Tiburon Golf Club at Ritz-Carlton-Naples

What do you get when you combine picture-perfect weather, a prime location, a first-class resort, and 36 Greg Norman-designed championship golf holes?

You get the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla., of course and if you haven’t considered the spot for your next buddy trip, then now is the time you should start.

STAY IN THE LAP OF LUXURY

The 295 luxury rooms and suites that make up the resort have golf course or resort views and feature plush robes, nightly turndown service, a pillow menu, marble bathrooms with rain showers, and large LCD TV’s.

On the property, the resort boasts a heated outdoor pool, a tennis center, fitness center, full-service spa, and a popular indoor electronic game and virtual adventure center known as the vue (virtual user experience) for passing the time by during an afternoon Florida rain shower.

Another incredible perk is the free shuttle service that takes guests on the short ride down the road to the resort’s sister property, the Ritz-Carlton Naples, where they can spend the day enjoying the beautiful white sand of Vanderbilt Beach alongside the Gulf of Mexico.

In addition to a bunch of great restaurants in the Naples area, the resort offers its own solid set of dining options including Sydney’s Pub right at the golf courses. Lemonia offers a great breakfast buffet while MEZZO offers delicious Mediterranean dishes and shared plates plus a wide selection of wines.

Designated as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International, Tiburon Golf Club plays host to the LPGA’s CME Group Championship and the QBE Shootout.

TWO BEAUTIFUL COURSES TO PLAY

The par-72, 6,949-yard Black Course perfectly protects and enhances its surroundings with crushed coquina waste areas, fairways lined with pine straw, an absence of traditional rough, and beautiful native flora in abundance. The Black, which features six sets of tees, features water hazards and tall pines that impact play on several holes.

The par-72, 7,271-yard links-style Gold Course plays firm and fast and is visually a beautiful track. Fairways lined with pines weave through waste areas, past sod wall bunkers and many water features ending at often tricky greens. The Gold offers five sets of tees making the course accessible to all players.

Tiburon’s Fairways and Greens package includes overnight accommodations, two rounds of golf including golf cart, breakfast buffet for two at Lemonía, unlimited golf/same-day continuous play, and a $25 per person “hassle free” club rental including Callaway Golf clubs, six-ball pouch of Callaway golf balls, a golf glove, and golf shoes.

Buddy Trip Cost

$1500-3000

Travel (by car)

1 hour from Fort Myers, 2 hours from Miami, 2 1/2 hours from Tampa, 3 1/2 hours from Orlando

Tiburon Golf Club at Ritz-Carlton-Naples