Should Bobby Jones restore its historic design?

If the city of Sarasota wants to renovate Bobby Jones Golf Club into a competitive course that could turn a profit, it’s going to require an investment that ranges from $2 million to $5.8 million. Maybe $8 million.

Those are some of the figures that have emerged after seven months of study by the Bobby Jones Golf Club Study Committee. And while there is wide disparity between those amounts, there also is disparity among committee members and Bobby Jones advocates on the necessary scope of renovation for the 45-hole complex.

The group is split on what the course should look like after an overhaul. The Friends of Bobby Jones, led by Shawn Pierson, wants to restore the 18-hole Donald Ross course to its historic design. That plan has some supporters, and a few others who might consider it if the price was right. But the cost is unknown.

“I don’t think anybody knows that at this point,” committee Chairman Dan Smith said. “That’s a real frustration for us. Those of us who like the idea would love to say, ‘This is how much it’s going to cost.’”

The estimates collected so far vary. The cost of improving one course used for comparison: $2.5 million. Another course: $5.8 million. One architect says the cost of renovating an 18-hole course typically ranges from $3.4 million to $4.3 million, but how does that scale to a 45-hole complex?

“The cost factors are weighing heavily on us,” Smith said. “I think a couple of the committee members are really concerned about making a recommendation that could cost $8 million or $9 million.”

When she volunteered to join the Bobby Jones Golf Club Study Committee earlier this year, Millie Small made her beliefs clear. She thought the course was in need of some significant improvements, but anything extravagant or too different from the existing layout would go beyond what is actually required to turn Bobby Jones around.

Today, Small holds the same general perspective. What is needed, she believes: improved irrigation and drainage; a new clubhouse; a new training facility to grow the game on a local level.

She views the restoration of the original Donald Ross course with a skeptical eye. Small cites a 2014 report on Bobby Jones from the National Golf Foundation, a document she believes could serve as a good starting point for a master plan for the course.

The report says the management of Bobby Jones needs to shift from a “day-to-day mentality”; that the city must undertake a comprehensive plan to know how golf fits into the city’s recreational offerings and know what a reasonable cost for improvements would be.

Despite city officials’ concerns about the course, the report indicated that Bobby Jones is a “good quality” facility that offers a “nice mix of amenities to suit a wide variety of golfer segments.” To Small, this is evidence that the goal should be to bring the current configuration to a higher standard.

In search of evidence backing her argument, Small reached out to Richard Singer, the man who wrote the National Golf Foundation report. She also contacted Ron Garl, a Florida golf architect who spoke to the committee. She asked both men the same question, and heard the same response.

“Will it significantly benefit Bobby Jones Golf Club or the city of Sarasota if we redesign to the original Donald Ross courses?” Small said. “The answer from each of them was ‘no.’”

Upon the completion of the committee’s work in December, the City Commission will decide the next step. So far, one conclusion has become abundantly clear for the committee.

“It needs significant improvements,” Smith said. “I mean significant, big-dollar improvements. Otherwise, we’re going to be here again in a few years talking about this.”

Cost Comparison

The Bobby Jones Golf Club Study Committee has brought in experts to comment on the possible expense associated with other renovations. Here’s a summary of what they say:

Fort Myers Country Club
Renovation cost: $5.8 million
Location: Fort Myers
Scope: The renovation of this municipal-owned, Donald Ross-designed course emphasized the original 1917 plans and included “modernization to drainage, turf quality, pro shop and bathroom renovations and operational efficiency,” the city’s website states.

Pinehurst No. 2
Cost: $3 million
Location: Pinehurst, N.C.
Scope: The renovation of this private Donald Ross course, which hosted the 2014 U.S. Open, included removal of around 40 acres of managed turf, which reduced water consumption by 70%. Cost savings are estimated at around 15% annually.

Birdie vs. Eagle

The committee is mostly split between two options for restoration. Here's how they compare: