Third/First at Lake Venice Golf Club

Lake Venice Golf Club's Third/First course is a Mark Mahannah design located in Venice, a Gulf Coast community in Sarasota County known for its retiree population and proximity to both beaches and inland waterways. The course operates within a residential golf community setting typical of southwest Florida developments, where housing lines fairways and water features play a significant role in both aesthetics and strategy.

Mahannah, a regional architect active primarily in Florida during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, designed courses that work within the state's flat terrain and high water tables. At Lake Venice, the routing likely incorporates the lakes and wetlands that give the property its name, with water hazards appearing on multiple holes. The flat topography means strategic interest comes from bunkering, water placement, and green contouring rather than elevation change. Native vegetation and palm landscaping frame holes in the manner common to Florida's Gulf Coast courses.

The club serves a local membership drawn largely from the surrounding residential community. Like many Florida courses built during its era, Lake Venice provides a walkable layout suited to year-round play in the region's subtropical climate, though summer heat and afternoon thunderstorms are seasonal considerations. The course offers a straightforward test of golf without the tournament pedigree or national recognition of Florida's more prominent designs, functioning primarily as an amenity for its members and their guests.