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In the beginning

If ever a name fit, it’s Countryside Golf & Country Club.

Turn off busy Davis Boulevard into aptly-named Countryside Drive, and the immediate feeling is almost rural despite the gated community being situated slap bang in Naples proper.

Its centerpiece is, of course, the 18-hole, par 70 golf course with its carpet-like, undulating fairways and greens.

The project took shape way back in 1987, so ranks in maturity with a select band of other area courses.

Originally designed and conceived by legendary golf course architect Arthur Hills, it underwent some changes nine years ago at the hands of equivalent architectural icon Gordie Lewis.

The changes, the results

Today, the course — despite being smaller than a championship venue — is a little more user-friendly than before, largely due to Lewis making the fairways a little more “generous for tee shots,” according to resident Director of Golf T.K. Matthews.

That by no means suggests easy pickings, Matthews adds, because water comes into play on 14 of the holes.

Amenities for the club, which is private in winter but open to all summer golfers who hold reciprocals from other clubs or charity cards, include a restaurant, bar, fitness room, tennis courts, pro shop and practice facility.

Because the bundled community (golf memberships come with home purchases) is now virtually built out, Matthews said not too much is planned by way of future developments.

Tour de fours (and threes and fives)

Matthews makes no excuses for the course being a par 70, and hence slightly smaller than many others in the area.

Some visitors, he says, come in underestimating the challenge and walk away burned.

He’s alluding to course management, and says for this reason many of the more senior members do well because they’re not over gung-ho with their drivers.

“They get their pars by being accurate,” Matthews says. “You don’t have to hit that long on most of the holes (to get a doable approach shot).”

Like all golf directors, Matthews credits his right-hand man and grounds supervisor J.D. Varon for the appearance of the undeniable beauty of the course.

During a cart tour a couple of days after tropical storm Fay left her soggy calling card, Matthews heads straight for the 9th hole.

It is the great leveler, he says, with a water carry of about 198 yards from the tips, but no less intimidating from the other tees as well.

But, he says, the signature hole is probably number 16, also involving a water carry.

It’s a dog-leg right around a lake, and golfers can choose to cut off part of the lake with the reward being a fairly easy approach shot.

Be a little more conservative and play the tee shot safely short and left, he says, and the approach shot has a beckoning lake on the right and a strategic bunker up front.

Matthews says today’s popular hybrids are probably a good choice for tee shots on the majority of the holes because of their accuracy and distance capabilities.

“It depends what sort of a challenge you want,” he says. “I sometimes practice by driving on most of the holes.”

Matthews draws particular attention to the undulating greens and fairways, and some of the tee boxes that give the feeling of hitting downhill — something rather unique for flat Florida.

Born and raised in Arizona, and a graduate of the Airforce Academy in Colorado Springs, Matthews was most recently with Grey Oaks Country Club in Naples.

He moved, he says, because of the chiefs and indians structure there.

“I wanted to run a place myself,” he said of the move to Countryside.

A family man, he’s lived in the area since 1988.

About a round

First things first.

Golfers have no complaints at all if they arrive at a club and the range balls are free.

This perk might prompt an earlier-than-usual arrival, which allows a nice warm-up, not so much for pounding drives, but honing the approach shots that are so vital to play the course well.

Matthews is right about the daunting hole 9, which plays havoc with the mind when deciding to try a straight shot over the water, or go safe and plunk the ball short and left.

Hole 16 is indeed worthy of being called the signature hole, but this particular bogey golfer decides against Big Bertha and instead finds a 4 iron safely adequate.

It isn’t, however, quite adequate to set up birdie time, hence another penciled bogey is entered on the score card.

In all, the club is a delight to experience visually as well as play, and summer golfers looking for something different could do a lot worse than give the pro shop a call for a tee time.

Course record, incidentally, is 63.

The pro shop number is 455-0001.