GUEST EDITORIAL: Revisiting Bobby Jones, and getting it right this time

On Tuesday the Sarasota City Commission will once again consider right-sizing the 45-hole Bobby Jones Golf Course down to 27 holes. If approved, this would free up nearly half of the existing footprint for a new public park, which incorporates significant water quality improvement measures, and puts the course on a path toward long-term financial sustainability.

This is likely the last chance we’ll have to get this right.

I grew up playing Bobby Jones as a kid and witnessing the course’s decline has been tough. The facility, on 283 acres of public land in the heart of our community, has been consistently losing more money with each passing year. According to experts, a major overhaul of the aged infrastructure from tee box to flag pin is necessary to bring the course back to life.

However, without a significant reduction in size, the cost to overhaul anything more than 27 holes will devastate the already failing financials.

Last year the 45-hole course required an infusion of $860,000 just to break even, and this year that subsidy will likely be north of a million dollars if left as-is. That burden is paid for by all City of Sarasota taxpayers, even though only about 7% of the rounds played at Bobby Jones are played by city residents. That’s not right.

The environmental significance must also be carefully considered. Millions of gallons of stormwater run through Bobby Jones each year, pouring in from as far north as University Town Center. The fertilizer and pesticides required to maintain fairways and greens at the current size is obviously not ideal, since the property doubles as a stormwater basin that feeds directly into Phillippi Creek and ultimately to our delicate bay waters.

Also, it’s just impossible to justify dedicating the vast majority of this public land to a single use when there are so many residents nearby who don’t play golf and would love to have other outdoor recreational options.

There is a better way.

The 27-hole option will right-size Bobby Jones by restoring the original Donald Ross-designed 18-hole regulation course, and reconditioning the nine-hole Gillespie executive course. This will dramatically reduce the cost of the overhaul and maintenance expenses — giving Bobby Jones a fighting chance of sustainability.

The most exciting aspect: This proposal frees up 145 contiguous acres for a new passive and active public park space.

A diverse community surrounds Bobby Jones. If we get this right, it seems there’s enough room to offer something for everyone.

Of those 145 acres, 53 would be dedicated to meaningful wetland restoration, to do a much better job filtering the stormwater runoff aggregated onsite before it hits our waterways. An important benefit, but it also broadens our ability to tap into state and federal resources to help pay for the project not otherwise available.

Make no mistake, this is a uniquely transformational opportunity for the east side of the city — which is deficient, in my opinion, both in public park space and quality of life investment. It puts Bobby Jones on a sustainable path so that future generations can enjoy the historic course at an affordable price, and it takes meaningful steps toward improving water quality issues in our region.

On Tuesday, it’s clear: At Bobby Jones Golf Club, less is more.

Hagen Brody is an attorney who grew up in Sarasota and is currently an elected at-large Sarasota city commissioner.