Play Like a Pro: Best Guide to Golfing Sarasota County

From history to present-day, golf has been a permanent part of Sarasota's landscape, where you'll find there are no shortage of courses and country clubs for the golfer to spend an afternoon perfecting their game From professional to pedestrian, the Sarasota County area has something for golfers of all levels.

Players have been watching golf balls soar against the blue skies of Sarasota County for close to 130 years since John H. Gillespie showed up with his bag of hickory shafts in 1885. He built two golf holes in 1886 near where modern day Main Street now exists.

With Sarasota County's pristine streams, fresh cut fairways, sparkling lakes, sugar-white sand bunkers, and natural wildlife, you can see that old John was on to something.

The area has a wonderful and varied group of golf tracks. Some are hidden, and all are gems. Below are a few to give you an idea of what you may find here. All are open for play to the golfing public (in one manner or another).

Learn more about yardages, ratings and directions to hundreds of courses and communities along Florida's Southwest Coast by checking out Golf Coast Magazine. Want to really explore area golf? Sign up for the Big Summer Golf Card and earn access to nearly 100 courses in the local area from May through October.

Fans can see the PGA hopefulls each year at the LECOM Suncoast Classic in February at Lakewood National Golf Club in Lakewood Ranch. The tournament is an early stop on the Korn Ferry Tour (previously Web.com tour) season under the warm winter embrace of the southwest Florida sun. Known as the "path to the PGA TOUR," dozens of professionals compete in tournaments like these for with the hopes of finishing high enough in the standings to earn their PGA TOUR card at the end of the season.