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Spring Training/Ft. Myers Question

SpicyGarvSauce

By SpicyGarvSauce
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SpicyGarvSauce Draft Eligible

SpicyGarvSauce

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Hoping for some help & guidance...

 

Family is headed to Fort Myers in late February for a week vacation, and we plan to take in a Twins spring training game & such. Can anyone provide insight, tips, information, etc. into the best way to experience ST, things to do in Fort Myers, places to eat, etc.?

 

Thank you! Also - if anyone can provide how to fish and golf down there, that would be awesome information too.

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IndianaTwin Ft Myers Mighty Mussels

IndianaTwin

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Hoping for some help & guidance...

 

Family is headed to Fort Myers in late February for a week vacation, and we plan to take in a Twins spring training game & such. Can anyone provide insight, tips, information, etc. into the best way to experience ST, things to do in Fort Myers, places to eat, etc.?

 

Thank you! Also - if anyone can provide how to fish and golf down there, that would be awesome information too.

 

Can you pitch? Are you impactful? Lefty or righty?

 

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Squirrel GOAT

Squirrel

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Get there early and take some time to check out activity on the minor league fields. Official minor league report by date is Mar. 3, so while there won’t be any minor league games going on at that time, there will likely still be players down on that end running drills and practicing.

 

If you want seating in the shade, the 200 sections, row 10 or higher would be the best bet; or on the 301, 302 terraces. Or with kids, they might have fun with the grass seating, but bring a blanket or towels to sit on.

 

There are lots of parks in the area with beaches or trails or kayaking. Not sure the ages of your kids, so that might make a difference. The Edison-Ford Estates are good.

 

The Ding Darling Refuge on Sanibel is really good, closed on Fridays; but in season, my recommendation for Sanibel is to get out there early, and then come off island before it’s too late in the afternoon. Traffic gets very backed up. There are also good beaches on Sanibel and the Shell Museum is pretty interesting. And the Sanibel Thriller is a good boat tour and dolphins chase the boat.

 

As for golf and fishing ... I don’t do either. The one time I went fishing, I got sea sick. :( But there are lots of golf courses in the area, many public.

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Number3 Draft Eligible

Number3

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Speaking of spring training, it still amazes me that position players report on 2/17 and the Grapefruit schedule begins on the 22nd so many players spend a good chunk of the spring session riding on buses. I know they break up the team and all don't "suit up" for every game and many stay behind and practice or do so on separate fields for home games. Still, it would seem that more intra squad games and game simulations in addition to standard drills would be more beneficial. What is the true benefit of so many games when its possible to play an entire game without making a single play on defense and ab's are few and meaningless in most cases?

A useless question admittedly but I think it is valid. Could it possibly be about the money?

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I don't do the fishing thing down there, but there are all sorts of boat charter options, if that's what you're looking for.

 

As for golf, that time of year, it can be challenging to get a tee time and it can be kind of pricey if you're accustomed to the relatively reasonable public course green fees in most northern communities. I've used apps like teeoff.com (formerly golf18network.com) to find courses at rates I'm comfortable with and schedule tee times.

 

Pay some attention when you are browsing through course listings because there are a lot of "executive" courses in the area, which are essentially all par 3 layouts. Excellent for working on your short game, but not if you are looking for a championship-distance course.

 

A couple places I've found to be reasonable, but certainly not "resort level" quality are Eagle Ridge (which is just a little bit directly east of the Twins' complex) and Eastwood (which I was introduced to by Twins 3rd base coach Tommy Watkins - it's his "home course.") maybe five miles or so north of the Twins complex.

 

Pro tip - get ready to play on some very hard (as in hard as cement) fairways that time of year in Florida. That was the thing that was toughest for me to get used to. Not like hitting an iron off a nice soft grass fairway. And greens may not hold well, either. Pitch and run, rather than trying to loft onto the green and expect it to hold.

 

Oh... and finally, watch for alligators. Seriously. They give a whole new meaning to "water hazard." You know that ball retriever you like to use to pluck errant shots out of the shallow water near the edge of the ponds at your favorite course? Leave it at home. That water logged Top Flite ain't worth it.

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
Jhyerczyk Prep Ball

Jhyerczyk

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I'm a Fort Myers resident who works for the Twins during spring training. I work in the third base store. 

 

The Spring Training complex is nearly all-access so you can walk all over the outside facility to watch drills and some batting practice. 

 

Most of the activity takes place early in the day since it gets hot down here. 

