Thought I would follow up on my original post from this past Fall.
We made a trip down to Gasparilla last week for Easter/Spring Break. While we were down there I was able to sneak over for a few rounds of golf.
The set up itself is wonderfully old school. The clubhouse appears to be original and, in my opinion, ideal. A small pro shop leads to similarly small men's and women's locker rooms with old metal lockers and a small bathroom. The 19th hole/bar is a window outside and there is a large outdoor porch with comfortable wicker furniture which overlooks at least 7 or 8 holes of play as well as the Bay of Charlotte. Bag storage for the week consisted of my bag laying out on a railing outside the pro shop, waiting for whenever I felt like showing up to play or hit balls. No tee times meant you could play whenever you felt like it and the pace of play was reminiscent of coastal Maine where groups head out for an early quick round so they can meet their family and friends at the beach for lunch.
I found the course itself to be more interesting than any of the limited reviews I had seen beforehand. The course essentially sits on its own island and has only a few feet of elevation change. It's clear drainage is a major issue hear although they were very dry last week, showing all of the underground drainage pipe outlines. Outside of drainage, you could tell Dye & Co. didn't have much room to dig down on the site and the fairway bunkers and slopes through the green are modest in shaping and depth. Most of the budget appeared to be spent on the green surrounds. Most were raised up and reminded me of a Florida version of #2 or a similar look to Seminole's greens. Each were small but offering a run up option on every hole. The small targets are brutal for a better player in the inevitable 20mph+ winds on the island.
Some really strong holes out there, in particular for me the awesome par-5 16th right on the water. Dye did a great job though on the inland holes such as the 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 12th, and 13th in building really interesting greens that help dictate angles of attack.
It's hard to be "in the area" of Boca Grande, but if you find yourself nearby I would highly recommend a round. A fun course and experience for sure.