleaning up after the odd tropical storm or hurricane.

“After 30 years, you’d expect the greens to be well-set, and they are,” Young says.

Tour de fours (and threes)

Young steers a cart up and down the course, which he says is trickier than its host of par 3 holes would suggest.

“It’s for all levels of play,” he says. “The beginner can have fun, but the experienced player will need to have a good short game to score well on the course.

Member and regular player Dave Bernstein agrees.

“I’m not a long ball hitter, so I like the course,” he says. “But, it’s demanding and not as easy as you think.”

Bernstein is one of the players who chooses to walk the course, which is not a problem for those on carts because most of the holes are short.

Young, who also provides lessons and club repairs, says the par 4, 298-yard sixth hole is probably the signature one.

Part of the end of a condo blocks the view of the dog-leg left.

“It’s risk and reward, because you can skim the condo or go over it. Otherwise you risk rough on the right,” Young says.

Understandably, the exposed windows of the condo are well protected by wire mesh grills.

Another of Young’s favorites is the par 3 hole number 8, which has a water carry and an elevated green which is about 25 feet wide and only about 10 feet deep.

About a Round

Considering the abundance of par 3 holes, one’s first impression after playing a few of them is how few ball marks pock the greens.

That’s because these puppies are small, just like Young pointed out on number 8.

Thus, hitting a green is pretty much a cause for celebration in itself.

Beginners might be able to dip into their bags for all sorts of clubs, but anyone slightly above weekend hacker level — say around being a bogey player or better — won’t use much more than a 9 iron, a pitching wedge and a sand wedge.

The par 4s, particularly 17 and 18, do indeed beckon the savage beast in any golfer, but there’s danger because of the narrow fairways if you pull out a driver or 3 wood.

On a technical note, the greens on this particular day were superb, and carpet-like when putting.

Most of the holes have just two tips, with senior tees cutting out water carries on a couple of the holes.

Overall, the feeling of playing Lakewood Country Club is one of restraint in terms of power, but the need for accuracy indeed puts a bit of an edge on the round.

The course is open seven days a week, with a late start of 10 a.m. on Mondays.

Call 774-2958 for more details.