The Meadows Country Club, Sarasota, FL

The Meadows in Sarasota, FL is a community unlike any other. The Meadows has three golf courses including two that are open to the public: The Groves, an 18-hole, par 65 course, and The Highlands, an 18-hole, par 72 golf course. The 3rd course is The Meadows Golf Course which is completely private.

The developer of The Meadows community, Frank Taylor, envisioned a community with strong social ties, and wide-open natural spaces that show a commitment to wildlife and ecology. A place where families and friends could build meaningful, lasting relationships with their neighbors. A community that becomes a recreational oasis for all. Lord Frank Taylor passed away in 1995 and never saw his dream become a reality. If only he could see The Meadows now.

Plans to build The Meadows development were approved by Sarasota County in 1974 and soon after that in 1976, Frank Duane, who had been the chief designer for Robert Trent Jones, designed what would be the first of three golf courses, The Meadows. Renowned golf course architect Ron Garl redesigned the course in 2004. In 2021, the Meadows again underwent a major renovation. Greens were rebuilt and sprigged, and bunkers were added, eliminated, and rebuilt. The result is a course that Is much more player friendly and challenging at the same time.

The Groves Golf Course is an 18-hole public golf course that was designed by well-known golf course architect, Arthur Hills and plays 4,211 yards from the back tees. Calling it an executive course does not do it justice, after all, not many executive courses have a 478-yard par 5. The Groves features tight fairways that lead to sloping greens. As with just about any Arthur Hills course, there’s an emphasis on shot placement and accurate approach shots if you want to score well. With nine par 4s, eight par 3s, and one par 5, this is not your usual short course, so be prepared for a challenge.

It has been said that “Membership has its privileges,” and this holds true at The Meadows. Membership here includes access to all three golf courses: the private Members-only Meadows Course, the publicly accessible Highlands Course, and the executive-length Groves Course. That’s 54 holes of golf as well as 17 Har-Tru tennis courts, pickleball courts, a junior Olympic swimming pool, a fitness center, 2 restaurants, and 6 unique event spaces. With over 200 social events each year, educational programs, and recreational activities, The Meadows truly offers something for everyone. They also have a “Kids Play Free” program that helps families with aspiring young golfers and encourages practice and skill acquisition. The Staff of PGA professionals offer lessons, free clinics, and club fittings all year round, with beautiful practice areas to help take your game to the next level. As a member of The Meadows, you’ll find a warm and welcoming staff and a club with a very active membership. The club is located in a beautiful and relaxing setting and is convenient and accessible to Sarasota’s downtown corridor and a bevy of residential and shopping centers including the University Town Center Mall.

During my visit to The Meadows, I met Gerry Dunnigan, who at the age of 97, is still an avid golfer. Gerry lives in The Meadows and has been a member for 23 years. He’s seen a lot over the years but seems to think that the course is in the best shape it’s been in a long time, and he looks forward to many more years of playing the game he loves.

The Meadows offers a diverse selection of Non-Equity memberships for year-round, seasonal, or summer enjoyment. To arrange a tour of the club, give Kat Wilhoit a call

The Meadows course was in good shape the greens were nice, 5/13. The staff very helpful and friendly. The course has some challenging holes with water on the back nine. I'll give it 4 STARS. The rating feature isn't working right!!