Golf in Style on The Cultural Coast of Florida
It is often said you should travel well and be rested in places that stimulate your senses and arouse your appetite for relaxation. You
know when you are at the right place when you constantly forget the day and the time. Each day should always pass slowly and leave us with a complete feeling of being somewhere special as a reward for our time in the trenches. Sarasota and her Islands are such a place, a mid sized city on the Gulf offering it all. The eclectic mix of great golf, luxurious hotels and resorts and wonderful restaurants will keep you coming back for more.
Sarasota is located just 50 minutes south of Tampa on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The region is blessed with some of the most pristine Islands and Keys and offers some of the most spectacular scenery in the state. The charm of Siesta Key and the elegance of Long Boat Key will give you all the choices you will need for your individual taste. There is literally something for everyone here, and it is all good.
We stayed at the newly renovated Hyatt on Sarasota Bay looking out over Long Boat Key. The hotel has just undergone a 22 million dollar renovation from top to bottom. Lively colors and sophesticated designed schemes are blended together in the new Hyatt to create a feeling of relaxation through art.
The lobby greets you with a bright and open atmosphere with a kind of trendy Art Deco Florida feel. The guest rooms were equally bright and alive color that brought out the fantastic views of the bay. In the Hyatt tradition a top designer was commissioned to transform the property to it’s new life in Sarasota, designer Lilly Pulitzer choices are a fresh new statement that work well. For service its what you expect from a Hyatt, the staff was at every level pleasant and professional.
The Hyatt sits just steps from the Ritz Carlton also on Sarasota Bay. The Ritz well is the Ritz a top class hotel that will offer you all the indulgence necessary for a great get away. There is nothing like a Sunday Brunch on Super Bowl Sunday at The Ritz. Just minutes from the Hyatt and the Ritz is one of the regions best resort Hotels Hiltons Longboat Key Club. The property is a 410-acre beachfront resort and private country club on the barrier island of Longboat Key. The club is an exclusive and very private resort offering all the amenities of an island getaway yet just minutes from the city of Sarasota. It is rare to have a choice of so many high quality exclusive resort properties in such a small geographic region, but it speaks volumes for the Sarasota area and her islands.
There are many choices for some of the best golf in the Sunshine State in the Sarasota Bradenton area. While on the trip we played University Park just minutes from the hotel, designed by Ron Garl. The 27 hole layout is one of the regions best bets offering great golf in a relaxing elegant atmosphere that offers plenty of challenges for all levels of players. On day two we ventured out to the Long Boat Key Club. The club offers two distinctly different playing experiences with their Harborside and Islandside golf courses.
The Islandside course designed by Bill Mitchell in 1960 is an 18 hole championship course playing at about 6800 yards with water coming in to play on every hole, a very intimidating but fair course that required good club selection and attention to course management.
The Harborside course was designed by Willard Byrd in1982 and had a redesign in 2006 by Ron Garl. The course has three 9 hole tracks that play a little shorter but again target golf comes into play on almost all holes. The course is strategically set up to force the player to think through the round. The challenges of this type of golf will stimulate your senses and test your skills. Both courses offer magnificent views of the gulf and bay. There are plenty of other choices in the region as well for all levels of players. We visited StoneyBrook, Pelican Point, and Heron Creek and Lakewood Ranch all great facilities that are just minutes from downtown Sarasota.
You can find it all in Sarasota and her Islands, great accommodations, wonderful golf, great shopping and some of the best spa’s anywhere. The restaurant choices are endless and there is plenty of nightlife and cultural events to choose from. Oh and yes there is something special about watching the sun disappear into the ocean after a full day of golf and a massage with a cool drink in hand, cheers!! 
Special thanks go our to Jason Puckett and Erin Duggan from the Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau for there help and expertise in getting us acquainted with all the region has to offer. They can be contacted at 941.955.0991 or at gobeyondthebeaches.com
