Sarasota National Golf Club

If the wind is blowing you will know it. It seemed like the wind was blowing in our face on every hole. (how can that happen?) The course is very open with few trees and almost no homes around the area. You may think you are the only group playing due to how the course "wanders" all around the area. This was the most expensive ($66) course that we played, but will probably go up in the future. Very nice for only being open for a little over a year. The yardage book they gave each foursome was very helpful. The mechandise in the clubhouse is very nice, as is the clubhouse itself. Still no license to sell beer, if you want that. I would probably play hear again if the price remains reasonable.

Agree mostly with capehaze's long good quality review. although i thought the course was phenominal. Top 10. I played it in December 2008, it was in AMAZING shape, very very well manicured and great to play. Was blown away by how green the grass was and how perfect all the holes were.

The fairways are super wide, but being on one side and being on the other side makes for a totally different hole. Greens are in phenominal shape. fast or slow depending on the nearest water hazard, they are in tip top shape all around. My 5 iron shots held fine.

The course is built in the middle of what one day will be a housing development, but today (2008) virtually no homes are being built
-------- this is true, it is eerie being there, sad i guess. but it is built in a 2200 acre housing/wildlife development so there is plenty of wildlife mixed in with the pre-set tamped down gravel homesites.

features. The holes are pretty, well landscaped and maintained, and are pleasing to the eye, but the edges of most fairways quickly turn into wasteland.
------- true but is lmost better than houses ! wide open, plays like a mountain course where the sides of the hole are really out-of-bounds.

The course just opened less than a year ago, and many facilities are not yet complete.
------- true, no food either.

The layout is imaginative, and challenging, and there are some holes that are unique and exciting to play.
------- awesome layout and beautiful. saw lots of soft shelled turtles !

also, this course is super cheap. on golfnow.com or ezlinks.com they have specials for like $40 and under. For that price it can't be beat. Probabl a $120 winter priced round for $35 !! Would HIGHLY recommend.

I played about the same time as "cape haze" and agree with many of his comments although a very fast running course is a little unique to the area. But all 4 of us played right to our handicaps on a very windy day. Many of the older courses are more plush but have "mucky' fairways. It is very open, on windy days consider moving up a set of tees (or 2) to compensate for the conditions. I thought the course was fair value for the $$'s.