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City reopens renovated Bobby Jones Golf Club; nature park, wetlands added to manage flooding
Summary
City of Sarasota officials summarized completion of a multi‑year renovation at Bobby Jones Golf Club that restored a Donald Ross 18‑hole layout, opened a 100‑acre nature park with a 20‑acre wetland, added a 9‑hole Gillespie short course and reported strong early revenue and resilience benefits.
City of Sarasota parks officials reported on the reopening and early operation of the renovated Bobby Jones Golf Club and the adjacent Nature Park, telling the joint meeting that the project combined golf restoration with new wetland treatment and flood‑resilience features.
City parks director Jerry Fogel and project manager John Kretzer said the work restored an 18‑hole Donald Ross design, opened a 9‑hole Gillespie Executive Course and created a 100‑acre nature park with a 20‑acre constructed wetland. Kretzer said construction began in February 2022 and the course reopened in December 2023, with the executive nine opening in May 2025.
Why it matters: the project was designed to reduce frequent flooding that previously made the course unplayable after storms. "The wetland receives water from nearly 6,000 acres upstream... that equates to 2,600,000,000 gallons of water that flow through Bobby Jones," Kretzer said, noting the project treated and slowed runoff before discharge to Phillippi Creek.
Key project details presented: - Course composition: 27 holes total (18‑hole restored regulation course plus a 9‑hole short course). - Wetland and park: approximately 100 acres of nature park and a 20‑acre constructed wetland engineered with diversion structures and weirs to treat runoff. - Turf and infrastructure: greens converted to TifEagle and fairways to Celebration Bermuda; upgraded irrigation and large culverts installed for conveyance. - Early performance: 43,770 golf rounds in the first 9.5 months and revenues about 36% above expectations for fiscal year 2023–24.
Fogel thanked multiple funding and technical partners, including the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection; the county contributed a $1,500,000 grant and DEP $487,000 toward the work. Staff noted the course with upgraded elevations reopened quickly after storms and handled Hurricane Debbie’s runoff, temporarily storing more than 300,000,000 gallons and reopening within days.
The nature park opened to the public; staff said future phases include additional trail, boardwalk and marsh‑overlook amenities and that park impact fees were requested to fund some next‑stage work. The city also remains engaged with county planners on a Legacy Trail connector through Bobby Jones toward Seventeenth Street Regional Park.
Ending: Commissioners praised the project’s combination of recreation, habitat and flood management and asked for continued coordination as the city develops the Nature Park’s next phases.
