Marco, FL Outdoor Activities

Named to the World Golf Teachers Federation’s list of the top 100 instructors, Earl Hines helps his students break bad golfing habits and build positive new ones. Along with fellow instructor Chris Jensen and a team of additional instructors, Hines aims to make golfers of all skill levels aware of their game issues, enabling them to diagnose and correct swing problems from evidence such as erratic ball flight, too-deep divots, or playing partners who wear motorcycle helmets. All instruction is provided by Academy Golf at Eagle Lakes Golf Club, with swing lessons on the driving range and playing lessons making use of the club’s 7,150-yard championship course.

Crystalline waters lap at the powdery white sands of Tigertail Beach as guests lounge away, propped up on wooden foldout chairs acquired from Tigertail Beach Rentals. The business makes summertime fun its sole focus, renting watercraft as well as cabanas and other beach accessories. Aquatic explorers can jump into sea squirts and traipse through the gentle waves, spritzing family members or easily deterred merfolk with water cannons. Single or tandem kayaks leisurely glide through the lagoon, with riders enjoying close-up views of residents of the nearby wildlife habitat while maintaining a quiet atmosphere for those on the beach. Guests can recharge with breakfast or lunch offerings from the outdoor café, noshing on Angus burgers, grouper fingers, and kids' meals served in beach pails.

A windswept canopy of palm trees and tiki huts cast shadows over Golf Safari’s 18-hole mini-golf course, where putters explore a safari-themed pastiche of life-sized lion statues, jungly gardens, and misting waterfalls. Built upon a foundation of rocky outcrops, the emerald passageways swerve among the hooves of zebra sculptures, pretend giraffes, and real-life goat-human hybrids. Sprightly flowers and ponds dotted with lily pads greet putt-putt posses along the way, providing a tranquil contrast to pressure-packed putts. With each hole in one, players gain a lifetime of bragging rights against their competitors, as well as the eternal friendship of George T. Gorilla, the course’s primate mascot.

Like the Fort Myers Palms and the Miami Hustlers, Marlins, and Orioles before them, the Fort Myers Miracle continue a tradition of minor league baseball in South Florida that dates back to 1926. Under the stewardship of partial owners Jimmy Buffet and Bill Murray, the Miracle is now a Class A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins that faces off against rival Florida State League teams in front of crowds of up to 8,500 in Hammond Stadium. Though still pursuing their first FSL championship, the franchise has won six total first and second half division titles and produced a number of players who have gone on to play in the FSL all-star game, the major leagues, and community theater productions of The Sandlot.

Famed course architects Dick Wilson and Joe Lee artfully incorporated more than 50 sand traps, ponds, and diverse tree lines into Quality Inn & Suites Golf Resort’s 6,570-yard course. The course’s first hole is also its most difficult, so clubbers would benefit from a brief warm-up session at the course’s practice green and lighted driving range. An onsite pro shop maintains a wide selection of golf equipment and apparel, and a staff of PGA professionals orchestrates private, group, and undercover golf lessons.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, live music enchants diners as they enjoy a meal of traditional grill fare by the pool or at the garden terrace of T. A. Fitzgerald’s Restaurant & Spirits. Meanwhile, the casual eatery’s indoor accommodations feature a wide-screen TV with a satellite feed to help guests keep abreast of faraway sporting events without having to use their putter as an AM radio antenna.

Course at a Glance:

• Designed by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee
• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,570 yards from the farthest tees
• Course rating of 71.5 from the farthest tees
• Slope rating of 125 from the farthest tees
• Four tee options
• Scorecard

Though Adventures Kayaking founder Glenn has fly-fished the Arctic Circle and helmed charter boats across Lake Michigan, the seasoned captain likes kayaking best. That’s because the small, sleek vessels grant Glenn access to Florida’s secluded backwaters and estuaries, which are inaccessible by boat. Now, Glenn and his guides impart not only their expertise on kayaking technique, but lead tour groups to the best spots on the Calusa Blueway for spotting wildlife or nabbing fish. Guides happily tailor tours to suit each group's skill levels and furnish kayaks with storage bags, coolers, and bottled water to ensure the tour remains a comfortable experience. En route, they’ll even snap pictures of groups as they glide across waterways and attempt to dodge photo-bombing manatees.