Calusa Country Club: Your Florida Golf Escape in Lakewood Ranch
Calusa Country Club, Lennar's newest golf community in Lakewood Ranch, is now taking shape, with two golf courses, resort-style amenities and a wide range of home types. For a buyer coming from the Northeast, Midwest, Canada or overseas, Calusa could make a lot of sense as a snowbird home, second home or Southwest Florida pied-à-terre.
It would be a perfect spot to spend the winter, escape for a few weeks at a time, or to have a home base when you're ready to spend time in Florida. And there is really something to be said for keeping that second home 'lock & leave' easy.
A Different Kind of Golf Community
Calusa is a Lennar community, and that matters when you're deciding what kind of home experience you want. This isn't a bespoke custom-home neighborhood where you're starting with a blank canvas and making hundreds of design decisions.
Lennar's business model is much more streamlined, with established floor plans and its Everything's Included approach to features and finishes. Current Calusa homes, for example, include features such as quartz countertops, stainless appliances, designer blinds, impact-rated windows and smart-home technology, depending on the collection and plan.
For someone building a 'forever home', that limited personalization may be a drawback, but for a second home, I think it can be a completely different conversation. You don't necessarily need to spend months making a Florida house feel like a custom expression of your personality. At Calusa, you can leave it, lock the door and head north when the season changes.
The Golf ⛳️
Calusa's golf offering is substantial. The 18-hole championship course, designed by Gordon Lewis, opened for public play in February 2025. The par-72 course currently measures 7,343 yards from its longest tees, with six sets of tees and water coming into play throughout the layout.
Then there's the 12-hole course, also designed by Lewis. I particularly like this concept for a second-home lifestyle because it doesn't assume every round of golf needs to consume half a day. The course mixes par 3s, par 4s and par 5s and was specifically designed around a more flexible, social approach to the game.
Calusa also has a nearly one-acre putting course, aqua driving range, short-game practice area and golf simulator.
And the club is managed by Troon's ICON Management division, bringing professional golf and hospitality management to the community.
You don't have to be someone who plays 18 holes every morning to enjoy this setup. And for a relaxed Florida lifestyle, that really matters.
It Isn't Really All About the Golf
One of the things I find appealing about Calusa is that the golf is only part of the proposition. The community includes a resort-style pool, clubhouse, restaurant and bar, fitness and wellness amenities, tennis and pickleball, social programs and a Lifestyle Director. Lennar describes the community as being built around golf, wellness, recreation and social connection rather than golf alone.
That opens the door to a couple who may use the community very differently. One person can play golf, while the other can play pickleball, sit by the pool, work out, meet friends for lunch or simply enjoy having somewhere to go without getting in the car.
And when you're only in Florida for part of the year, having that social infrastructure already built in can be surprisingly valuable.
The Homes
One of Calusa's other advantages is the range of home types. Current Lennar offerings include condominiums, coach homes, villas and single-family homes, with residences ranging from roughly 1,100 square feet to just over 3,000 square feet. Current pricing spans from the high $200s to more than $1.2 million, depending on the collection, home site and availability.
Some current examples include:
Veranda Golf Collection — smaller condominium residences
Coach Homes — three-bedroom residences with golf, lake or preserve views
Executive Homes — single-family homes in the roughly 1,850–2,247-square-foot range
Estate Homes — larger residences, including plans approaching 3,000 square feet
The current Lennar inventory changes frequently, so I wouldn't make a purchasing decision based on a published starting price alone. The home site, view, incentives, completion date and included features can all change the equation.
Home office with blue walls and white furnishings. A modern chandelier hangs from the ceiling. Front elevation of a coastal modern home with paver driveway and blue sky, clouds in background. Coastal modern kitchen, dining, and breakfast nook overlooking golf fairways. A neutral toned bedroom with pink accents and modern lighting.
A Great Snowbird/Part-Time Opportunity
Imagine this:
You spend November through March in Florida.
You arrive to your own home, rather than a hotel or vacation rental. Your golf membership is already part of the purchase. Your favorite restaurants, pool, pickleball courts and clubhouse are right there.
Then spring arrives.
You close the door, head back to your primary home, and your Florida home doesn't require you to spend the next six months worrying about a long list of projects. That's the appeal of a community like Calusa.
It's not necessarily about creating your dream house. It's about creating your best Florida lifestyle. For a buyer who wants a highly personalized home with custom finishes, architectural details and the ability to make every design decision, I'd consider other options within Lakewood Ranch.
But if your priority is new construction, amenities, bundled golf, a social environment and a relatively turnkey home base, Calusa makes sense. And for someone who isn't ready or able to make Florida their full-time residence, that distinction matters.
The Bundled Golf Advantage
One of the things that makes Calusa particularly interesting is the bundled golf model. Rather than buying a home and then separately joining a country club, the bundled golf membership comes with the residence. Calusa's marketing describes it as a bundled membership that gives residents access to both the 18-hole championship course and the 12-hole course, along with the practice facilities.
It's also one reason I think Calusa is worth comparing with resale opportunities in communities such as Lakewood National and Esplanade at Azario. Both offer bundled/deeded golf structures, but buying a resale can give you the opportunity to step into an established community, see the home and neighborhood as they actually live today, and potentially avoid some of the uncertainty that comes with buying during a community's build-out.
Calusa, on the other hand, gives you the appeal of new construction and a brand-new club experience, with the golf membership built into the purchase from the beginning. For buyers, that distinction is worth considering. You're not only buying a house near a golf course, you're buying into a lifestyle where the golf and the social side of the club is already part of the package.
What I'd Ponder Before Buying
Calusa is still a developing community, so you'll be buying into a neighborhood that's evolving rather than an established community. I'd also look beyond the purchase price as HOA, CDD, insurance and other assessments can materially change the monthly cost.
And while the standardized Lennar design may feel limiting if you want a highly customized home, I see that differently for a second home. If your priority is a polished, uncomplicated place to enjoy when you're in Florida, less customization can actually be a benefit.
Finally, compare the lifestyle, not just the price. Lakewood Ranch has several golf communities, and each offers a different combination of golf, amenities, home styles, fees and overall atmosphere.
So, Is Calusa Worth a Look?
Yes, and particularly if you're looking for a Florida escape rather than another full-time house to manage. For the right buyer, Calusa offers an appealing combination: new construction, bundled golf, resort-style amenities, social activities and a range of price points, all within the larger Lakewood Ranch lifestyle.
If you'd like to see Calusa in person, or compare it with other Lakewood Ranch communities that might be a better fit for your particular lifestyle, please reach out. I'm happy to help you make comparisons to find what works best for you.
— Audra Lane, REALTOR®, CIPS, RSPS | Preferred SHORE
Connect: https://linktr.ee/AudraByTheSea
© 2026 Audra Lane, LLC | Audra by the Sea
A Note on Representation: Audra is an independent REALTOR affiliated with Preferred SHORE Real Estate. The observations in this article are provided for general informational purposes, not on behalf of any builder, developer or community. Not affiliated with Lennar, Calusa Country Club, Lakewood Ranch, or other communities mentioned here. Pricing, fees, amenities and availability are subject to change and should be independently verified.
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