Ft. Myers FL Golf Weekend

Golf Magazine, 5/11

Per Golf Magazine's Travelin' Joe:  "Old Corkscrew (239-949-4700, www.oldcorkscrew.com) is your starting point. Situated 25 miles south of Ft. Myers, the Jack Nicklaus-designed Old Corkscrew is a blur of sand, water, wetlands and pines, in an exciting, but exhausting package if you’re spraying it. Stay away from the 7,393-yard tips, (76.1/142) and you’ll enjoy. It’s $100 to play through May 31, $85 beginning June 1—and only $50 starting at 1:40 p.m.

Bargains in the region begin with nearby Stoneybrook ($32-$47 through May 31; 239-948-3933, www.stoneybrookgolffm.com), a wide but watery 7,314-yard test; Eastwood Golf Course ($25-$30 through May 31; 239-321-7487, www.cityftmyers.com/eastwood), a Devlin-Von Hagge creation that demands precision both from the tee and on approaches, thanks to doglegs, lakes and bunkers at every turn; and Riverwood ($50 in May and June; 941-769-6661, www.riverwoodgc.com), a Gene Bates design that traverses salt marshes, which is definitely worth the hour-long journey north to Port Charlotte."

Fat Guy's also heard good things about the waterfront Dunes G&TC in Fort Myers Beach, designed by Mark McCumber.  Bring plenty of ammo, as there's water on every hole.

Best Bar Nearby:  The Cottage Bar & Grill, Fort Myers Beach.  Stumble a little coming off the back deck steps of The Cottage, and you could splash into the Gulf Of Mexico.  Good food (order the bacon-wrapped shrimp), good boat drinks, and live tunes on the sand.