Pro golf has disappeared from Sarasota

Florida has long laid claim to the title, “golf capital of the world.” Take a drive anywhere in the state and you’ll see it printed on plenty of license plates.

No other part of the country has more courses. As of February 2025, the total count is at 1,264, which is over 300 more than California’s next-closest 955, per the National Golf Foundation. 

It’s a big reason why Florida’s population explodes during the winter, and why retirees choose here as their ultimate destination. Golf has proven to be a powerful magnet.

Sarasota is a fitting case study. Both public and private offerings of the sport are plentiful, with enough sunny days in the year to essentially live on the links.

As it stands, though, professional golf is absent from here. This storied county in the “golf capital of the world” seems to have become undesirable in the eyes of golf's governing organizations.

Pros have been plenty active nearby, including the 2025 LPGA Founders Cup at Bradenton Country Club and the 2026 LECOM Suncoast Classic, which was held April 2-5 at Lakewood National Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch for the eighth consecutive year.

Legends of the game were out and about at The Concession Golf Club last week for the Senior PGA Championship — scheduled to return for 2027 and 2028.

If there's been a deterrent for pro golf in Sarasota, history surely isn't it.

This area is rich with it.

Photo by Jack Nelson

Opened in 1926, Sara Bay Country Club's course was designed by legendary architect Donald Ross. It was then known as Whitfield Estates Country Club before renaming in 1964, and in its inaugural year, played host to then-top amateur Bobby Jones vs. then-top pro Walter Hagen.

Sara Bay later hosted the Senior PGA Championship from 1940-41 and the LPGA Sarasota Open from 1952-54. Most recently, it welcomed the LPGA’s then-Symetra Tour — now Epson Tour — for the Sara Bay Classic/Guardian Retirement Championship from 2012-17.

John Spiess, now in his fifth year as general manager of Sara Bay, wasn't around when the LPGA pulled out of the club. He said the club's renovation of its greens from spring through fall of 2018 likely played a factor in the tournament's disappearance.

The club also began a nearly $9.6 million renovation of its clubhouse last month, which is expected to be complete by early 2027.

Sara Bay currently has no interest in bidding for a pro golf tournament. 

"At this point, our board and golf committee is leaning into amateur golf," Spiess said. "We're really big supporters of the Florida State Golf Association. We're also starting to speak with the Western Golf Association on the potential of hosting some amateur events for them in the future."

Photo by Jack Nelson

Ross also designed the first course of what's now a 27-hole layout at Bobby Jones, which was originally opened in 1927. In its heyday, that club often welcomed World Golf Hall-of-Famers Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Gene Sarazen and Patty Berg.

Bent Tree Country Club and TPC Prestancia can’t be overlooked, either. From 1976-88, Bent Tree hosted the LPGA Sarasota Classic, while TPC Prestancia — operated by the PGA Tour — has been the site of 13 events on the now-PGA Tour Champions.

Eight of those were Chrysler Cups while five were American Express Invitationals. Among the club’s distinguished guest list during the '80s and '90s were Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino and Chi Chi Rodriguez.

Bill Wickboldt, general manager of TPC Prestancia, did not respond to multiple requests for comment with regard to his club's interest in hosting a pro golf tournament.

Pro golf was last played in Sarasota on April 23, 2017, when Hannah Green won the Sara Bay Classic. That means nine years have passed during which locals have been pushed to Bradenton to watch this sport played at a high level.

There’s no publicly available, official criteria used by the governing bodies of golf for tournament site selection. Major factors, though, have come to be widely accepted.

Course quality, spectator experience and commercial viability are crucial for any club making a bid to host these tournaments. And course quality tops that list.

Photo by Jack Nelson

Athletes who choose golf as their full-time job expect championship-caliber facilities. That entails regular raking of bunkers, well-mowed greens and filled-in divots, among other maintenance duties.

Bent Tree, Sara Bay and Bobby Jones underwent course renovations as recently as 2015, 2018 and 2023, respectively. Renovation of the Stadium Course at TPC Prestancia, meanwhile, is officially underway as of April 2.

Spectator experience is also paramount. Any prospective tournament host needs the space to accommodate large crowds. Substantial parking options should be provided, as should mass transportation to and from the venue.

Then there's the importance of commercial viability. Simply put, no tournament organizer is going to enter an area where it doesn't believe financial gain is possible.

All of the above is a lot for any golf club to consider when wanting to open itself to that kind of attention and traffic. 

Clubs in Lakewood Ranch have stepped forward in recent years. They've succeeded in attracting both the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Champions. Why not Sarasota?

Pro golf has a long history here. Locals have shown they care about the sport.

This is where a tournament belongs.