Located just a stone’s throw from Naples, the two championship courses at Tiburon Golf Club have been carved out of 800 acres of pristine Floridian foliage and offer golfers visiting The Sunshine State a varied and infinitely enjoyable test of golf. In addition to the two top class golf courses Tiburon offers visiting golfers the chance to enjoy magnificent golf course views and exquisite dining at Tiburon’s Clubhouse, master their skills at the Rick Smith Golf Academy and relax and unwind in the on-site spa.
Both of the courses at Tiburon were designed by the legendary Greg Norman and although they are very similar to look at each course provides unique challenges of their own.
Gold Course
Measuring 7,288 yards from the tips the Gold Course is the longer of the two and thus can stand up to the big hitters more easily than the shorter Black Course. This is by no means simply a bombers course though as a number of well placed greenside bunkers as well as 50 huge waste bunkers that line the fairways call for accuracy over brute strength. Water hazards also come into play on no less than 13 of the 18 holes and unlike other courses in Florida and much of the USA, the courses at Tiburon are fast running and can be played much like the classic links courses in Scotland and the rest of the UK in the sense that golfers can be creative with the way they play the course, employing bump and run shots where necessary rather than just playing target golf.
Black Course
The older Black Course is tighter than the Gold Course, especially on the older nine holes, which calls for good strategy and precision from the tees. Rough is replaced by huge waste bunkers, much like the Gold Course, and the total yardage of 7,005 yards is not overly long by modern standards but is certainly long enough to challenge the vast majority of golfers. As with the Gold Course there is ample room to get your ball around safely but if you suffer from ‘the big miss’ you may well struggle to score well here as errant shots can be severely punished. The fast running greens and run off areas can also make life tricky if approach shots miss the target.
