Smart and straight beats Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club north of Naples

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. –- Any combination of the three nines at Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club won't overwhelm players with distance. It is accuracy and smart decisions off the tee that will rule the day.

Spanish Wells, opened in 1979, is a private club that allows limited public play.

"Don't let the scorecard fool you," warns Matt DiMase, the director of golf operations. "I've seen single digits shoot 88 to 90. You get challenged every foot and every yard out here."

Players will be on their heels facing an endless supply of narrow fairways, pinched by water and southwest Florida's jungle-like underbrush.

Ted Culver, visiting the golf course while on vacation from Michigan, calls Spanish Wells a "target" course where, "You've got to manage the course and your shots. It forces you to be accurate. In 18 holes, I used the driver twice. If you are disciplined, you are rewarded. If not, you pay the price."

Spanish Wells' North nine, added in the mid-1990s, features several holes slimmer than a starving cheetah.

Two of the club's best holes reside on the South nine: The third, a 275-yard, drivable par 4, and the seventh, a 152-yard par 3 that plays over water and bulkhead to an elevated green.

Spanish Wells Golf and C.C. - South nine - hole 2

Water guards the green on the par-5 second hole of the South nine at Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club in Bonita Springs, Fla.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Spanish Wells Golf and C.C. - South nine - hole 3

The short par-4 third on the South nine at Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club is reachable.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Spanish Wells Golf and C.C. - South nine - hole 4

The par-3 fourth on the South nine at Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club is water logged.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Spanish Wells Golf and C.C. - South nine - hole 7

This elevated green makes for an interesting par-3 seventh hole on the South nine at Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club in Bonita Springs, Fla.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Spanish Wells Golf and C.C. - South nine - hole 8

The eighth on the South nine at Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club plays as a long par 5.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Spanish Wells Golf and C.C. - North nine - hole 2

The par-3 second hole on the North nine at Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club plays slightly uphill.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Spanish Wells Golf and C.C. - North nine - hole 4

The fourth on the North at Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club plays through a narrow path.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf

Spanish Wells Golf and C.C. - North nine - hole 6

Water runs up the left side of the par-4 sixth hole on the North nine at Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club in Bonita Springs, Fla.

Jason Scott Deegan/TravelGolf