Lakewood National Golf Club - Commander Course

Lakewood National is a new entry into the crowded upscale clump of courses east of i75 stretching from South Sarasota up to the Manatee River, and it may be the best of the bunch. The course is brand new so while the proshop is open there are no other amenities to speak of, and the course is surrounded by new or impending construction so the setting isn’t attractive. That’s all there is to say about this setup which isn’t a rave. The practice area and driving range are first rate, stocked with new NXT Tours. The course offers a range of tees from 7100+ to around 5000, and because the fairways are fast you can move back a little from your usual comfort zone. Be wise though, because the greens will eat you up if you aren’t a skilled putter. The contours are severe - several holes have elevation changes of over eight feet! The whole course, in fact, offers a lot more undulation than is usual in Florida, and it’s very welcome. I thought the par 3s were pretty straightforward - hit to the right area of the green and you’ll make par. Hit anywhere else and you won’t. Likewise the par 5s - put the ball in play, get your second shot to where you can hit a wedge and you’ll make par there too. The par 4s are really tough. Even from the 6378 tees where we played several were well over 400 yards, and while the landing areas are generous there’s plenty of trouble if you stray. The big issue is that if you’re coming into these greens with a long club you’ll be very lucky to be in the right spot, and then the combination of speed (around 10.5 today) and contour will make your putting critical. I love these kinds of challenges and don’t remember when I’ve had more fun on a course, especially a new one. The Golfnow rate was a steal, so take advantage before the development is built up and it all goes private!

Great course Great value Have played 4 times since opening but pace of play is inexcusable . Ranger please

Course is in great shape however the greens are tripped up. It's like they tried to hard to make the course hard it's a shame the put The King's name on these greens though. Only thing missing is the windmill.

Large difficult greens

Excellent layout

Will get even better with age

It was extremely hard to find the course, couldn't find in our GPS, or google map??? Spent more then a hour, even got your Golfnow staff on the pjhone to direct us , he was patient and nice but directed us in a wrong course!? We were late for 40 minutes!

So please let. People know this is brand new. Course, sent them a direction by email as it is not in the GPS or google map!

Both nines are tough the giant greens hold but you may need a driving putter to get home.The cart GPS helps with long shots.Good practice range but putting area is far away. A restaurant with coffee would be helpful. Overall I think it is the most challenging course in the area . Regardless of the tee you will need every club in your bag.

course has potential, but is more difficult than most local courses and is made more difficult by incomplete conditions. greens are a challenge and not user friendly.

Fantastic course. Greens are huge with many great pin placements. Pace a little slow. Excellent range with chipping and putting greens.

Great playing conditions and challenging layout!! Need more restrooms facilities---club house closed at end of play and rest room on back nine out of order!!!

This is a tremendous layout with a large variety of holes both in length and layout. The greens have very much contour and will be a challenge to putt . Truly one of the best course in this area.

This course has just been open for 22 days. It is a awesome course. The greens are quite tough with lots of undulation. The have no club house yet, they do have a cart girl. But it is so worth playing there!

to the LR family of courses. I think it will be better than King's Dunes when it matures. The 2 nines are distinctly different, the outward is open parkland style, the inward has more of a links motif.

Really enjoyed the new course. This is real gem. Can't wait for it to mature. Loved the large greens and mostly generous fairways. Unlike any other courses in the area but a typical Palmer design. Better hit it close or you could struggle with your putting. Long par 4's and 3's if you like or just play the more forward tees. Beautiful large practice area for those of you that love to beat balls. Overall what a challenge! A Must play but you better bring whatever is your own A game.

Got a great deal, but had to accept a bit of a ride to get to the course. Still new in many ways but course was in great shape and with the great friendly staff I had a very nice day.

First of all, you can tell this is a fancy upscale course by three things. 1- There are no bathrooms on the course, just Comfort Stations. 2-The balls you find in the water are Pro V's and Srixons, not Topflite X outs like on my home course, and 3- there are far fewer empty beer cans in the waste areas than you find on a more mature course.

That being said, the course covers a lot of territory as it is the centerpoint of a new billion homes development.it's going to take a lot of man hours to keep the course manicured. I don't think Arnold could make up his mind what he wanted this to be.The greens are gigantic with multiple undulations making it difficult to get a straight put for par, or in my case, for a double bogey. And you are constantly getting yelled at by the GPS to stay away from water, that there are crossing streets coming, and your wife is seeing the mailman.

Rightfully so, the cart paths stay far away from the greens so there is a lot more walking to do and that will slow down play. And it just seems like a long day out there so I am not sure the casual resort bad golfer or homeowner is really going to enjoy playing there over and over again.

But I am curious to see the reviews over the next view years. No question it is a strong addition to the already voluminous number of courses in the Lakewood Ranch area. I want to like it, but as of now I am not quite sure.

Anyway, thank you for reading this review, and I am off to see where my wife is.

Can't complain about anything here. From the time I arrived until the time I left, this is a top course. Friendly staff, great facility and a great rate on GolfNow.

The pace needs to be considered. There is a need for a course pace keeper.

Played this course recently---an outstanding layout. Greens are typical Palmer, large with undulations everywhere. Course needs to mature, but fantastic greens already. Will become my home track soon!