American Course at Bobby Jones Golf Club to close on July 1, with reopening planned in October

Greens will be revitalized, city staff announces

An aerial view is provided in a YouTube video about the course on its website. Image courtesy City of Sarasota
An aerial view is provided in a YouTube video about the course on the club’s website. Image courtesy City of Sarasota

The American Course at Bobby Jones Golf Club will be closed temporarily starting Friday, July 1, while all 18 greens are revitalized with new turf, the City of Sarasota has announced.

“It is anticipated the American Course with new, lush greens will reopen to the public in early October,” a news release says.

Diamond zoysiagrass — the same turf used last year to revitalize the 18 greens on the British Course and two practice greens — will be installed, the release explains. “Known to tolerate high traffic and shady conditions, diamond zoysiagrass also maintains its vibrant green color, which is a key consideration for many visitors who choose to golf at Bobby Jones,” the release points out.

“With the success of the new greens on the British Course, it’s time to turn our attention to our other 18-hole course, the American,” said Sue Martin, Bobby Jones Golf Club manager, in the release. “The American greens are deteriorating to the point where improvements need to be made. When the new greens were installed on the British Course last fall, we immediately saw a renewed interest in the course and received a lot of positive feedback from players. We expect there will be similar excitement with new greens on the American,” she added in the release.

To limit inconvenience, the course improvements were scheduled to occur during the slowest time of year at Bobby Jones Golf Club, the release continues. “All golfers will be accommodated on the 18-hole British Course or 9-hole Gillespie Executive Course,” it adds.

“Removing the greens will be a lengthy process and will involve ensuring the old and invasive turf cannot grow,” including stripping the turf, tilling and sterilizing the soil, and then rolling out the new sod, the release notes.

The new greens are a stopgap measure while a master plan for capital improvements at Bobby Jones Golf Club is developed, the release explains.

For details about the Bobby Jones Golf Club, and to book a tee time, visit www.BobbyJonesGolfClub.com.