Sara Bay Country Club
Sara Bay is the oldest golf course in this market and the only Donald Ross design in it. It opened in 1926 as Whitfield Estates Country Club, the project of the Atlanta businessman Perry Adair, and it has carried three further names since: North Shore Country Club from 1938, Sarasota Bay Country Club from 1940, and Sara Bay from 1964.
In 1926, shortly after it opened, the course hosted an exhibition match between Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. It went on to host the Senior PGA Championship in the 1940s, LPGA Tour events in the 1950s, Florida State Golf Association men and women championships, the 100th Women Southern Amateur and, more recently, the LPGA Symetra Tour. For a market whose golf is overwhelmingly modern and residential, that is a genuinely unusual record.
The course was restored by the architect Kris Spence, working from original Donald Ross drawings, with the greens and bunkers returned toward the Ross plan and fairway bunkering made prominent to the eye again. The club began a multi-million-dollar clubhouse renovation in 2026. It is private and member-owned; membership terms are not published and are not guessed at here.
Membership
Membership information
Detailed membership and fee information for this club is coming soon. Contact me for current details or to schedule a tour.
Facilities
Amenities & facilities
18-hole Donald Ross course
Par 72, measuring about 7,012 yards, restored from original Ross drawings.
Clubhouse
The club began a multi-million-dollar clubhouse renovation in 2026.
Golf shop
The club golf shop.
Tournament History
- Senior PGA Championship, 1940s
- LPGA Tour events, 1950s
- Florida State Golf Association men and women championships
- 100th Women Southern Amateur
- LPGA Symetra Tour
Accolades
- The only Donald Ross design in the Sarasota and Manatee market
- Site of a 1926 exhibition between Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen
- Restored from original Donald Ross drawings by Kris Spence
Source
Checked against golfcoursearchitecture.net on October 3, 2026. Membership terms, fees and access change without notice, so treat this as the state of the record on that date rather than a quote. Where a club does not publish a figure, this page says so instead of estimating it.
Interested in Sara Bay Country Club?
I can help you find a home in this community, walk you through the full cost picture, and connect you with the membership team.
Free Guide · 8 min read
What Golf Club Membership Actually Costs Here
Initiation, dues, food-and-beverage minimums, bundled versus optional golf, and the sales tax nobody plans for, across Sarasota and Manatee County clubs.
- Why every club quotes three numbers, and which one actually shapes your investment range
- Bundled golf versus optional membership, and how to compare the two fairly
- The Florida sales tax that applies to dues and initiation
- A seven-step method for comparing two clubs on all-in annual cost
Looking at homes near the course?
Tell me your investment range and how much you honestly expect to play, and I will send the communities where the membership math works out, and the ones where it does not.
Or call or text (941) 350-0224.