Ibis Landing Golf and Country Club (Lehigh Acres, FL)

If you like playing among houses, then Ibis Landing is the course for you. The trend of the 1980 housing market is coming back, and big developers like Lennar see an opportunity to market their homes by packaging them with a golf course. With rounds of golf being up and the national population projected to be 400M by 2050, this proactive business model may be the future of another golf boom. 

Ibis Landing was designed by Gordon Lewis in 2001. It has several interesting green sites where Lewis stretched the putting surface across a platform, making very wide but shallow targets. The short par four fifth illustrates this perfectly. It climbs up a hill with the green just on the other side of the apex. It spreads across the entire backside, high left to low right. It’s semi blind with only the top of the flag visible. The short par four fifteenth has the same type of green except this time, the right half extends out into the water like a peninsula while the left side is wide open and entices long hitters into driving it. 

(The 310/295 yard par four ninth has a center bunker that divides the green in half for your pitch shot. Water short right of the green (out of view in this pic) persuades the long hitter to go up the left side, and creates an awkward angle for today’s pin location.) 

(The 249/223 yard par three fourteenth is all carry over a sensitive area. There is a buffer between the green and the hazard. Just pray they move the tee up if this is into the wind.) 

I found the short par fours to be interesting and they were well placed in the round. Three of the them were under 300 yards, and these holes were driveable for the long hitter. (One gentleman in our group drove four par fours. We were playing in a strong wind which shortened all of the downwind holes. He birdied the eighth but three putted the others.) Other notable observations included back to back opening par fives to start the round, something I haven’t seen since Hinckley Hills, and greens that extended further up the mounding they were set in, creating awkward chips and putts. Also, I’ve never seen housing construction as prominent as here. This development is going up fast! How close will they be? That’s a good question. There were several holes where I thought they were in danger, the eighth being the biggest offender. That said, the course was in great condition. Added up together, I think it’s a 4 (above average)(worth driving 30-45 minutes to play). 

(The 308/293 yard par four sixteenth has a very wide green and only the right half is visible in this picture. The green actually slopes away from the golfer, making for an awkward and difficult short iron shot.) 

[Ibis Landing hosted the Sunday singles matches for our Ryder Cup. The wind was blowing a steady 20 mph with gusts in the 30-35 mph range. If I said my first shot of the day was a dead top into the water and I shanked two on the par three sixth, then you’d summarized that I probably lost my match, but I somehow fixated on one swing thought and won six holes between 8-14. The crazy wind didn’t do my high ball hitting opponent any favors. On the par five thirteenth, my double bogey beat his triple. Oh the thrill of match play! I won the war of attrition 2&1.]

(The 375/349 yard eighteenth hole for most people is a simple metal wood and pitch when played straight away at the bunker, but longer hitter has the option to carry over the entire lake, bringing the front edge of the putting surface into play.) 

(#3 139/126 yard par three)

Heron Creek Golf and Country Club (North Port, FL)

Putting golf aside, the wildlife and natural vegetation found throughout the round made this a great experience. Besides alligators, which are always cool to see, we came across a bald eagle, a blue heron that was four foot high (!), a wide assortment of birds, and even some huge paw prints in the sand trap from a bobcat. The landscaping was fantastic too. The whole place was just a delight to play. 

As for the golf, it has 27 holes, Oak, Marsh, and Creek, all designed by Art Hills in 1999. It’s a true representation of residential golf community with long, and sometimes very long, cart rides going to the next tee. Walking is out of the question. Water is everywhere. Or at least on every hole. It’s typical Florida golf. The only thing unusual about Heron Creek is the large hill by the clubhouse, and the owner placed the driving range and several practice greens on it, making it the centerpiece of the club. The views can be enjoyed by everyone using the facilities. (And it’s great place to work on your game!) 

(The 366/341 yard opening hole on the Creek is a tough first shot of the day. Pick your line and trust your swing.) 

(The 544/514 yard par five Creek sixth bends to the right with water guarding the entire side. The angle of the green forces nearly every shot to carry the water when the pin is right of the central bunker. This #1 handicap hole has multiple ways to to inflict big numbers.) 

Believe it or not, Florida has the most Art Hills courses in the country. I would speculate this is due mainly to the housing market in the sunshine state. Hills does an excellent job making playable, fun courses, but more importantly on the marketing side, he designs with pizzazz. All the water and cape style holes make a splash, and golfers are drawn to that type of architecture. It’s almost psychological. I’m sucked into it too. However, when the swing isn’t responding like you want it, this brand can be difficult and expensive. 

(The 400/368 yard par four Oak seventh has this grassland sensitive area carving in front of the putting surface. The green is bunkerless and will accept shots hit high or low.) 

