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I played TPC Treviso Bay in Naples Florida during the last week of April. Treviso Bay is part of the TPC Network. My wife Amy and I are members of TPC Boston.

One of the many benefits of being a TPC member is that members have reciprocity to all TPC courses in the world.  

The vast majority of TPC courses are in the United States and Amy and I have set out a goal to play each one at least once.  We are at about 75% to that goal.

Even though we have a second home in Florida and have great flexibility in our schedule when we are there, getting a tee time at Treviso Bay was not easy. It is an 18-hole facility, and tee times for non-members are at a premium.

The TPC Network has a dedicated group in Florida called TPC Passport.  This highly responsive group accepts tee time requests from TPC members (via email or call) and works directly with the other TPC courses on those requests.

Each TPC course is different where TPC members receive full reciprocity (i.e. cart fees only), and some provide a 20% greens fee discount.  For example, in greater Las Vegas, there are two TPC Courses very near each other.  TPC Las Vegas is a public course where TPC members receive a 20% discount to public greens fees while its sister course, TPC Summerlin, is a private course where TPC members can play there 6 times per calendar year for only the cost of cart greens.

When we finally obtained a tee time, (12:20 PM, mid-week), we took the easy drive about 110 miles from greater Sarasota (Route 75 South for 90% of the trip).  The tee time didn’t really allow for a lunch at the course, so it was breakfast at home and then the drive. The weather was perfect – high 80’s with enough of a breeze to cool you and partly cloudy.

Google Maps took us to the course in plenty of time but sent us to the course service gate and not the main entrance.   

There was no one at the gate but eventually a worker with the gate code let us in to the course.

The entrance to the course is awesome but we did not see it until after the round.

We dropped our clubs at the bag drop and headed to the Golf Shop to check in.

With time wasted at the gate, we left our shopping to after the round.  The range is large with many hitting areas and appears to be over 400 yards in length so hitting to the other side of the range was not an option.

After a quick 15-minute warmup, the four of us ~ Amy, my friends John and Eric and I, headed to the first tee.

As at most TPC Courses, the starter knows that we are guests (he is originally from Winchester, MA), and goes out of his way to make us feel right at home.

The reputation TPC Treviso is water!  Water everywhere.  The Slope Rating is 155 from the Tour Tees and water is certainly in play on most holes.

Water is not in play on the 1^st hole ~ a straightforward par four that has more fairway than it appears on the tee.

Earlier in the week, my friend Bryan hosted Amy and I at his Florida course, The Plantations Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida. 

Despite the best of course and weather conditions, I played poorly, and Bryan noticed that I had my clubface too open at address.  

Armed with this information, I had a great warm up and hit my first drive long (for me) and straight down the middle.  I had a wedge in from about 120 yards and went pin hunting.  

The shot fell about a foot of being perfect and went into the greenside bunker. Here is where I have the only criticism of the near perfect golf conditions.  I found the bunkers very inconsistent.  I had an easy bunker shot (I thought) and could not get under the ball with the packed sand and bladed the ball over the green.  I short sided myself and took double bogey 6. 

The was my play the entire front nine ~ relatively good ball striking and poor results that led to a 47.

Amy had a great day of ball striking.  She usually plays from the Women’s tees at TPC Boston at 5,150 yards but played from the same tees as John at 5,700 yards.  Her game is certainly on the upswing, and she handled the additional 500 plus yards easily.

During the second 9, I settled down with a 40 and shot a reasonable 87.  My poor bunker play really hurt my score as I didn’t have a feel for any of the lies and warned my playing partners as such!

We missed breakfast, lunch and dinner.  We were warmly welcomed in the restaurant, but no food was being served at that time.

The four of us had a drink, and, as I always do at that time, ask each player to name their favorite shot of the day. 

My favorite shot of the day was on the 11^th hole.  I hit driver on a short par 4, but caught a fairway bunker. 

I hit a 54-degree wedge cleanly from the bunker from 98 yards and just missed a hole out from the bunker. 

Unbeknownst to me, getting on the green in two wasn’t the biggest obstacle on the hole.  Between me and the green was a large alligator.  I slowly walked around him and then confidently missed a gimme birdie putt. 

As we headed out, everyone agreed that the course conditions were fabulous, and the layout was great. The note on my email tee time confirmation from TPC Passport indicated that the course was in “peak condition”, and it certainly felt like it.

Next time, I would spend more time at the bunker practice area.

In terms of course layout, course conditions (near perfect), staff friendliness, amenities and first-class clubhouse, Amy and I would put TPC Treviso Bay right up there with the top TPC Courses we have played to date.