Longboat Key Club Links Course [Review]

When it opened back in 1960. The Links on Longboat at Longboat Key Club, formerly known as the Island Side course, was considered one of the finest golf courses along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Originally designed by William F Mitchell and Rees Jones, the Island Side Golf course featured rolling palm tree-lined fairways and bunkered green complexes. Then, in 2014, Longboat Key Club brought in noted golf course designer Ron Garl to rework the original design.

Ron Garl removed some of the bunkers associated with the green complexes and replaced the Bermuda grass with platinum paspalum grass. The result is a layout that has many characteristics of a seaside links course that offers a challenging 18 holes of golf for any level of player.

The key to scoring on The Links course at Longboat Key Club starts at the tee.

And while you’ll be challenged with your iron play from the fairways, course designer Ron Garl does not penalize you for an errant shot.

“What he’s done, he’s taken out 18 holes of elevated greens with a bunker left, and right, He’s made some collection areas, some grass bunkers, taking out a lot of the sand traps. And it’s made it a lot more fun for both the good golfer and the average golfer.

The Links on Longboat at Longboat Key Club offers five sets of tees. Allowing you to determine just how much of a course you would like to tackle.

Taking it all the way back to the Blue tees this course plays to 6,748 yards and features a course rating of 73.9 and a slope of 133.

The forward Red tees reduce the length of this course to just over 5,000 yards.

Once you play a round here on The Links on Longboat at Longboat Key Club you’ll realize how special this golf course is. If you haven’t played it, you need to experience it.

Click here for more video tours and reviews of resort golf courses around North America and the Caribbean.