Bobby Jones Golf Club
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Behind the Scenes at Bobby Jones - July 31, 2023
Renovations are moving forward rapidly at Bobby Jones Golf Club! The photos above feature the newly installed drainage weirs, which will help to clean stormwater before it reaches Sarasota Bay, and the newly created wetlands, which have recently been planted with littoral plants that will provide habitats for wildlife and reduce excess nutrients in the water.
Construction is on course for a Grand Re-Opening this November. We look forward to welcoming you back to the greens!
July 21, 2023 - Construction Snapshot
June 30, 2023 - Construction Snapshot
May 15, 2023 - BJGC Clubhouse Conceptual Design as presented to the City Commission on May 15, 2023
May 3, 2023 - Construction Snapshot
April 7, 2023 - Construction Snapshot
March 7, 2023 - ABC 7 WWSB - Bobby Jones Golf Club developments
https://www.mysuncoast.com/video/2023/03/07/bobby-jones-golf-club-developments/
March 3, 2023 - Construction is progressing well on our historic municipal golf course! The back nine fairways (holes 10-18) have been grassed, and the greens will be completed when ground temperatures warm to optimum levels for healthy growth. On the front nine, both sprigging and sod installation started last month. The 9-hole adjustable Gillespie Course is being shaped and will be ready for grass soon. Construction also began this week on the new driving range and accompanying building, practice green, and restrooms. And, work will get underway soon on a temporary clubhouse as well as the Gillespie Course starter booth/shop. As you can see in the photo above showing holes 10 and 18, the renovation is looking good!
Meanwhile, design concepts for the new clubhouse are being created by Fawley Bryan Architecture and will be presented to the City Commission for consideration in the coming months.
The wetlands located on the property have been fully constructed and will be planted with native aquatic shoreline vegetation beginning in April. Bobby Jones is the City’s single largest green space, and with the creation of these new wetlands, water quality in the region will be vastly improved, with stormwater being filtered as it flows through the property and ultimately into Sarasota Bay.
December 14, 2022 - New bridges were delivered today!
December 12, 2022 - Grassing has begun at Bobby Jones Golf Club, and the renovated original 18-hole Donald Ross-designed course is really starting to take shape. It will still take some time for the newly planted grass to take root and be ready for play, but we can't wait to get back on the greens of our City's historic municipal golf course.
November 8, 2022 - Check out these great bird's eye view photos of Bobby Jones Golf Club construction progress taken by Aerial Innovations, Inc.
August 19, 2022 - Progress continues on renovating the historic municipal golf course and creating new wetlands. This week, crews will begin installing the first lengths of irrigation piping.
July 22, 2022 - Work continues shaping the features of the original 18-hole Donald Ross course and creation of new wetlands.
July 8, 2022 - Drone footage from Aerial Innovations shows continued work shaping the golf course.
June 24, 2022 - Things are really shaping up now! Crews are working to add new ponds and continue shaping Hole #15.
June 8, 2022 - Crews are working to shape Hole #15 and the Hole #11 green. A dry retention pond is being created, which will contribute to the significant regional water quality benefits of the project.
May 25, 2022 - Big equipment is on-site and crews are turning dirt to recreate the original 1926 Donald Ross golf course design with modern touches. Some ponds are being drained and filled; others are being expanded or added.
April 29, 2022 - (From City News) Work is well underway with the renovation and restoration of our historic municipal golf course, Bobby Jones Golf Club! Crews have been clearing the greens, tees and fairways and preparing for construction, including removing invasive trees and plants and diseased, dead, and declining trees. These trees will be mitigated. Soon the old ponds will be filled and new ponds created, as the canal that runs across the Bobby Jones property is reconfigured. New irrigation and drainage will be installed as well as wetlands, which will help clean stormwater that drains through Bobby Jones from as far north as University Parkway and ultimately into Sarasota Bay.
In partnership with the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, a conservation easement has been agreed upon to preserve the property in perpetuity, with future use limited to recreation and green space -- a truly momentous decision by the City Commission. The ongoing renovation will lay the foundation for a signature nature park on the property.
We are working closely with the contractor and are optimistic the 18-hole Donald Ross course will open to the public by December 2022, with the renovated 9-hole adjustable course opening shortly thereafter. We look forward to continued progress on this ambitious recreational and environmental improvement project.
April 13, 2022 - Crews are clearing away debris and grading the surface to prepare for new grass. The next steps will be irrigation, drainage, and replacement bridges.
April 8, 2022 - Special thanks to Aerial Innovations for this great aerial photo of construction progress! Crews have been clearing the greens, tees, and fairways and preparing for construction, including removing invasive trees and plants and diseased, dead, and declining trees. These trees will be mitigated. The next steps will be irrigation, drainage, and replacement bridges.
March 4, 2022: An official Groundbreaking Ceremony kicks off construction. The restored Donald Ross course is expected to open to the public in November 2022, with the renovated 9-hole course to follow soon after plus a new clubhouse, player development center and driving range.
February 1, 2022: Bobby Jones Golf Club and Nature Trails are CLOSED to the public ahead of construction beginning.
June 22, 2021 - The aging clubhouse and other structures at Bobby Jones Golf Club have been removed to prepare for the future of the municipal golf course and park. The City Commission is expected to discuss future operations and financial management of the golf course this fall.
June 15, 2021 - Today we say goodbye to the iconic clubhouse at the Bobby Jones Golf Club. Designed by the late John Edward Piercy, the 8,000 square foot building opened in 1971. Equipped with a 150-seat restaurant space, outdoor patio, bar, offices, meeting room, and golf-shop. The venue hosted banquets, parties, golf tournaments, and celebrations for over 50 years. Inside the golf-shop were golf clubs (for rent and purchase), golf gear, driving range balls, and a friendly staff checking in golfers for their tee-time reservations.
June 15, 2021 - This excavator is busy pulling pieces of the Locker Barn, at Bobby Jones Golf Club, down today. The machine is used for sorting material on the ground into piles for easier disposal. Rented annually and semi-annually, 100 lockers were used by golfers to store golf clubs and pull carts. Lockers measured 60” H, 21” W, and 20” D.
June 11, 2021 - Today the Bobby Jones Golf Club Cart Barn got bulldozed to make room for future plans. It was used to house over 120 golf carts and one range picker. This demolition is a part of the Bobby Jones Golf Club Renovation Master Plan. Stay tuned for more demolition this month!
June 8, 2021 - Tennis court nets and surface, at the Gillespie Golf Course, have officially been demolished. Our trails are expected to re-open by July 4th. Between now and then the starter booths, locker barn, carn barn, and clubhouse are scheduled to be razed.
June 3, 2021 - Today USA Fence at the Gillespie Golf Course Tennis Court, on Circus Blvd. The big crane is tearing down the 30-foot cage. Next will be the removal of the tennis court nets and surface followed by the golf starter booth. This demolition is a part of the Bobby Jones Golf Club Renovation Master Plan. Stay tuned for more demolition this month!