GOLF
Face to Face
Four friends reunite for a round at The Meadows Country Club.
Sarasota Gem: The Meadows Country Club PHOTO: © THE MEADOWS COUNTRY CLUB
THE MEADOWS COUNTRY CLUB 3101 Longmeadow Sarasota, FL 34235 tel 941 371 6000 meadowscc.org
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BY FRANCIS X. GALLAGHER
hile spending time with my team in our Florida office, I took the opportunity to play a round of golf with Wayne Tallman (FXExpress Advisory Board), Jan Young and John Cary, both former neighbors from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and commuters to New York City who relocated to Western Florida. John lived in China for many years, so I found it refreshing to hear his perspective on current events. The Meadows Country Club, a private facility located close to downtown Sarasota and University Town Center Mall, offers a total of 54 holes on three courses: The Meadows, The Highlands and The Groves. (The Meadows is a members’ course, while the others allow public play.) The club also includes 17 Har-Tru green clay tennis courts, pickleball, a junior Olympic pool, a fitness center plus two restaurants and event space. We teed up at The Meadows Course, designed by golf architect Ron Garl, who crafted more than 250 courses, mostly in Florida.
globaltravelerusa.com MAY 2022
Golden Ocala, his best known course, hosted the LPGA’s Coates Golf Championship. At Ocala, Garl started the trend of creating tribute holes mimicking those at Augusta, St Andrews, Royal Troon and Baltustrol. If you play in Myrtle Beach, Traditions Golf Club, built in 1996, proves another Garl gem and a frequent course to play. Traditions ranked as South Carolina’s 2020 Golf Course of the Year and Golf Digest’s Best New Course 1996. After hitting a few balls on the driving range and getting reacquainted, these four Pennsylvanians from Bucks County teed up for a fun round of golf and discussions of global affairs. HOLE 5 489 yards, par 5 On this No. 1 handicapped hole, you face the challenge of water on the right running up the fairway. All balls hitting