Bobby Jones Golf Club - Championship Course

Let me start with $100 for this course is insanely overpriced. It’s as standard as they come. Tee boxes, fairways, rough all just ok. No one repairs divots at this place. Very slow round at 5 hours. Bunkers are really sloppy, not raked and lips are very overgrown. Greens are like concrete but I will say they were consistent. You have to sign a waiver to drive a golf cart because apparently someone hit a car in the parking lot. And the clubhouse was run by people who are out of there element. Way too many tee times piled up and just not a smooth operation. I went to check in and was told we are paid up, go to tee off and am told we are not paid up, go to pay and he says we anre anll paid up again. Had to basically force them to let me pay so I could get a receipt to give to the starter. The tried to give me a golf cart key even though we already had carts. I said we are ok and he said well if you have carts just give this key to the starter? What is going on Bobby Jones? Gotta get your act together real quick or the city is going to lose a lot of money. Won’t be back till some serious changes are made.

Nice course and fun to play. The staff was Awesome! They are superior to most places I have visited. Friendly and accommodating. I will play there again. The course was very wet. However, it was playable, and I look forward to playing it when it is dry.

I didn’t play the course before it was redesigned. I played the course 4 times since it reopened on December 15th. The tee boxes,, greens, fairways, and bunkers are all very nice. The practice facilities are really nice - several chipping greens with bunkers and huge driving range and putting green. The course is still pretty rough around the edges as it is still in the process of being completed - cart paths, club house, flower beds and all that still in progress. I am excited to see what the course looks like next year when we return.

First off, I enjoyed the course layout. If properly maintained and managed a little differently, it could be a great addition to the area.

There are a few things that I’d love to see addressed:

1. The course is very walkable, the most walkable I’ve played in Florida, but they’ve set a policy that does not allow walking until after 12pm. I wasn’t given a reason, only that it was their policy, and the person at check in said I was welcome to walk but my bag had to be on the cart (say what?). If I’m walking while my bag is on the cart, how is that different from me walking with my pushcart? A little training as to how to explain why this policy is in place would be helpful, if they have one. Usually a carts-only policy is in place for either pace of play or revenue. Studies have shown that walking golfers have better focus, shoot lower scores, take less time to make each shot, and get more exercise. Considering that most golfers who prefer to walk easily keep up with their cart riding playing partners, pace of play shouldn’t be a problem on such a walkable course. The fee can be the same whether you walk or ride, but there should be an opportunity to play the game the way Bobby Jones would have wanted to see it played, whatever time of day it is.

2. There should be a pricing tier for people who have a Sarasota address, but live outside the city limits. Because the course is situated at the edge of Sarasota’s city limits, there are people who live across the street from the golf course who cannot get the reduced locals rate. Considering that there is a 40% discount for Sarasota city residents, a 20% discount for Sarasota County residents with a Sarasota address would go a long way to attracting more local golfers more often. I live closer to the course than most Sarasota city residents and would happily play this course multiple times each month with a 20% discount. Treat me like a snowbird and I’ll likely only play it a time or two each year. Too many other solid options in the area.

3. The cart paths need a lot of work. Too many ruts and potholes for those riding carts.

Felt like I was playing in a cow pasture. Not scenic at all. Several times your playing around heavy traffic that can be bothersome. One golfer commented that you had a great view of a water or gas tank right behind one to the greens. For being a newly opened course found the tee boxes lacking, farways had extremely wet spots with some areas that need watering, Greens were okay. The staff personnel were extremely nice and helpful. The proshop is a trailer with a place to get some refreshments. A note for those who are residents of Sarasota. This course only gives a resident discount to Sarasota city residents and not to those who live in Sarasota county.

18 holes of play was after heavy rain. fairways and cart paths were heavily impacted by puddles, mud and overall soggy conditions. Better development of cart paths would be helpful. cart based GPS aided ball distance to the green is needed. Use of Garmin device was not possible. Both options are better use of cellphone application. Phone app use was problematic.

Give the course a couple of years and it will be a true gem. The renovations kept the character of the old course. Greens are excellent, Fairways are wide and easy to hit.

Par threes are tough and the short par 4s are well bunkered and tough holes. The cart paths were a mess due to the wetness - too bad they used sea shells instead of asphalt. The course will only get better as it matures. Practice area is awesome. They will host some big events down the road - especially for junior and senior tourneys.