 

I suggest you become familiar with names and faces of the players, especially the former players who have been invited as special instructors. Some wear uniforms with their names, some do not and they'll walk past you if you're not paying attention. 

 

Rod Carew and Tony Oliva are the most popular. The list of players coming down just came out on February 3. 

 

You can watch outside batting practice at any of the outside fields. You can also stand by fences to watch batting cage work. In previous years, you can make a donation to charity and go on the field for game day batting practice. 

 

February 17 is the open house. I understand they are going to have batting practice on the main field this year. 

 

You can come to the complex any day. it doesn't have to be game day. There are always players around. 

 

Also watch the schedule for split-squad games so you won't be disappointed when your favorite players isn't there. 

 

The good thing about our location is that you are also close to other teams (less than 2 hours). So you can go on the road to see the Twins in Port Charlotte against the Tampa Rays, for example. So if you can't get home game tickets, you may want to consider taking a road trip too.

 

Also and this is very important. if you're an autograph hound, make sure you have baseball cards and baseballs to sign. Carry them with you at all times since you never know who will be signing. Players just walk up to the fans in the stands and start signing. There are no tables set up. 

 

Make sure you have plenty of good quality Blue or Black Ball Point Pens for baseballs. Blue is the best. DO NOT GET BASEBALLS SIGNED WITH A SHARPIE PEN. 

 

For photos, baseball cards, bats, helmets and jerseys - Use Black or Silver Fine or ultra-fine Sharpies. Carry a few with you because you'll want to have sharp tips. 

 

Also keep in touch with social media and Twins websites for key information. Things change every year so you'll want to check things out on a daily basis. 

 

Additionally, ask around to get Spring Training Rosters so you'll know the numbers of players especially the Non-Roster Invitees like Royce Lewis or Alex Krilloff. 

 

Don't forget to stop by the Third Base Store. I primarily sell the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels stuff but will have some Twins stuff too. 

 

Also, in previous years, the Players' Wives sold cookbooks and autographed memorabilia for charity. Make sure you stop by their table. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Squirrel GOAT

Squirrel

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Posted
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I'm a Fort Myers resident who works for the Twins during spring training. I work in the third base store. 

 

The Spring Training complex is nearly all-access so you can walk all over the outside facility to watch drills and some batting practice. 

 

Most of the activity takes place early in the day since it gets hot down here. 

 

I suggest you become familiar with names and faces of the players, especially the former players who have been invited as special instructors. Some wear uniforms with their names, some do not and they'll walk past you if you're not paying attention. 

 

Rod Carew and Tony Oliva are the most popular. The list of players coming down just came out on February 3. 

 

You can watch outside batting practice at any of the outside fields. You can also stand by fences to watch batting cage work. In previous years, you can make a donation to charity and go on the field for game day batting practice. 

 

February 17 is the open house. I understand they are going to have batting practice on the main field this year. 

 

You can come to the complex any day. it doesn't have to be game day. There are always players around. 

 

Also watch the schedule for split-squad games so you won't be disappointed when your favorite players isn't there. 

 

The good thing about our location is that you are also close to other teams (less than 2 hours). So you can go on the road to see the Twins in Port Charlotte against the Tampa Rays, for example. So if you can't get home game tickets, you may want to consider taking a road trip too.

 

Also and this is very important. if you're an autograph hound, make sure you have baseball cards and baseballs to sign. Carry them with you at all times since you never know who will be signing. Players just walk up to the fans in the stands and start signing. There are no tables set up. 

 

Make sure you have plenty of good quality Blue or Black Ball Point Pens for baseballs. Blue is the best. DO NOT GET BASEBALLS SIGNED WITH A SHARPIE PEN. 

 

For photos, baseball cards, bats, helmets and jerseys - Use Black or Silver Fine or ultra-fine Sharpies. Carry a few with you because you'll want to have sharp tips. 

 

Also keep in touch with social media and Twins websites for key information. Things change every year so you'll want to check things out on a daily basis. 

 

Additionally, ask around to get Spring Training Rosters so you'll know the numbers of players especially the Non-Roster Invitees like Royce Lewis or Alex Krilloff. 

 

Don't forget to stop by the Third Base Store. I primarily sell the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels stuff but will have some Twins stuff too. 

 

Also, in previous years, the Players' Wives sold cookbooks and autographed memorabilia for charity. Make sure you stop by their table. 

