Going for Golf

The Rookery at Marco

The Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, Golf Club & Spa has been lavished with a $220m facelift, including improvements to the golf course, The Rookery at Marco, which is some seven miles north of the hotel. But be warned you can play it only from May to October as a non-resident.

The course is an experience in itself – the wildlife teeming in every corner means you are guaranteed to see plenty of birdies whatever the state of your game. You are likely to encounter more than 20 species and there are alligators and snakes aplenty so stay out of the wetland areas and lakes. It is another testing track, with another excellent par three over water at the 16th, and another tricky four-hole finish which will leave you wanting more. And if you are struggling, the club’s academy, run by Jan Wivestad, has a programme for you.

Off the course, you can enjoy the resort’s private beach, located on a stretch of more than three miles; three pools; four restaurants, featuring Florida’s finest fruits of the sea; Balinese-inspired spa or just relax on the balcony of your luxurious ocean-view room.

And for those who can show a set of sea legs, no trip would be complete without Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort’s jetski ride through the Ten Thousand Islands, which covers some 200,000 acres of the gateway to the Everglades. I have never done anything so exciting, exhilarating and educational – thanks to my knowledgeable guide Brian – in 25 years as a journalist. Del Boy heading out to sea at full throttle in that classic Only Fools and Horses Christmas special had nothing on me!

You can of course be more conventional and take a tour by boat, or combine your sightseeing boat ride with some back-country angling as I did with Six Chuter Charters, who definitely put me on the fish.