Played the recently renovated Bobby Jones course from the combo “Ross” tees. Even though the total yardage was less than 6,300 yards on the card, it plays longer, especially on a windy day. Tests your skill and most shots in the bag are required, but it doesn’t beat you up. The recent renovations are a home run. Greens were very nice, fairways in great shape, it is a tribute to Donald Ross, and it has not been open that long. Clubhouse is 18-24 months away, but the staff is doing a beautiful job in make shift facilities. I can’t say enough about how good the staff is. Fabulous practice area as well. I would think this is now one of the premier municipal courses and will be one of the premier municipal facilities when the clubhouse is completed.

I'm guessing most of the golfers playing will be Sarasota city residents, as it's only $60 to play instead of $100. It's a $50-$60 course, not a $100 course. The company running the course knows they need to get some money up front as fast as possible. I won't play again at that rate. Nice tee boxes, decent fairways and greens that are large and roll well. It was nice to see it open after so many years...so nostalgia got my $100. Once. 😂

The course remodel turned out fantastic. Not sure if clubhouse is coming or they will remain in a trailer. Staff was very friendly and helpful.

Our 4 players were the first tee time 7:22 AM so done in 3 1/2 hours.

Good distance, open but challenging. Needs a paved cart path or will be bad in rain. Tee boxes and greens great shape.

Only issue was price, it was a little high but fair. I was upset since I live in Sarasota but not the city so I didn’t get the special low rate. I believe they got money from the county, if they did we should get a discount as well.

Course was in good condition. Staff was very friendly. Pace of play was OK considering how the course was fully packed. Wide open fairways with no real blind tee shots or forced carries.

A little much to ask from a public course. The track is not at all memorable and the pace of play was poor. They need a Marshall and make sure players are fixing ball marks and filling divots, otherwise I’m afraid the shape of,the course will deteriorate.

Within the fairways and greens the condition of the course is really great. I would not say it’s challenging for a low handicap, more of a wide open layout good for average golfers.

First time playing the renovated course.

Unfortunately, our 11:12am tee time was delayed.

Then, our group literally waited 5-10 minutes + on "every" shot on front 9.

More on the par 3 tee boxes.

2 1/2 hours+. Not Fun!

The back 9 finally moved along after hole 12.

Course is nice.

Fairways are Great!

Greens are good.

A lot of up and back holes typical of a Donald Ross course.

Looking forward to teeing it up again and playing 18 holes in 4 hours.

After waiting patiently for years for the course to reopen, I was excited to play it and see all the changes.

I understand the course is still a work in progress and overall, I had a good time and was happy to be golfing in January.

The good- the new layout is fun, the back 9 was not changed that much while the front 9 got a whole new make over. Driving range= bravo. Staff were super friendly. Carts were brand new with an updated interior. A plethora of tee boxes to choose from.

The meh. The course was not super challenging. Lots of room for a bad shot. Crowded- but that’s a plus that it’s getting business. Grill is still a work in progress. I am thankful they had one in a temporary trailer before they build the new clubhouse. So I should probably just stop complaining, but don’t expect much from it at this point in time. Course is hard to find on gps since it’s still new. Also, the course does not have a handicap or slope rating yet.

The bad . Green fee was $99. I get that the city needs to make back some money but no way. Price should be $40-60. Very over priced. Pace of play was horrible. Just over five hours. Teed off at 11:49am and walked off the course at 4:57pm. They had a ranger driving around and were trying to get groups moving through the first 4 holes. Was told that “after the first par 3, it will open up and be smooth sailing.” Unfortunately, there were too many times of having 3 groups on a tee box. Gotta fix that.

Sarasota is one of Florida’s more refined cities thanks to its deep history that includes the Ringling family and considerable natural appeal. For decades, its municipal golf course languished from neglect, but a $20 million revitalization project has given back a great local amenity to golfers thanks to the restoration work of Richard Mandell.

B.J.G.C. wrings considerable fun out of a dead-flat piece of ground with interesting bunkering and some striking, abrupt chocolate-drop mounds that add much-needed vertical relief to the holes. The opportunity to play here for $60 or less (at $100 for out-of-towners, it’s still a strong peak-season value) makes Sarasota city or county residency more desirable than ever for fans of classic golf.

This course is very mid. The pace of play was absolutely awful. For the price ($106) of the course I’d rather play University, IMG or Legacy. $106 was absurd. If you want to go score your best round this is the course. Virtually no hazards or trouble what so ever. For that price I’d like to see concrete for cart path and not gravel. Overall this course was one of the worst ones I’ve played. Highly don’t recommend