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Treat the Parents
Golf getaways custom-made for Mom and Dad
By Sam Crespo
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The Rookery at Marco Golf Club's eighth hole offers multiple challenges and a majestic view of the area foliage.
The Rookery at Marco Golf Club's eighth hole offers multiple challenges and a majestic view of the area foliage.
Forget roses and neckties - this year's go-to gift for Mother's and Father's Days is a golf getaway. Reserve a tee time; then see where a weekend in Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades can take you. With nearly 90 golf courses and a host of extracurricular activities to choose from, you can create an itinerary with your recipient in mind. After all, didn't mom and dad teach you it's the thought that counts?

Here are a few itinerary ideas to get you started.

Everglades Inspiration

Thank the scout troop-leading, s'mores-roasting types for instilling their love of nature in you with an Everglades-inspired escape.

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Play greens known for tempering their challenges with views of the area's signature flora and fauna.

The Rookery at Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort reveals water hazards and deep bunkers amid forests, lagoons and wetlands, and is a member of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program.

In Naples, Eagle Lakes Golf Club features water on most holes, but five sets of tees make the course enjoyable at any skill level, as does the prospect of spotting the resident pair of American bald eagles.

And at The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, wind, hazards and a thick rough test players, though it's justifiable to blame the mesmerizing mix of oaks, screw pines and
A variety of trees and shrubs surround The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.
A variety of trees and shrubs surround The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club.
Poinciana fringing this historic public course.

The area's newest course, The Golf Club at Del Webb in Ave Maria, is friendly despite narrowing fairways and ever-present water - nearly 30 lakes attract alligators, eagles and hawks.

Free Time
Follow the boardwalk at Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary through uplands, marsh, prairie and the country's largest remaining stand of virgin bald cypress trees. Surprise yourselves with glimpses of butterflies, birds, reptiles and more.

Broaden your scope to dolphins and manatees along the Paradise Coast Blueway. Outfitters can equip you for a day paddle or kayak fishing excursion along Phase 1 of the waterway, from Everglades City to Marco Island.

Naples Bicycle Tours provides another perspective with guided cycling tours of the Everglades.

Gather 'round the table at Everglades Seafood Depot and Market, serving local seafood from fresh grouper to alligator inside Everglades City's original train station.

Capt. Brien's Seafood & Raw Bar on Marco Island features a serious fresh seafood selection complemented by homemade cornbread.

Luxury, Unwrapped

They always wanted the best for you. Now it's your turn to reciprocate by indulging them in some of life's finer things.

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The exclusivity of a resort experience translates into first-rate service and pristine conditions
LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort rewards golfers with an easy-going course and plush amenities, such as a full-service spa.
LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort rewards golfers with an easy-going course and plush amenities, such as a full-service spa.
on the greens.

Fitting for the Ritz-Carlton Beach Resort, Naples, the area's only Mobil Five Star and AAA Five Diamond resort, the Tiburon Golf Club hosts the PGA's Merrill Lynch Shootout and earns 4 - stars from Golf Digest for both of its 18-hole courses. Tiburon is also open to guests of the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples.

At LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort, recognition comes from Conde Nast Traveler as a Top 100 Golf Resort staple (2005-2007) and from players who appreciate the echo of the resort's beachfront calm in the course's relaxed pace.

Golf Digest also lauds Naples' Lely Mustang and Flamingo Island Golf Clubs (4 - and 4 stars, respectively), with eye-pleasing settings and satisfying challenges at GreenLinks Golf Resort & Conference Center.

Tip: Play luxuriously without whacking a divot in your budget - off-peak rates are in effect now through the end of the year.

Free Time
Soothe golf-fatigued muscles with a sports massage at The Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples or LaPlaya's SpaTerre. SpaTerre emphasizes beachfront bliss with outdoor relaxation tubs and a seaside salt glow.

Once refreshed, browse the art galleries and fashion boutiques of Naples' Fifth Avenue South and Third Street South.

Naples Botanical Garden presents an equally artful experience with an award-winning tropical mosaic garden, and you'll score additional points with Mom at the Naples Players' presentation of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, through May 17.

Turn dinner into a special occasion at LaPlaya's BALEENnaples (intensify the celebrated Florida flavors by reserving a barefoot beach table).

Sale e Pepe at the Marco Beach Ocean Resort and Naples' Bleu Provence bring the tastes and ambience of Italy and France, respectively, to the area, courtesy of European chefs, scratch-made specialties and wine lists that have pleased the palates at Wine Spectator.

At the end of the day, nothing says "thank you" like time spent. Stroll the beach together and snap a sunset photo for the family album.
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