The Preserve Golf Club

We decided to give The Preserve at Tara a go. What we read was course conditions were suspect. Ok but that score card looked wicked.

Also dealing with the GM, Tim, made the decision easy. A true gentleman and you could hear the passion for this course in his voice.

Straight up the course was in ok condition and you could see the current owners and management were doing their best to try and bring it back to where it was. This is a golf course. It’s got length, water everywhere, it moves left and right and demands you hit the proper shots to the proper side of the fairways. As a golfer I absolutely loved everything about this golf course.

So let’s get to the meat and potatoes. I’m giving them a pass on conditioning because this course was noticeably abused by the previous owners - a cash cow that received large respect that it deserved. Staff 5/5. Tee decks 3/5. Fairways3/5 greens3/5( but they had speed just needed some more grass) Sand Traps 3/5 Clubhouse 4/5. This course in a year should be one of the best public tracks around. They need some more time, and they need the support from us the golfers.

After the round I felt like that was fun and I hope that when I return the course will be that much better.

If you can keep in mind that conditioning is ok but layout is great I think you’ll have an excellent round at The Preserve at Tara.

Andy Ontario Canada

This is a fairly nice course. There’s a bit of water but the layout is nice. I enjoyed playing but the pace of play was a bit slow. I would recommend this course for the average golfer.

Let’s get the negative out of the way right off the bat. The course has been neglected by the previous owners and it shows in areas. But for the money you’re paying it’s a small concession considering the layout.

You can see that the new owners are trying their best to bring this course back to where it should be. This track from the tips is 7000 yards sloped 141 and deserves every bit of that rating.

The routing is second to non. It moves left, right and forces you to hit golf shots. There’s no bombing it without a degree of accuracy to keep you in play. Water on almost every hole( can play with that 6” between the ears after awhile ) it’s got length and demands golf shots. As you get closer to the greens it tightens up the way a quality track should play.

Conditioning obviously has suffered - decks - fairways are 3/5 bunkering is solid 4/5 and the greens are receptive but need a little more speed 3/5

There’s areas that are burnt out and lacking in grass, but I’m giving the owners a pass because you can see they’re working at improving the quality of this track, and that takes time, especially after it was bled by the previous powers that be.

Christmas Day rounds obviously present their own issues, lack of staff and golfers that are more interested in indulging in an assortment of libation than enjoying the wonderful game of golf. The Marshals did their absolute best to try and speed up said parties but when you’re told to F off it becomes a rather delicate situation. Kudos to them for taking the time and having the patience to keep things moving for the rest of us.

The highlight was meeting the course manager, Tim Mcgonegal, who was excellent. Just spending the time talking to him about the course and it’s future left us feeling very positive about The Preserve at Tara. The passion and the excitement in his voice said it all. This is a new management team with a new vision for a course that has seen better days.

Go out and play a round, and I’m sure you’ll walk away thinking this place could really be something special in a year or so.

The Canadian perspective - stay healthy everyone ans Fore!!!!!

The course layout looks very nice but it most definitely needs some investments, allocated to tea boxes, bunkers, fairways, essentially everywhere. The staff are simply amazing and very welcoming

nice course layout, challenging course, badly needs some maintenance everywhere, from tee to greens, including bunkers.

The course layout is nice but it needs some grooming. The staff is truly, but truly amazing! Friendly, cordial and welcoming.

We have been going to the Preserve at Tara for our last few rounds. We keep returning because all of the key points that go into a great golf outing can be found at The Preserve. The price gives great value to get us in the door, then upon arrival, we are greeted by friendly staff who put on clubs on our carts and set us up.

While paying in the pro shop, we are also provided with large close lid ice cups of water and always a smiling face.

At the first tee, the starter provided us with any instructions for the day, ie; pin placement and cart rules. The course itself has multiple tee blocks so every golfer can find the most appropriate place for their respective skill set. The course is challenging yet fair. There are some “water” holes, narrow holes, and real thinking holes. The greens are in great shape. The bunkers seem to be raked at the start of each day (currently no rake to reduce covid contamination).

Other than the golf, there is always wildlife hanging about watching, from many turtles to the ever present sunbathing alligators on the 9th and 18th holes. Overall a great bang for your buck. Cheer!

Drainage problems, very saturated when we haven't had rain for over a week. Also dog poop on the course on multiple holes. Very sad to see what was once a top 5 public course in Bradenton become the bottom 5 in my opinion.