The Forest Country Club is South Fort Myers’ most established private golf community — a 620-acre gated enclave that has been defining the Fort Myers golf lifestyle since 1979. In a region where new golf communities launch regularly with manufactured landscaping and freshly seeded fairways, The Forest offers something no new development can replicate: 45 years of maturity. The canopy of trees lining every fairway, the established nature preserves bordering each neighborhood, and the lived-in character of a community that has been home to generations of residents — these are the product of time, not design budget.
Located in South Fort Myers off U.S. 41 between Gladiolus Drive and Alico Road, The Forest sits at a practical crossroads that puts residents within 15 minutes of Fort Myers Beach, 20 minutes of Southwest Florida International Airport, and 35 minutes of Naples’ Fifth Avenue South. The 24-hour manned gatehouse provides the security and privacy that defines gated community living, while the community’s non-bundled membership model gives residents the flexibility to engage with the club at whatever level suits their lifestyle.
For buyers evaluating Fort Myers luxury golf communities, The Forest occupies a distinct and important position in the market: the premier private 36-hole golf experience at a price point well below the waterfront and marina communities that dominate the top of the Fort Myers market. It is the community where serious golfers who have done their research end up — drawn by the courses, the optional membership flexibility, and a social environment that seven consecutive Gulfshore Life Best of Golf and Tennis awards confirm is consistently excellent.
The Forest Country Club offers one of the most compelling value propositions in the Fort Myers luxury market: private 36-hole golf community living at a price point that makes it genuinely accessible to buyers who would be priced out of comparable communities in Naples or the Gulf-access waterfront segment of Fort Myers.
The most recent 12-month market data through May 2026 reflects 50 homes sold with an average asking price of $460,657 and an average selling price of $424,711 — a list-to-sell ratio of 92% at $154 per square foot. Average days on market of 194 reflects the deliberate pace at which buyers approach golf community purchases, not a sign of weak demand. The community’s 92% list-to-sell ratio in a softened market indicates motivated but not desperate sellers and buyers who know what they want.
The Forest contains ten distinct neighborhoods across 650 acres with 777 homes, offering four primary property categories:
Custom single-family homes: The top of The Forest market. Golf course and lake-view lots throughout the community, with homes ranging from approximately $350,000 to the $700,000s depending on lot position, size, and renovation status. The most desirable properties front the Bear or Bobcat courses on premium lots with western exposure for afternoon views.
Attached villas: Single-story living with lower maintenance demands, popular with snowbird buyers who want privacy without the upkeep of a full estate home. Pricing from approximately $300,000 to $500,000 depending on views and finishes.
Condominiums: The entry point into The Forest. Multiple condo buildings throughout the community offer golf course and lake views at pricing from approximately $150,000 to $500,000. Fully renovated units trade at the top of this range; original-condition units offer significant value for buyers willing to renovate.
Carriage homes: Coach-style attached homes offering more space than a traditional condo with the low-maintenance appeal of an attached product. Pricing from approximately $250,000 to $450,000.
The renovation story at The Forest is a meaningful value driver right now. The completed Bear Course renovation has elevated the community’s profile among serious golfers, and buyers who purchase during the post-renovation window — before prices fully reflect the improved amenity — are positioned for above-market appreciation relative to what they paid. This is the same dynamic that plays out at every private club after a significant course renovation.
The Forest Country Club’s defining asset is its golf — specifically, the combination of two distinct 18-hole championship courses designed by the same architect, both walkable, both without tee time restrictions, and now both operating at the highest standard in the club’s history following the Bear Course renovation.
The Bear Course at The Forest Country Club completed a comprehensive renovation with a grand reopening in Fall 2025. The club describes the result as fully reimagined and a game changer — language that reflects the scale of the investment and the departure from the pre-renovation layout. The renovation addressed course conditioning, playability, and visual presentation, bringing the Bear Course to a standard that positions it among the premier golf experiences in South Fort Myers.
For buyers who are evaluating The Forest based on pre-renovation knowledge or older photographs, the current course is a materially different and better product than what existed before Fall 2025. Scheduling a playing visit is the most effective way to appreciate the transformation.
The Bobcat Course provides a contrasting experience to the Bear — a second distinct layout that keeps the 36-hole membership compelling across years of play. The ability to rotate between two entirely different courses designed by the same architect is a retention feature that single-course clubs cannot offer, and it is a primary reason The Forest’s membership has maintained depth over four decades.
