- July 9, 2026
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Arnold Palmer Golf Management posed a question to Michael Blair. The company asked if he’d be interested in checking out a new club it acquired in Sarasota.
Blair, employed by the company at Walt Disney World Golf since 2025, happily obliged. He made the trip from Orlando to see what was then The Meadows Country Club with his own eyes.
“I was very excited about it,” Blair said. “I saw tremendous potential in the opportunity to revitalize the club and I felt that we could do great things in this area.”
The club faced financial disaster at this time last year. Now, under new management and bearing a new identity, it hopes to card more birdies than bogeys.
Meadows Golf Club opened June 19 for public play, welcoming golfers from all over the area to its restored 18-hole Meadows Course. It also features an 18-hole Groves Course, which is still undergoing turf improvements and will open to the public in November, per Blair.
In July 2025, then-The Meadows Country Club filed Chapter 7 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, shuttering its facilities. That marked the end of nearly five decades in the golfing business dating back to the opening of its first course in 1976.
Arnold Palmer Golf Management, however, swooped in. It has overseen the club’s courses since March 9 and reports to Benderson Development, which signed a long-term lease with The Meadows Community Association earlier this year for the rights to operate the property.
The signature red, yellow, white and green umbrella — synonymous with one of golf’s all-time greats — is attached to this new beginning for the club.
“We don’t do (that) lightly. We’re very selective in the clubs that we associate with,” said Blair, the general manager. “But we really felt like this was a hidden gem of an opportunity to bring a previously private club into a public forum and present great golf opportunities for the whole city of Sarasota.”
A number of different companies managed the club’s courses over the years. Troon managed from 2022-25 after acquiring ICON, which managed from 2020-22. Billy Casper Golf Management — also acquired by Troon in 2021 — was in charge from 2015-20.
Arnold Palmer Golf Management, based in Dallas, is tasked with turning a recent failure into a rousing success. To do so, it has brought the formerly private club into the public eye.
That’s the reason behind the rebrand of Meadows Golf Club. “Country club” carries a private, exclusive connotation whereas “golf club” carries a public, inclusive connotation.
Unlike many clubs in Sarasota, this one will be open to the public year-round. It seeks to distinguish itself from public competitors like Bobby Jones Golf Club and Serenoa Golf Club.
Some such as University Park Country Club are private, but open to the public during the summer. Others are private year-round and entirely unavailable to non-members.
“There’s a niche in the marketplace for premium golf course quality at a middle tier that we fit into perfectly — during the summer and during the winter,” Blair said.
Sam Schriber, a Sarasota resident and golf instructor, has become a regular on the Meadows Course. He played the Groves Course before the club filed for bankruptcy.
He had "no prior attachment" to the club, but now spends his time and money there instead of at other clubs nearby.
"It's convenient being so close," Schriber said. "They have range balls that aren't so worn through that they don't have dimples anymore, so the range is pretty good."
Since reopening last month, Meadows Golf Club has averaged over 150 golfers per day. The average course in Sarasota hosts about 75 rounds of golf per day during the summer, per Blair.
He sees the club’s numbers as “phenomenal” for this time of year and has received "rave reviews" from those who have played the restored Meadows Course.
"I've played it quite a few times now," Schriber said. "It's in great shape, and it's a lot better bang for your buck than anywhere else, I've found."
Blair attributes much of Meadows Golf Club’s early popularity to its "Players Club," of which, Schriber is a member.
Members can schedule tee times five days in advance for 25% off standard fare, pay just $20 for 18 holes after 2 p.m. in the summer and hit one medium bucket of balls per day, among other benefits.
Membership was initially priced at $30 per month. It's since been upped to $40 after 400 were sold over the past three weeks.
Blair believes top-notch hospitality is most crucial for any golf club to succeed in this day and age. He’s intent on translating that belief to Meadows Golf Club.
“You’ve got to treat people like they are the most important thing at that moment every day,” Blair said. “Greeting them, taking their clubs, putting them on a cart… Everybody is here to help you have a good time… If you’re doing those things, people are going to come back.”
An 18-hole golf course, he said, can typically accommodate no more than 250 players per day. He also said that number could be the norm during the winter if their momentum continues.
His confidence that Meadows Golf Club will stay in the green and out of the rough comes from what he’s seen since their doors opened.
“We’re filling the golf course, far beyond what they ever did before," Blair said.
