Esplanade Golf & Country Club at Lakewood Ranch

We played this course for the first time on a recommendation, the first time we turned up and was told it was cart path only. There had been a bit of rain overnight but on walking to our balls on the fairway there were no apparent problems. This is not a course to play under these conditions. The fairways are very wide and a lot of the time the cart path is quite away from the fairways. This made for a very long round with occasions of getting to your ball with the wrong club.
We returned another day to play when there were no restrictions. The course is ok, fairways in good condition but for us it was just an ok course. We didn't find the staff overly friendly at the bag drop or club house however the starter was great along with a younger assistant who provided some help.

Certainly for the female golfers you need to be aware of the lack of restroom facilities on the course, something that is not mentioned when booking. There are only a couple of portable toilets on the course which were not very pleasant to use.

We were told on the the 4th hole we were 5 minutes behind , give me a break. I could see if we were 10 or more .

Now it gets worse , we stopped for water at the range and we are told by a different person we are 25 minutes behind the group in front. Well we started at 8:30 and it is now 10:35 , we are 5 minutes off a 2 hr round which is normal. In fact at Sarasota National it is posted on the cart 4:14 is suggested.

So we will play more at SN in the future where our 4:07 round will be appreciated and 7 minutes early!!! Oh did I mention a better track and more courteous staff

Nice wide fairways , club house is a temporary facility its adequate ,good food and small bar. Friendly staff.as it matures it will only get better. Would recommend to all levels of players

Played on a Saturday afternoon and took 5 hours to play never saw a ranger.

Got paired up with a twosome and there cart stopped on hole number two and mine quit on hole number 16.

The course was in excellent condition and will try to play again during the week.

The course is new and plays well. Fairways are wide and very forgiving. Reservation included practice balls but did not have time to use range prior to playing. After playing, stopped at the range to hit some balls to correct some swing issues and the "rangers" came and made a big deal (embarrassing) about not "paying" for range balls. I apologized but stated that "range balls" were included in my reservation and ranger states that it means BEFORE play only. I again apologized and didn't realize it would be a problem as no one was on the range (it had rained hard and no one was there).It was approx. 3:30pm and the course was not closed. He said that they had retrieved balls and that they would not be picking up again that day?? Ok. At this point, it was futile to continue the conversation.
I was startled that they had approached me with accusations that I was using the range without paying etc.... They did not do this in a diplomatic way but none the less I will not be going back. It certainly could have been handled without embarrassing me or my guest. Tisk tisk... not cool.

Top notch all round. Challenging but fair. I will go back again.

The course is in great shape except for the greens. They had been aerated. No GPS on the cart would have been very helpful. And the ball washer on every hole would be a plus .Undulating greens and fairways make the course very challenging. the wind was blowing hard but we had a good time

this is a very nice course , great greens, fairways ,tees and the practice area is very well kept . The Driving range the Chipping green and the practice green are all excellent .

This course is just a step below TPC quality. Greens, fairways are in awesome shape but like any course in Florida, you need to ask when they are or were punched.when making a tee time. Also, this is summertime, the rain we get here would flood most places in the US, so you may get a soft area here and there. Many of the fairways are open, some are not or are deceiving but a great layout none the less. Play it before it goes private!!!

I'm more of a course person, all the other factors are not that important. This course was nice especially if you can get a great rate on GolfNow, I paid $55 which it was not really worth that much.

The course is a nice place to play, not very difficult; vey wide open off the tee. I was set up in a nice group and it made the day that much more enjoyable. Pace of play is what you would expect for a Sunday morning, we finished in a little under 4.5 hours.

Fairways are wide open and greens are large. Drainage on the course was very poor and every low area had a drain but was still a swamp. I forgot to bring a GPS and it is impossible to find yardage on the course. Nothing on the cartpaths and nothing staked. Only option was to search for a small, well hidden sprinkler head that may or may not have yardage. The staff was friendly and helpful which brings me to the reason that it took me this long to play this course. As with most Pope courses, I feel they are never kept they way they should. I personally wouldn't have Jerry, the VP of Pope who I have met several times, run a local fast food restaurant, much less an upscale golf course. If and when, the association takes over this course and makes some small but very needed changes, it could be a decent semi- private option in the area.

I played in early afternoon. Course has no starter, no ranger, no water on the course or at the driving range, no ice or restrooms on the course. Very unfriendly playing conditions in August. Took 4-!/2 hours to play as twosome.

It was extremely hot and cart path only. We were a twosome behind a 4some , with noone in front of them for about 7 holes, who did not let us play through. We had to wait sometimes 10 - 15 minutes on each hole. There was no Ranger, although they told us the Ranger did not go home until 2:00, and this was before 2:00.
Do not play this course when it is cart path only, as the cart path is usually very distant from the fairway.
The greens were good and fast and the fairways were ok, and pretty wide.
There are no washrooms (other than a port-a-potty on the course, and the pro-shop only has 1 man's washroom and 1 woman's washroom, right near the bar.

Course was in great condition. Layout was great, it was wide open on the drives, but greens and pins were tough. Overall great challenge. Just wished I lived near the area to play it more often.

I started playing this course when it opened about 2 years ago. It's a 'young" course and is maturing nicely. Can be very challenging depending on the wind, especially #17 and 18. Usually the conditions are very good, except when the greens are punched. I would ask when making a tee time. No two holes are the same...don't let the wide open fairways fool you, it's all about your approach shot. Large greens. Be sure to note pin position or you'll have many 3 putts.

Only played first 3 holes due to heavy rain and thunder but really liked what I saw. Greens had been pierced but we're healing nicely so not an issue.Hope to get a rain check and return next week.

Though the greens had been "punched" a few weeks before, which should be disclosed, the course is a joy to play.

Challenging enough for the average handicapper, while still being a fun course to play. Outstanding condition!

A course I have played now about 6 times. Absolutely love it and the green conditions are excellent. A must play golf course but don't walk it! It's a long way between holes so a buggy is a must

Esplanade had been open for less than two years when I played it, so there is much growing in to be done. Once that happens, say in three or four years, there's no doubt in my mind that it will be one of the preeminent courses in this area. I understand the plan is to place up to 3,000 homes around the course, so it's hard to project how that might impact the playing experience. For now, it was very enjoyable, fair, and well kept. I'll definitely play it again while it's still open to the public.