TPC Prestancia - The Players Course

First I would like to compliment the staff - everyone was amazing. I was able to play both courses, and am talking about the Players here. Conditions were excellent tee to green - absolutely beautiful. The front nine is pretty bland, par 4 after par 4, doglegs through homes. The back nine however is truly something special. Here the layout gets very fun with lots more water and sand. I can see why when hosting tournaments they often use 9 from the Stadium course and the back 9 from Players. Bottom line, you are luck if you get the chance to play either course here at TPC Prestancia, but I did prefer the Stadium.

I was lucky enough to play both courses in consecutive days. The staff was all fantastic, I enjoyed talking with everyone in the Pro Shop as well as the starter. All super friendly with a visitor from another club. The conditions were PERFECT! I had played another area country club the day before and was very pleased with the conditions there, but the conditions at TPC were a whole class above. The greens were amazing - perfectly trimmed, smooth, well cared for, fast and rolling true. I loved the variety of the layout and all the holes were beautiful. Bottom line - if you are lucky enough to get the chance to play here, you should jump on it!

The Good: The Tournament Player’s Club at Prestancia is a very nice 36-hole private complex that was originally built in 1985 as one of the first in the TPC Network. The Ron Garl & Mike Souchack designed Stadium course is a tale of two nines with a fairly open, wind-exposed front and a tighter, more strategic inward half. Particularly good conditions, especially the large, slick greens that also hold well. Very nice clubhouse and practice area accompanied by a friendly staff. Nice group of Par-3’s and a beautiful, short Par-4 18th with a near island green. Excellent 19th hole patio views and dining area!

The Bad: While the greens putt very true, some of the complexes are downright diabolical. There a few quirky holes that I particularly didn’t like, most notably the Par-4 8th with a very odd, blind landing area off the tee and the 11th hole in which I was completely blocked by an overhanging tree despite hitting the right side of the fairway. The $35 cart fee for guests felt a little excessive.

The Verdict: TPC Prestancia (Stadium) is another solid option in the pantheon of Sarasota area golf courses, but I wouldn’t consider it to the level of most TPC courses based on what I’ve played and seen on the professional tours. It’s a very nice course, but not necessarily anything PGA-Tour level special.

Best Hole: Really liked the 18th hole, a 300-yard Par-4 that calls for a long-iron or hybrid off the tee, but must be aggressive enough to not be blocked out by trees on the right guarding the approach to an island green.

Absolutely loved the course and facilities. If i were to pick a course to play in the area this would be it. Very playable will not beat you up. Course conditions were ideal for scoring only wish i had my "A" game.