Bobby Jones golf renovation nears completion as Sarasota sets prices
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The Sarasota City Commission set the price to golf at the city-owned Bobby Jones Golf Club as a $20 million renovation of the 300-acre property nears completion.
An opening date has not been set, but it is anticipated the facility will open in the coming weeks.
Adult members of the public who are not residents of the city of Sarasota will pay a minimum of $59 and a maximum of $109 Monday through Thursday with the floor and ceiling jumping $10 for golf on Friday through Saturday for the first weeks the course opens.
The prices will increase on Dec. 22 through March 31 with the least expensive round of golf coming in at $74 and the most expensive costing $114 Monday through Thursday for members of the public. The prices will jump $10 on Friday through Sunday.
City residents will receive a discount of 10% off the lowest rate offered at the time they purchase their round of golf, according to discussion at the meeting.
The target rate for a round of golf will be $89 with a resident target rate of $80 Monday through Thursday until Dec. 22 when the target rate for the public will increase to $99. Friday through Thursday the target rate for the public to golf 18 holes at Bobby Jones is $109 with a city resident paying $98.
Junior rates appear to be about half the adult rates.
The $20 million renovation also included the nine-hole adjustable Gillespie Course, the construction of a clubhouse, and the driving range. The renovation saw Bobby Jones Golf Club shrink the number of holes from 45 to 27, but also expand walking trails in a nature park at the nearly 100-year-old community amenity.
Jan Thornburg, the city’s communications general manager, noted a $1.5 million grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District that helped create water quality improvements including the creation of new wetlands and weirs.
The management company the city hired last year — Indigo Sports LLC — will institute “dynamic pricing” at the club, which raised some concerns with City Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch, although, she ultimately voted in favor of the fee structure proposed by the company after two rounds of questioning where she sought assurances that city residents would always receive the lowest price of anyone using the facility.
One of her chief concerns was that a Snowbird or other tourist could pay less to golf at Bobby Jones Golf Club than a city resident footing part of the bill for the facility.
Ahearn-Koch was concerned that the use of dynamic pricing by Indigo Sports in the recommended fee schedule could have seen nonresidents who potentially scheduled tee times months in advance pay less than a resident who scheduled their tee times when demand was higher.
Brian Rhodes, regional manager with Indigo Sports, said the use of dynamic pricing at golf courses isn’t as sophisticated as used by hotels, airlines, and rideshare companies. He said the lower prices posted on the fee schedule would likely only be used if the course had recently had…
Read More: Bobby Jones golf renovation nears completion as Sarasota sets prices 2023-10-21 08:03:33