When Scottish-born Colonel John Hamilton Gillespie relocated to Sarasota, Fla., and built a two-hole practice course in 1886, it became one of the oldest recorded courses in America. Eventually, the golf pioneer’s project grew into a 9-hole layout by 1901, and five years later, Gillespie expanded the layout to 18 holes.
After Gillespie died in 1923, the same year Jones won his first U.S. Open and began his rise to golf prominence, Gillespie’s course was sold and subsequently redeveloped by the City of Sarasota when commissioners adopted an ordinance in 1925 for the issuance of $150,000 in municipal bonds. After city officials hired renowned golf architect Donald Ross to design a new 18-hole course, the city renamed its municipal property the Bobby Jones Golf Club during a fanfare event in 1927 when Jones officially dedicated the course and played an exhibition round.
Nearly 100 years later, the City of Sarasota is celebrating another successful rebirth of the property after reopening the closed 18-hole layout last December. Not only is the Ross Course back in business after being shut down when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the historic layout was completely restored by Pinehurst, N.C.-based architect Richard Mandell.
“Bobby Jones Golf Club in Sarasota is as significant as they come because the land on which Donald Ross created this masterpiece is still intact, allowing us to restore his original plan,” Mandell said during a recent ground-breaking press conference with city officials. “The reintroduction of strategic mounding throughout the layout Ross planned long ago will be new and different from what many Ross golf aficionados are accustomed to playing. Bobby Jones has exceeded even my expectations.”
Mandell introduced “tee shot distance equity” with six tee boxes at varying distances to create an enjoyable experience for all players and maximize club selection for all talent levels.
“By adding forward tee distances, we’re welcoming a wider range of golfers at different skill levels,” said Sue Martin, the city’s parks and recreation team member who managed the course and led the restoration efforts. “Traditionally, red tees have been the closest to a hole, then white and blue tees farther away. Golf is evolving. With three additional tee distances, more options are available for golfers at Bobby Jones to have fun and add variety to their game, whether they’re a novice or lifelong player.”
For those who want to step back in time and experience the course as Ross originally planned, Mandell also designed a special set of “Ross tees,” giving golfers the ability to play from the original 6,240-yard Ross distance. Overall, the par-71 course now ranges from 4,583 yards to 6,714 yards.
Last May, the city completed yet another milestone in the overall $20 million course restoration and renovation project when it officially debuted Mandell’s redesigned 9-hole adjustable Gillespie Course that can now be played five different ways with 30 hole options. Other golf highlights at the renewed municipal facility are a 25-acre practice facility, 3.75-acre short-game area with three chipping greens and two teardrop target greens, 21,000-square-foot putting green and revitalized driving range with 70 hitting stations.
The city has a temporary clubhouse with food-and-beverage service while a permanent new clubhouse is anticipated to be constructed and open to the public in approximately two years.
Mandell said the opportunity to “truly and authentically restore what Ross drew up” nearly a century ago was certainly one of the more memorable aspects of his latest golf design project.
“The attention to details of features like the detailed mounding and the way he connected adjacent holes with certain features are what stands out,” Mandell said. “For instance, at the 10th and 18th holes there’s a pretty cool mound/ridge feature that separates the holes and has some strategic implications depending on where you hit your tee shot.”
The fact golfers are able to play this famed course once again after years of political wrangling and redevelopment overtures threatened to close this facility forever, is yet another important architectural legacy Mandell was able to leave not only for the city, but for the game itself.