Esplanade Golf & Country Club at Lakewood Ranch

You have to think your way around this course, carefully considering where you need to place your ball to avoid trouble and to be positioned for your next shot.

There is a fair amount of water on the course, often cutting deeply into fairways, and local knowledge can significantly affect the score. Plenty of risk/reward propositions confront the player, requiring decisions about club selection and shot lines, all enjoyable for mid and low handicappers.

It has a nice variety of holes, every one different. You'll need most of the clubs in your bag. Course condition is excellent. Lies are tight. Good sand in the bunkers.

More challenging than several area courses with higher rating and slope numbers.

Not designed for walkers.

Staff is friendly and helpful.

We rank it at the top of the list of courses we play in the Sarasota area, and hope they don't go members-only anytime soon.

I've seen some reviews that say this course is somewhat challenging. I'm guessing the people who write those reviews either do not get a lot of distance or felt they were just off that day. I drive on average 250-260 and I found trouble even on straight drives. Sand is placed strategically throughout the fairways and deep, difficult bunkers around the greens. Water creeps out where you can't see it until you are on top of it looking for your ball after what looked like a good shot. The greens are very fast. Not extremely diffilcult to read, but the speed is difficult to measure. Overall, the course is a lot of fun and in great shape. I don't know how long it will be public, but it seems it will be a while with all the building going on. Temporary club house while permanent is being built isn't bad for what it is. Staff is great. Stop in and say hi to Mary.

I am a 2 hdcp and enjoy challenging golf courses. The course is very fair with a mix of short 3's and 4 pars. It doesn't beat you up with every hole being tough.

Tee shots have to be accurate and iron play needs to be good or your putting will be under stress.

You will be happy if you play well.

Very nice course with manicured grounds. Not as much nature thriving on the course as others in area. They are building too many homes on the course and burning trees which smells awful.

We thoroughly enjoyed playing this course and will definitely be back. The course was in terrific shape and provided enough challenge to keep everyone on their toes. We were lucky enough to be paired up with a couple who had played the course a few times and gave us pointers on possible targets and hazards. Pace of play, even on a Sunday, was very good. The staff were very friendly. The entire experience was most enjoyable.

A ALMOST NEW COURSE ON THE NORTH EDGE OF LAKEWOOD RANCH. LUSH, GREEN, AND BEAUTIFUL. IT CAN BE AS CHALLENGING AS YOU LIKE IT. EXCELLENT, PLAYABLE LAYOUT. SLICK, SMOOTH GREENS. FRIENDLY FRIENDLY STAFF. LOTS OF FUN FOR ALL SKILL LEVELS. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IF YOU ARE IN THE SARASOTA AREA. IT SOON WILL GO PRIVATE, SO PLAY IT WHILE YOU CAN.

Esplanade is in some of the best conditions of all courses in the Sarasota area. Always fun to play with a thoughtful layout, true greens, challanging bunkers and well groomed fairways. Tee boxes to challenge every level of golfer.

It's nice to know that Florida actually has a golf course that is green. This course was in beautiful condition, from the tees to the greens. The fairways were very generous, again it was a good thing because it was very windy. The greens were great. The sand in the bunkers was nice and fair. We got a Hot Deal discount with GolfNow that made the price really right. Not much in the way of a clubhouse yet, and the food from the cart girl was on the expensive. Not a walking course for sure as there was a long way between green and tee. Only portapots on the back 9 so still working on the final touches.

Esplanade was quite simply a great course to play. Conditions were excellent tees to greens. Greens were lightning fast so they took some getting used to. Layout is beautiful, scenery is beautiful. Only drawback would be is that the area around the course is still being built up so there is a lot of construction going on, will be even better when it's all done. Can't wait to play again.

fastest greens i have played. Hard to adjust.

nice layout. have to play before it goes private

I discovered this course shortly after it opened a few years ago. The staff is great, very friendly and helpful. The practice facility is better than most and the conditions are excellent. The layout can be a little tricky playing it for the first time. Once you have experienced it, you know how to avoid any trouble. Nice variety of par 3's, with a beautiful looking 4th hole across the pond. Not your typical Florida course, greens have some character and mounding to add to the excitement. The greens roll nicely and are well maintained even with the amount of play this gets.
The ground crew has done an exceptional job keeping the course well groomed. The landscaping around the course is stunning.
I play here several times a week, and do not look forward to the time when it goes private. In my opinion, this course is one of the best in the area for conditions.
Regular prices can get a bit steep, but worth it when you compare it to similar courses nearby.

The practice facilities are top notch. The course is beautiful more open than most of the courses that are around the area (which I was happy with). The staff are great. Can't wait to play it again!

The layout was very good. Wind was very strong, and play was somewhat slow as a result. Course was very crowded as well. Course grooming was excellent. Will probably go private before too long, so play it while you can.

Overall Esplanade is a solid golf course that I enjoed playing very much. I played in the afternoon, so the rate was very affordable. Off the tee you're given generous landing areas on most holes. The greens are excellent and pretty quick. And the layout offers a good variety of holes. My only negatives are the following: 1) I don't love driving ranges that hit into water with "floater" golf balls. 2) Lots of construction still going on and long distances between holes. 3) The starter was pretty unorganized. I will definitely go back to Esplanade. It's a very good golf course.

This is a good course. No big wow factor. Fairway are pretty wide open. Greens are lightning quick and roll very true. Condition is good, nice range and practice greens. Staff is very friendly. I would defiantly recommend it if your looking for a relaxing golf outing.

We enjoy our round great course and enjoy playing it.

The lay out is beautiful and plenty challenging with lots of sand and water to avoid during play. The greens were fast with readable breaks that tested your putting skills. The practice area was the best for all forms of pre game warm-up.

Played this course for the first time on Thursday and liked it so much came back on Friday.
Course had a nice variety of holes requiring using all clubs in my bag
Conditions were excellent and the greens rolled great
I'd suggest playing this course if your ever in the Sarasota area

Course is in great shape. Greens are very smooth. Clubhouse and pro shop still under construction. My only complaint would be that too many holes look alike with similar hole layout.

Course is in excellent shape. The management are good & especially the starter. Windy when I played so I went for gold tees instead of blacks. Most people need to play the silver tees. Enjoy your round.