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About Golf In Sarasota, bradenton, FL
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Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida (Return to Previous Page)
Considering its namesake, it would be easy to think that Manatee County is all about life in the slow lane. It could be, of course, if that's what you're looking for. Like the Manatee itself - that gentle, slow-moving giant found in the waters around here - you could keep it in low gear all day long. If you do, however, you'll be missing the boat, the bus and some sensational golf. There are simply too many lovely layouts in Manatee County - as well as in Sarasota County just to the south - to justify sitting around in your Bermudas (or should that be: on your Bermudas). And it's especially true if you're visiting here during the winter. You'll have plenty of time to "chill" when you get back home.
In and around Bradenton, Manatee County's largest city, the number of excellent courses to choose from is almost endless. One that is particularly popular - and extremely pretty - is the Legacy at Lakewood Ranch, an Arnold Palmer design that opened in 1997. A sprawling par 72 that measures 7,067 yards from the back tees (five other sets of markers are available), Legacy could be best described as "visually intimidating." The reasons for this include island greens, island fairways, optional fairways, and lots of white sand and blue water. This golf course is very playable, however, or it wouldn't be so popular. In fact, the readers of Florida Golf News once voted the Legacy at Lakewood Ranch the No. 1 course in southwest Florida.
Another Bradenton layout that's a favorite with visitors and locals alike is the River Club. A tad shorter than the Legacy at 7,026 yards from the furthest of its five tees, the River Club is a Ron Garl layout that was built in 1987. The rolling fairways of the front nine here are fairly open (although extensively mounded) but the back is carved out of woods. Oh, yeah: and there's plenty of water to contend with, too. Not untypical for a Florida course, the H2O is in play on sixteen of eighteen holes.
As its name implies, you'll see lots of water at Waterlefe Golf & River Club as well. The river in this case is the Manatee, one of the prettiest waterways in the area. Waterlefe is the work of architect Ted McAnlis, who took advantage of the closeness of the river by providing several holes that play alongside or even touch the water. A tip: if you keep an eye out, you just might see a few of the creatures the river is named for by the fifteenth tee. Another tip: at 6,908 yards from the back markers, this golf course may not seem all that big. From the back tees, however, the par-three 9th hole plays 230 yards over a make-it-or-die marsh. In case you're interested - from the back tees - the 9th is not the only unforgiving hole here. In case you're interested, four other tees are available.
Since it should be clear by now that long, beautiful courses with lots of water is the norm around here, you might as well play one more before you head south to Sarasota. According to a number of visitors who have played it, Stoneybrook Golf Club at Heritage Harbour just may be the best of the bunch in Bradenton. An Arthur Hills design that opened in 2002, Stoneybrook is bound to be a stern test for even the best players (particularly the back nine). Topping out at 7,131 yards from the furthest of its five sets of tees, this very pretty layout features a couple of very big par fours and one really big par five if you play it from the tips (600 yards!). Think twice about this, though. Even from one of the shorter tees, you'll still have to maneuver around or over Stoneybrook's numerous bunkers, ponds and lakes ... but at least an extra stroke or two (per hole) won't be a foregone conclusion.
What should be a foregone conclusion - since Sarasota is also a part of your package - is to tee it up at University Park Golf Club, just north of town. A Ron Garl layout that was constructed in 1991, University Park may very well be the most classic looking tract that you'll see on your trip. For sure it's one of the most straightforward, and it's definitely the opposite of so many of the confusing (read that: tricked up) courses that were built in the late 1980s and early 1990s. An added benefit to your visit here is the fact that there are 27 holes. Each nine is distinctly different, so the various combinations allow you a choice between three very unique 18-hole layouts - with back tee lengths of 7,247, 7,152 or 7,001 yards. Better yet, stay an extra day or two and play them all.
Another 27-hole, three-courses-in-one option is Sarasota's Oak Ford Golf Club. Like at University Park, the three nines here are vastly different and each was designed by Ron Garl. Unlike at University Park, however, Mr. Garl's goal with the design of Oak Ford was not to break your back; the longest 2-nine combination is a much more reasonable 6,753 yards. (Even more reasonable is Serenoa Golf Club, a 1990 David Alden design that measures a mere 6,270 yards from the back tees. That's the good news. The bad news is that water is in play on all eighteen holes. "Plop.")
Interested in one more very pretty and very challenging layout? Then make like a Manatee and cruise on down to North Port, just south of Sarasota. There you'll find Bobcat Trail, a 1998 "signature" design by PGA Tour player and former PGA Championship winner Bob Tway. "The Cat," as the owners like to call it, is a collaborative effort between Tway and architect Lee Singletary. The fairways are wide and the greens are large, but by no means is this golf course anywhere near a push over - even though it only measures 6,748 yards from the tips. The challenge here - in addition to avoiding more than a little bit of water and sand - is to find the proper level of the undulating putting surfaces with your approach shots. If you can do that on a consistent basis, then you truly will have (as the owners also like to say) "a beautiful day at Bobcat Trail."
But you know what? That's a pretty good description of what it's like playing golf in the Bradenton/Sarasota area almost every day - winter, summer, spring or fall.
It's beautiful.
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