(The 536/515 yard par five Oak ninth is a big reverse C where the aggressive golfer can really cut off a lot of distance…
…another sensitive area cuts short of the green but there’s a lot of fairway right of this picture. It was the most birdied hole of the day as several guys were able to reach it or just be short in two shots.) 

I view Art Hills as a good architect even though I find his designs to be hit or miss in regards to my expectations. Here, he pieced together a strong golf course, and “pieced” is an appropriate word since the holes basically stand alone. I was more impressed with the landscaping, especially on the Creek nine as the cart path wound through the palmettos, and under a canopy of palm trees. The amount of detail given to the look set it apart from many other courses I’ve seen in the past. For this reason, my rating is a 6 (very good)(worth driving 1-2 hours to play). 

[we played the Creek and Oak nines as our eighteen holes. It was the beginning of our annual Ryder Cup match, with this round being a two man best ball. I have always viewed this as the most difficult match to win, often times giving too many strokes, and one of our opponents was getting nine blows. Needless to say, he made four putts between 10-15 feet for net birdies, and saved bogey another three times to halve holes. I was not surprised to be on the receiving end of a 5&4 thrashing.]

(The opening tee shot on the Oak nine is right over the bunkers where a strong drive will catch the speed slot and roll another forty yards, bringing the green into reach on this 515/477 yard par five.) 

Bobby Jones Golf Club - Ross Course (Sarasota, FL)

Welcome 2025! My first blog of the year is Bobby Jones Golf Club, another example of the “Munaisance”  movement which seems to be gaining traction across the nation as more cities invest in their public courses. Here in Sarasota, Richard Mandell pared 45 holes down to 27, reintroducing the Donald Ross’ 1926 design by using detailed plans from the Tuft Archives and then adding an original par three course that can be played in five variations. 

Bobby Jones is a great example of a smart restoration providing quality golf while still maintaining affordability. Last year, my first blog was The Park in West Palm Beach, a high end restoration that began its pricing at $230. Granted it was being courted by every major golf publication as one of the best new courses in America, but how many people can pay that hefty price tag? At Bobby Jones, the city of Sarasota invested $20M, but the $99 green fees is still comparable to many of the public courses in January (peak season). (Locals are paying less than $60) 

(The 207/190 yard par three third has this large bunker creating dead space between it and the putting surface. Depth perception is an issue for golfers trying to judge the exact carry to the front edge. The two tiered green has many interesting pin positions, making par a solid score.) 

(The 342/310 yard par four seventh can be played in many different ways. The water in view pushes up the left side and awaits the tiger golfer who pulls his ball past the bunkers on the left. Most will prudently lay back and hit a short iron in…
…this is the view of seven green from five tee. The front nine plays in a counterclockwise loop, giving the player a preview of holes to come.)

Everyone is very excited about the new Bobby Jones Golf Club. It’s inclusion in Golf.com’s Best Courses Under $100 has seen the tee sheets fill up with golfers wanting to see this restored Donald Ross. The course is in excellent condition with wide fairways guarded by mounding and bunkers, and greens that roll at a brisk pace. It has a wide variety of holes with tough pars balanced out by good birdie opportunities. The four short par fours at 7,10,12,17 are the key to a good round, especially if one does well on the three par fives. 

(The 340/308 yard par four tenth is a good opportunity for a birdie. Note the rolling fairway to the right. Golfers must be able to contend with various lies and stances.) 

(The 190/171 yard par three sixteenth is a classic Ross. The high back right to low front left green sets up for a draw that should work it’s way to the middle. Missing pin high to either side leaves a very challenging recovery for par.) 

Richard Mandell was quoted as saying he just wanted to make everyone happy and give them a course they deserve. I think it’s mission accomplished! The course is a lot of fun, and the width should allow golfers to find their ball in most situations. The lack of housing enhances the experience too. This course is what I believe true municipal restorations should be. Let’s get back to good, affordable golf. I give Bobby Jones a solid 5 (good)(worth driving an hour to play). This summer they’ll add a new clubhouse, solidifying it’s position as the best public course in Sarasota. 

(This view of twelve green from seventeen fairway shows all the trouble long hitters take on should they risk driving the green on the 342/317 yard par four.) 

(I was paired up with Mike, a retired gentleman from the Detroit area, and we paired up with two young guys named Joe and Jack. We all played the blue tees at 6,061 yards. The temperature was only 46 degrees for our 7:52 tee time. The cold weather and lack of playing made the first five holes a difficult start for both of us, but we warmed up in the middle of the round, and Mike even played the last six holes in -1 under. The two young guys reminded me of myself at their age, enjoying a new course even if their skill level made breaking 90 a tall task. Note the circled tee markers on the card. If you wanted to play the original Donald Ross course, then you’d play that tee box which includes teeing off from the tips eight times.)