Gator Creek Golf Club

The course at the men-only Gator Creek Golf Club near Sarasota is a 1972 Joe Lee creation that was later updated by Mark McCumber and Ron Garl. Measuring around 6,900 yards from the tips, it's long enough from the back of the runway tees to test most golfers as the greens are relatively small and often fiercely protected by sand and sometimes water.

Notable holes on the front nine include the 422-yard 5th, located in the northeast corner of the property, which tracks along a narrow playing corridor to a pond-protected green. The 563-yard 7th is another terrific hole on the outward half, swinging left round a lake on the northern perimeter of the course (alongside Misty Creek Country Club) to a heavily sand-protected green.

On the back nine, the 406-yard 11th appears to be a rather benign par four on the score card but it is rated stroke index 2 for good reason, with the fairway narrowing considerably as it approaches a small pond fifty yards in front of the green. Water also comes into play on both the par four holes at #13and #15 before the round ends in fine style as the 442-yard 18th bends gently left to the home green.