Harborside ~ Blue/Red at Longboat Key Club

Longboat Key Club's Harborside course occupies the northern portion of this barrier island along Florida's Gulf Coast, between Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Designed by Willard Byrd and opened in the 1960s, the course was conceived as part of a comprehensive resort development on what was then largely undeveloped island terrain. Byrd, a North Carolina-based architect who worked extensively throughout the Southeast, routed the layout to incorporate the island's natural water features and modest elevation changes, creating a course that reflects the coastal Florida golf aesthetic of its era.

The Harborside course plays as two nines—Blue and Red—and features the characteristic elements of resort golf in this setting: water hazards on numerous holes, tropical vegetation including palms and native grasses, and exposure to prevailing Gulf breezes that can significantly affect play. The relatively flat topography is typical of barrier island courses, with strategic interest derived from water placement, bunkering, and green contours rather than dramatic elevation change. Views across Sarasota Bay provide visual context throughout the round.

Longboat Key Club operates as a private club with resort access, serving both members and guests of the associated resort facilities. The club maintains two eighteen-hole courses—Harborside and the Islandside course—and has long been a fixture in the Sarasota golf community. The setting emphasizes the relaxed character of Gulf Coast golf, where the natural environment and waterfront location define the experience as much as the strategic demands of the holes themselves.