This is all great ... thanks! And I may have seen you in the store (along with thousands of other fans) ... I usually buy a new hat every year :)

 

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Doctor Gast GCL Twins

Doctor Gast

Verified Member
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I was wondering if TD could put some packages together for spring training. I know it`d be a lot of work on your part but it`d be awesome to take advantage of what you know & the pull you might have & get to know some of the members of TD. What do you think?

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stringer bell MVP

stringer bell

Community Leader
Posted
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I don't do the fishing thing down there, but there are all sorts of boat charter options, if that's what you're looking for.

 

As for golf, that time of year, it can be challenging to get a tee time and it can be kind of pricey if you're accustomed to the relatively reasonable public course green fees in most northern communities. I've used apps like teeoff.com (formerly golf18network.com) to find courses at rates I'm comfortable with and schedule tee times.

 

Pay some attention when you are browsing through course listings because there are a lot of "executive" courses in the area, which are essentially all par 3 layouts. Excellent for working on your short game, but not if you are looking for a championship-distance course.

 

A couple places I've found to be reasonable, but certainly not "resort level" quality are Eagle Ridge (which is just a little bit directly east of the Twins' complex) and Eastwood (which I was introduced to by Twins 3rd base coach Tommy Watkins - it's his "home course.") maybe five miles or so north of the Twins complex.

 

Pro tip - get ready to play on some very hard (as in hard as cement) fairways that time of year in Florida. That was the thing that was toughest for me to get used to. Not like hitting an iron off a nice soft grass fairway. And greens may not hold well, either. Pitch and run, rather than trying to loft onto the green and expect it to hold.

 

Oh... and finally, watch for alligators. Seriously. They give a whole new meaning to "water hazard." You know that ball retriever you like to use to pluck errant shots out of the shallow water near the edge of the ponds at your favorite course? Leave it at home. That water logged Top Flite ain't worth it.

I played golf down there several years ago with some locals and was concerned about some of the wildlife on and near the course. I was told that I should worry about things that "have their bellies to the ground" i.e. snakes and gators. I agree that a waterlogged ball is not worth the trouble given what is in the water hazards in SW Florida.

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Squirrel GOAT

Squirrel

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Yes. The beaches on Sanibel and dinners at Doc Fords (I prefer the one on Sanibel, but whichever you go to you can't go wrong ). I never make it past the 6th inning before the call to the beach becomes too strong to ignore.

 

Favorite Sanibel beach? 

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I played golf down there several years ago with some locals and was concerned about some of the wildlife on and near the course. I was told that I should worry about things that "have their bellies to the ground" i.e. snakes and gators. I agree that a waterlogged ball is not worth the trouble given what is in the water hazards in SW Florida.

 

True story: 

A couple of years ago, I went to play at Eastwood with Tommy Watkins. It was just the 2 of us.

 

On the 2nd tee, I'm addressing my ball and just before I'm going to swing, I hear Tommy mutter from behind me, "Alligator."

 

I stop and turn around and he nods over to a body of water 30 feet or so to the left of the tee and sure enough, there's a gator head stuck up out of the water looking our direction. 

 

My eyes go wide and Tommy starts laughing at me.

 

To this day, I tell him he was only laughing because, being local, he knows the secret to surviving an alligator attack is simply to make sure you can outrun one person in your group; and he was rightfully certain he could outrun me if it became necessary.

 

Moral of the story, if you get invited to join a 4some golfing down there, make note of the ages and physical conditions of the others in the group inviting you to join them. If you can tell right away you're the slow one, you know why they invited you.

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SpicyGarvSauce Draft Eligible

SpicyGarvSauce

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I'm going the 22nd of Feb through the game on the 28th. 4 games. Numerous practices. Hope to see some TD fans there. We need some TD tee shirts and TD hats, so we can identify each other and greet and meet each other. 

That is when we are going to be down in Fort Myers as well - should be a great time.

 

Thanks again to all for the information - are there certain establishments or places that players like to frequent and hang out at for some non-baseball R&R?

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Squirrel GOAT

Squirrel

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Bowman is fun at night. Actually, if you go up the island and onto Captiva there is a great beach there, and a Doc Fords within walking distance.

Bowman usually has the best waves and lots of shells. I often go to Gulfside City Park Beach ... it just seems a ... 'lesser known' beach. And when my Dad was still alive, it was the easiest beach to get to from the parking area; shortest distance.

 

At night? I thought beaches 'closed' at sundown?

 

Edit: never mind, checked, nope, open 24 hrs ... which makes more sense when you think about it

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