COURSE REVIEWS
Foxfire Golf Club:
Getting Better All the Time
By Joe Bruno,
Staff Writer
SARASOTA, FL --Their motto is "Be a Member For a Day," and golfing at the Foxfire Golf Club in sunny Sarasota, Florida is definitely a great way to spend the day, hacking that little white ball with varying degrees of proficiency.
Before Brennan Robertson took over as Director of Golf at the Foxfire Golf Club in October of 1999, Foxfire did not have a great reputation among the locals in Sarasota. Golfers complained that the greens and fairways were not in the best of shape, and the staff was not the exactly the type one would assume had attended a top area charm school. Since Robertson took over the management of Foxfire, he developed marketing strategies that increased players by 25%, resulting in over 70,000 rounds of golf a year. That gain in golfers increased Foxfire's gross revenues by over $40,000 per month, as compared to prior management.
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"The first thing I did when I arrived here was stress to my staff that they treat the customers with friendliness and courtesy," Robertson said. "My staff informs the golfers what to expect on the course the day they arrive, and tries to keep the customers in the same good mood as when they arrived here to play golf. People play golf to have fun, and we here at Foxfire try to maximize that enjoyment by doing everything we can to make their golfing experience so enjoyable, they keep on coming back."
Robertson, who manages a staff of 50 people including three department managers, also strived to improve the aesthetic beauty of the course, with the help of his course superintendent Tom Pommier. "Our greens and fairways were not in the best condition when I arrived here," Robertson said. "Tom got us on a better maintenance schedule and also on a better chemical fertilizer program. The results showed great improvement and now I feel our greens and fairways are as good, if not better than any other course in the area."
Since Robertson (who is the World Record Holder for most holes of golf played in 12 hours--476 holes) took over the reins at the Foxfire Golf Club, Golf Digest has given the course a 31/2 star rating, way up from a paltry 1 star rating it was given in the pre-Robertson 1999. Also, Foxfire Golf Club was a 2000 Finalist in the Sarasota Herald Tribune Readers' Choice Award for Best Public Golf Course.
Still, Robertson, not one to rest on his laurels, feels that there is still room for improvement. "Our tee boxes are definitely the worse aspect of our course," Robertson said. "They are uneven and not sloped as well as they could be. The season ends in a few weeks and we will work hard to improve our tee boxes so that they meet the same standards as our greens and fairways."
Unlike most areas course, which have only 18 holes, Foxfire has three nine-hole courses, the Pine, the Palm and the Oak. So when construction of the tee boxes begin, Foxfire will work on one nine-hole course at a time, keeping the other 18 holes open for play.
With the help of his golf pro David Windsor, Robertson also remodeled the golf shop. This caused a better traffic flow and spurred a 100% increase in average dollars spent per golfer over the prior season. As a result, the West Coast Chapter of the PGA presented Windsor with the 2001 Merchandiser of the Year Award.
"We understand the reality of our golfers having a good experience
when they come to golf here at Foxfire," Windsor said. "One bad
golfing experience and that words spreads around. So we try our
best to prevent that from happening."
Sarasota resident Jean Kilgallen thinks Foxfire is the best golf course in the area. "I like Foxfire because it's challenging for better golfers, but not so hard beginners can't enjoy themselves too," Kilgallen said. "Plus the people are so nice there, it makes you want to come back."
Windsor also feels that Foxfire Golf Club has gained prestige and popularity throughout the west coast of Florida through hard work, vision and a superior marketing strategy.
"One of the best things we did was hiring Kati Burns as our Public Relations person," Windsor said. "She constantly updates our website and keeps the public informed as to any ongoing promotions we might have here at Foxfire."
At Foxfire's website (http://www.golf-foxfire.com/), you can view a detailed course layout of all 27 holes and see information on any leagues or special outings. Ms. Burns can also help you plan your event from golf to barbecue to beer for your group of 16 to 144 golfers.
Windsor feels that Foxfire's success is also due to their involvement
in community work, which broadens their exposure to the public.
"We are heavily involved in the community here at Foxfire," Windsor said. "Every Wednesday at 3pm, I give lessons to a group from Florida Adaptive Golf (FLAG). FLAG was founded in 1998 to enhance the personal and physical growths of persons with physical disabilities. FLAG's motto is "Where your only handicap is your golf handicap." These are people who have suffered strokes, or spinal injuries. I work with them to improve their golf game and just to have plain fun on the course despite their impairments."
All three nines at Foxfire are challenging, but not so much so that high handicap golfers can't beat their normal scores. There are three tee boxes at Foxfire; the back blues, the middle whites and the ladies reds.
The front 9 Pine Course has four short par-4s and one fairly long par 4, the 387-yards hole number 7. From the back blues, the short 4s run 342 yards (hole No. 1), 337 yards (hole No. 2), 318 yards (hole No. 4) and 294 yards (hole No. 5). But don't let this lack of length fool you. Hole number 1 is a dogleg right, with water on the right and left off the tee box. It also has two fairway bunkers, one on each side, and three sand traps protecting the green. Hole No. 2 is another dogleg right, with water down the entire right hand side of the fairway. On Hole No. 4 you have to clear water on the tee shot, then have to contend with four sand traps on your approach shot, two on each side of the green. Hole number 5 is an extreme right-angle dogleg left, which may entice some long hitters to cut the dogleg and drive straight over a forest of trees right of the green. But go too far left and your ball will land in a huge lake.
The middle Palm Course has longer par 4s, that are wider and easier to score well on. The newer Oak Course is by far the most difficult of the three courses, with long and narrow par 4s.
All three 9-hole courses have relatively short par 3s. The 147-yard (130 yards from the whites) Palm 3 is the home of this duffer's one and only hole-in-1. And I have the ball and trophy to prove it. (Good thing my wife was with me to witness).
All three courses end with two par-5s. Be especially aware of the
501-yard Palm Number 8, which has a wide and deep wetland running
entirely across the fairway, about 80 yards in front of the green.
If you don't know it's there (it's not visible either from the tee
box or even 200 yards from the tee box), your approach shot will
almost definitely be lost along with hundreds of others that have
been devoured in this monstrosity.
For those budget conscious golfers, the price is right at Foxfire. During the height of the golfing season in Sarasota, you can play Foxfire after 2pm for a mere $22. Windsor also runs numerous golf specials. During St. Paddy's Day week, anyone who wore green got a five buck discount.
Irish eyes were certainly smiling.
The Foxfire Golf Club
7200 Proctor Road
Sarasota, Fl 34241
Phone: (941)921-7757
Director of Golf-Brennan Robertson
Head Pro-David Windsor
Golf Lessons with Windsor: $40 per half-hour lesson , 3 lessons
for $99 Assistant Pros- Jason Murray -- Mike Tyree
Superintendent- Tom Pommier
Foxfire Golf Club is located off Proctor Road east of I-75. Take the Clark Road exit (37). Follow Clark east about 2 miles to Proctor. Make a left on Proctor and the Foxfire Golf Club is 1.5 miles down on the left hand side of the road. [an error occurred while processing this directive]
