Bayou at Bayou Club

The Bayou Club in Largo, Florida, features a Tom Fazio design that opened in the late 1980s as part of a residential golf community in the Tampa Bay area. Fazio, known for his meticulous shaping and strategic use of water and sand, crafted a layout that navigates the flat, low-lying terrain characteristic of Florida's Gulf Coast. The course takes its name from the natural bayou systems and wetlands that define much of the property, with water hazards appearing throughout the routing as both aesthetic and strategic elements.

The design incorporates the native landscape of palms, pines, and coastal vegetation, with fairways that typically require careful positioning to avoid the numerous water carries and lateral hazards. Fazio's signature bunkering style—large, sculpted sand complexes with dramatic white sand—frames greens and landing areas. The relatively modest elevation changes are enhanced through earthwork that creates visual interest and strategic variety across the eighteen holes.

As a private club, Bayou Club serves a membership drawn largely from the surrounding residential community and the broader Tampa Bay region. The course has remained a fixture in Largo's golf landscape for over three decades, offering a traditional country club experience with the design pedigree associated with Fazio's Florida work. The layout reflects the era's emphasis on shot values and course conditioning, with Bermuda grass surfaces suited to the subtropical climate and year-round play common to the area.