Club kicks off golf course restoration project

SARASOTA — Sarasota's Sara Bay Country Club began a restoration of its Donald Ross golf course April 30. 

Ross was a Scottish-born golf course designer. Kris Spence of Spence Golf Inc. will lead the project. The firm designs, renovates and restores golf courses. 

"The primary focus of the project will be to restore the greens and bunkers closely to the Ross field drawings," says PGA Master Professional, COO and General Manager Paul Barone in a statement.

The restoration will also include construction of five new teeing areas as well as enlarged practice putting and short game areas. 

The club hosted the Senior PGA Championship in the 1940s, the LPGA Tour in the 1950s, several FSGA Men's and Women's Championships, the 100th Women's Southern Amateur and the LPGA Symetra Tour, according to a press release. 

Sara Bay Country Club was founded in 1926. The private club is member-owned.