Friendships begin on the fairways

Pat Ross drives off of the first tee at the Fort Myers Country Club. RANDY KAMBIC / FLORIDA WEEKLY

As memorialized on one of several plaques, the legendary Donald Ross said upon the opening of the Fort Myers Country Club (FMCC) in 1917 that it was designed so that “each class of player would find pleasure in playing it.” Today, it seemed an ideal place to get a sense of our area’s recreational golfers by meeting with some of the men’s golf association’s 60 members before teeing off and as they unwound afterwards at the adjacent Edison Restaurant, Bar and Banquet Center on a recent Wednesday.

One of the oldest courses on Florida’s West Coast, legends like Arnold Palmer and Fuzzy Zoeller have played here. A major renovation in 2014 featured regressing of all fairways, tee areas and greens, sand in bunkers along with redesigning of some holes.

Director of Golf Kari Phenix estimates 65,000 rounds take place annually on the city-owned 18-hole, par 70/71 course. The women’s golf association plays on Tuesday mornings.

The 62nd annual Yuengling Open is set for March 2 and 3. Previous winners with pro tour experience and connections to our area include Nolan Henke (1991 and 1999), Tommy Tolles (2001), George McNeill (2002 and 2008) and Derek Lamley (2017 and 2019).

It’s time for golfers to unwind in the Edison Restaurant Bar and Banquet Center’s patio after a fun round on the Fort Myers Country Club’s course.

Besides a highly unique, classy 19th hole setting, the restaurant, celebrating the city’s most famous-ever resident, hosts many annual and special social, civic and corporate functions.

A tale of two clubs

For half a year, Pat Ross and Neal Brennan play at The Orchards golf course in Belleville, Illinois. They both relish swinging their clubs here now.

“Can’t beat golfing in the winter,” enthused Brennan next to his nodding friend. They also agree on one aspect of play conditions. “The ball doesn’t carry quite as long as we’re near sea level, but that’s fine,” said Brennan, with Ross agreeing, noting a little more humidity in the air.

Ross added how much he has enjoyed visits to the Edison & Ford Winter Estates and admiring some of the many historic photos inside the restaurant. “It’s hard to imagine what it was like back then,” he pondered.

Ken Levin and Mike Tyree (left to right in foreground), practicing putting before teeing off, have been playing at the Fort Myers Country Club for at least a decade. RANDY KAMBIC / FLORIDA WEEKLY

When it comes to their favorite shots, they differ — “I tend to drive better than the rest of my game,” assessed Ross while Brennan smiled, “Whatever’s working that day.”

On the course and the overall setting, Ross said how “well-designed and challenging” the greens and sand traps are, and Brennan provided a historical perspective: “This course has stood the test of time … more than 100 years.”

A favorite golf memory

It was easy for Ken Levin, of Columbus,

Ohio, to recall his favorite memory of playing at “The Fort” — his first-ever hole in one on hole number 7 two years ago.

“I didn’t see it go in the rest of my foursome did. What a thrill,” he said, adding it reminded him of a friend up north whose tee shot once caromed off a tree and into the cup.

“The greens are very nice and a little raised here, so chipping is very important,” he said. “It’s a fun course.” Another feature he likes: “It’s one of the few walking courses in the area.”

Levin has played the course many times for at least a decade with Mike Tyree, of Morehead, Kentucky, whose favorite hole is number 11. “It’s a long par 5 with a banyan tree guarding the green.” He particularly enjoys “chipping and putting.”

Tyree respects the Edison connection here, but is also fascinated with our area’s rich heritage in another sport. “With all of the spring training that has gone on down here, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle may have played here.”

A fitting foursome

Steve Durham has played the FMCC course with Basil Bakakos many times; Mike Henjum traded shots with Durham once before. These three along with Ken Gray were a foursome for the first time, yet they seemed like longtime friends in relaxing afterwards in the restaurant.

“Mike hits the ball off the tee as good as anyone, and Steve is right behind,” said Gray, to which Henjum modestly coined the time-honored phrase, “You drive for show, you putt for dough!”

Henjum continued about how well they got along. He’s been a seasonal resident for a couple of years and recently moved here permanently from Colorado and Texas homes. “My wife asks when I get home, ‘Who did you meet?’ It’s so great to meet new people and the talent here is amazing,” adding how he met local budding golf star Jordan Fischer here in December. “She’s amazing. And Kari is the backbone of the club.”

Durham, from Pontiac, Illinois, cited hole number 4, a par 3, as his favorite. “You have to hit it pretty accurate as the fairway winds around a little bit, goes left and right. It can be tricky.”

The course “is fun for good drivers and you have to play the par 3s well, all five of them. So much is elevated,” said Bakakos, a retired school teacher from Johnsburg, Illinois. His favorite memory here is scoring a double eagle on the par-5 eighth hole in 2020.

Bakakos opted how the course is in great shape and credited the maintenance crew. “We got along really well,” he added. “Everyone’s happy to be here. As we say, ‘a bad day of golf is better than a good day at the office.’”

Cincinnati resident Gray felt his chipping is his strong suit and furthered, “It’s a fair course. It has a pretty generous driving area, especially on hole one. Get off to a good start.”

He glanced around the restaurant and enthused about “all the memorabilia and nostalgia.”

He and Bakakos have attended the Yuengling Open several times. “It’s amazing how some of them tee up on the 18th hole, hit it onto the ninth fairway and then onto the green in two,” enthused Bakakos.

Maybe Henjum summed up best the uniqueness of the players here: “We all have our stories.” ¦

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