Old Corkscrew Golf Club in Estero, Fla., is only one year old but the accolades have poured in for one of Southwest Florida’s newest golf courses. Since late February of 2007 when the legendary Jack Nicklaus played 18 holes in a course opening exhibition round, to today, the course has been recognized with a Florida course-of-the-year award, named to a prestigious golf magazine best-of list, earned its Audubon certification and lured Southwest Florida’s best known golf instructor to relocate his golf academy to the site.
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“It’s been a great year for Old Corkscrew, that’s for sure,” says Mark Iwinski, manager of golf operations for the club. “We are gratified by the recognition and awards we’ve received, but more important is the satisfaction we get in providing to our members and guests the best golf experiences in SWFL.”
Old Corkscrew is an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature design golf course located on Corkscrew Road between Fort Myers and Naples, Florida on 275-acre magnificently wooded acres. Natural cart paths wind around contoured fairways, a restored flowway, and lush greens. The course is carved from the natural terrain of native oaks, towering slash pines and surrounding native vegetation. The undulating greens rise 10 to 20 feet above the fairways, creating stunning and serene vistas of adjacent farmlands, though with sometimes challenging pin placements.
The par-72 championship golf course is the only Signature Nicklaus Design non-residential course in Southwest Florida, which is the highest standard of design offered by Nicklaus Design and includes Jack Nicklaus’ personal oversight and involvement in every step of the design and construction.
“As with all Nicklaus Design courses, it is distinctive, demanding and definitely unforgettable,” Iwinski says.
Old Corkscrew offers all the extras desired in a golf experience, including each cart being equipped with an advanced GPS system to facilitate more accurate and strategic play and a tour-caliber practice and chipping green that is kept in tournament ready condition.
The first major award received by Old Corkscrew was announced in October by the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) which named Old Corkscrew its 2008 Florida Course of the Year. The award is presented annually to an NGCOA member facility that is setting new standards in golf course design and club management by demonstrating exceptional quality, excellence of ownership and management, outstanding contributions to the community, and significant contribution to the game.
In December, Golf Digest magazine, the nation’s number one golf publication, placed Old Corkscrew Golf on its prestigious list of America's Best New Courses. The list is selected by a panel of more than 800 golfers who rate their golf experience after playing the course.
In January, 2008, Mike Calbot, better known as Southwest Florida’s Golf Doctor, relocated his International Golf Studio and TRIAD Golf Schools to Old Corkscrew. Calbot has more than 38 years of teaching experience and has been giving golf lessons in Southwest Florida since 1978. He is widely known for his golf tips program which has been airing on WINK-TV for more than 25 years. The golf studio offers private and small group instruction with a focus on video lessons.
Also, in October, Old Corkscrew learned that it had received its Silver Signature Sanctuary designation from Audubon International. The Audubon International certification program works with landowners and developers to create golf courses that are planned, constructed, and managed with a significant focus on environmental quality and sustainability. Environmental experts with Audubon International partnered with Old Corkscrew from the earliest stages of the design and construction of the course and created a Natural Resource Management Plan (NRMP) that serves as a construction and operations manual for the property.
More information can be found at www.OldCorkscrew.com