Both courses were designed by Gordon Lewis, providing design continuity and intentional contrast between the two layouts
Both courses are walkable — an increasingly rare feature among private clubs in Florida, where cart-mandatory policies have become the norm
No tee time restrictions — members play when they want, without competing against a waitlist or priority system that favors higher-tier members
Voted Best of Golf by Gulfshore Life for seven consecutive years from 2019 through 2025, reflecting sustained quality of maintenance and member experience across both courses
Pace of play under 4 hours — a commitment the club actively promotes and maintains, which matters to golfers who have experienced the 5-hour rounds common at more crowded clubs
The Forest Country Club’s 40,000-square-foot clubhouse underwent a significant renovation and expansion that reconfigured and modernized the facility while preserving the warmth and intimacy that defines the club’s social culture. The renovation transformed the main dining room into the centralized Gumbo Limbo Grille and Bar — a casual dining and lounge concept at the heart of the clubhouse that replaced the formal dining format with an environment better suited to the way members actually want to spend time at their club.
Key features of the renovated clubhouse include a new 26-foot vaulted ceiling over the central Gumbo Limbo Grille space, a covered terrace dining area overlooking the golf course for outdoor dining with course views, a remodeled card room and lounge, a new outdoor fire pit and bar, and an updated fitness center with aerobic room. The entire interior — including new construction and renovated spaces — received new custom carpet, luxury vinyl plank flooring, and fresh finishes throughout.
The clubhouse social calendar reflects a community that is genuinely active beyond golf. Group trips to the theater, large dinner events, live music and dancing, football watch parties, and organized social programming give The Forest the character of a community where residents are engaged with each other and with the club — not just showing up to play golf and going home. For buyers who want a social lifestyle attached to their golf community, this dimension of The Forest is as important as the courses themselves.
The Forest Country Club’s membership model is one of its most strategically important features for buyers — and one of the most consistently under-explained aspects of the community on competing agent pages. Understanding it clearly before making a purchase decision is essential.
The Forest is a non-bundled community. This means purchasing a home does not automatically include or require any club membership. Homeowners choose independently whether to join the club and at which membership tier. This flexibility makes The Forest particularly well-suited to second homeowners and seasonal residents, who comprise approximately 70% of the community. A buyer who spends four months in Fort Myers each winter does not need to pay twelve months of full club dues — and at The Forest, they are not required to.
Full Family Golf Membership: Includes all family members with dependents up to age 25. Full access to both courses, clubhouse dining, social events, tennis, pickleball, fitness and wellness center, bocce, and lifestyle events. Designed for buyers who intend to make golf the centerpiece of their Fort Myers lifestyle.
Individual Golf Membership: Same full access as Family membership for a single member. Appropriate for buyers who golf regularly and want unrestricted access to both the Bear and Bobcat courses without the family tier pricing.
Social Membership: Annual membership providing unlimited clubhouse dining, tennis, pickleball, fitness and aerobic center, bocce, social activities, and lifestyle events — without golf access. For buyers who want the social and fitness infrastructure of the club without the golf dues.
Tennis and Pickleball Membership: Full access to the tennis and pickleball center, advanced court reservations, ball machine rental, instruction and clinics, league play, events, and tournaments, plus club dining prior to 5pm. Designed for buyers whose primary club interest is racquet sports.
No membership: Homeowners who prefer not to join the club in any capacity retain that option. The community HOA and residential amenities are separate from club membership.
For buyers comparing The Forest against bundled communities where a mandatory club membership is included in the purchase price, it is worth calculating the true cost of ownership carefully. At bundled communities, the club initiation and dues are priced into the home — buyers pay for the amenities whether they use them or not. At The Forest, buyers pay only for what they actually use. For the approximately 70% of residents who are seasonal, this difference in cost structure is meaningful over years of ownership.
The Forest Country Club’s racquet sports and fitness facilities have earned the same Gulfshore Life recognition as its golf courses — the Best of Golf and Tennis award covers both disciplines, reflecting the depth of programming and facility quality across both.
The Forest features 6 Har-Tru clay tennis courts with organized league play, instruction, clinics, and tournament programming through the tennis and pickleball membership. Har-Tru clay is the preferred surface among serious recreational players for its forgiving nature on joints and its play characteristics that reward strategy over power — a meaningful amenity for the community’s primarily 55-and-over demographic that plays competitively but values sustainable play over high-impact court surfaces.
Pickleball is available at The Forest with dedicated courts and organized programming through the tennis and pickleball membership. The sport has become one of the primary social activities across the community’s seasonal demographic, with mixer events and league play driving consistent participation during the winter season months.
The fitness center and aerobic room were updated as part of the recent clubhouse renovation, with new equipment and expanded group fitness programming. Group fitness sessions, aerobics, and personal training options are available to members. For seasonal residents who use their Fort Myers home as their primary fitness base during the winter months, the updated facility provides a genuine alternative to external gym memberships.
The Forest operates 2 lighted bocce ball courts with a 300-member league — one of the most active bocce programs of any private club in the Fort Myers area. The scale of the bocce league is a useful proxy for the overall social engagement level at The Forest: a 300-member organized league reflects a community where residents are genuinely using and investing in their amenities, not just paying for them.
The Forest Country Club’s South Fort Myers location off U.S. 41 places residents at a practical intersection of access and privacy. The 24-hour manned gatehouse provides security and a defined sense of arrival, while the U.S. 41 corridor puts the entire Fort Myers–Lee County market within comfortable reach.
Fort Myers Beach: approximately 15 minutes
Sanibel and Captiva Islands: approximately 20–25 minutes via Sanibel Causeway
Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW): approximately 20 minutes
Gulf Harbour Yacht and Country Club: approximately 10 minutes
Bell Tower Shops and dining: approximately 10 minutes
Coconut Point Mall (Estero): approximately 20 minutes
Naples Fifth Avenue South: approximately 35–40 minutes
Approximately 70% of The Forest’s residents are second homeowners or seasonal residents — a demographic profile that shapes everything about the community’s culture, social calendar, and membership structure. The winter season at The Forest runs from approximately November through April, when the majority of residents are in residence, the social calendar is at full intensity, and tee times — despite the no-restriction policy — reflect the community at its most active.
For buyers who are evaluating Fort Myers as a seasonal base, The Forest’s combination of flexible optional membership, active winter social programming, and accessible price point makes it one of the most practical and cost-effective private golf community options in the region. The airport proximity — approximately 20 minutes to RSW — is a specific advantage for seasonal residents flying in for extended stays.
Health Park Medical Center, Lee Health’s flagship hospital, is approximately 10–15 minutes from The Forest and provides comprehensive acute care, cardiac services, and specialty medicine. Gulf Coast Medical Center on Ben Hill Griffin Parkway is approximately 20 minutes north for additional specialized services.
The Forest Country Club offers one of the most accessible price points of any private 36-hole golf community in Southwest Florida. Single-family homes range from approximately $350,000 to the $700,000s depending on lot position, size, and renovation status. Condominiums range from approximately $150,000 to $500,000. Attached villas and carriage homes range from approximately $250,000 to $500,000. The average sold price over the past 12 months was $424,711 at $154 per square foot. For buyers seeking private golf community living in Fort Myers without the price premium of waterfront or marina communities, The Forest consistently represents the strongest value in the market.
The Forest Country Club has two 18-hole championship golf courses — the Bear Course and the Bobcat Course — both designed by golf course architect Gordon Lewis. The Bear Course completed a full renovation with a grand reopening in Fall 2025 and is described by the club as fully reimagined. Both courses are walkable and operate with no tee time restrictions, meaning members play when they want without competing for access. The Forest has been voted Best of Golf by Gulfshore Life for seven consecutive years from 2019 through 2025, reflecting consistent quality across both layouts.
No. The Forest Country Club is a non-bundled community, which means club membership is entirely optional and completely separate from purchasing a home. Homeowners choose independently whether to join the club and at which tier — golf, social, tennis and pickleball, or no membership at all. This flexibility makes The Forest particularly popular with second homeowners and seasonal residents who do not want to pay full club dues year-round for a property they occupy seasonally. Approximately 70% of Forest residents are second homeowners or snowbirds.
The Forest Country Club has been voted Best of Golf and Tennis by Gulfshore Life magazine for seven consecutive years from 2019 through 2025 — the longest consecutive run of that recognition among Fort Myers golf and tennis communities. The award reflects the sustained quality of both the Bear and Bobcat courses and the tennis and pickleball facilities, as evaluated annually by Gulfshore Life’s readership and editorial team.
The Forest Country Club contains ten distinct neighborhoods offering single-family homes, attached villas, condominiums, and carriage homes across 650 acres of mature landscaping and nature preserves. Property types and prices vary meaningfully by neighborhood and lot position — golf course and lake-view properties command a premium over interior lots. The mature tree canopy and established landscaping throughout the community, developed since 1979, give The Forest a visual character that newer golf communities in Fort Myers cannot replicate. Notable sub-neighborhoods include Fairway Woods, Panther Paw, Bear Cub Court, Quail Cove, Waters Edge, Heron Coach, and Partridge Place, each with distinct housing styles and price profiles.
The Forest Country Club is a community where the membership tier you choose, the neighborhood you buy in, and the specific lot position relative to the Bear or Bobcat course all affect what you own and what it will be worth when you sell. The post-renovation window on the Bear Course is a genuine buying opportunity that will not last indefinitely. Daniel Abreu works with buyers and sellers across Fort Myers’ most established luxury communities. Schedule a private consultation to tour the renovated Bear Course, understand current inventory, and find the right entry point for your goals
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