The hardest golf courses in Bradenton, Florida
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Bradenton, Florida, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 9 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Lakewood Ranch, Venice, University Park, Longboat Key, Myakka City and 1 more nearby town.
The Concession Golf Club
Bradenton, FL, USASlope rating 153, 76.7 course rating, Black tees, 7,474 yds
PrivateJack Nicklaus & Jacklin Design Group
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 4.3Scenery
- 5.0Facilities
Extremely well kept, very challenging, somewhat unreasonable ask around the greens with many chips being very hard to simply put on the green. Overall, it’s one of those great courses that’s super fun to see, but doesn’t reel you back in like some others
Written by
@Slamminsam
- Pristine
- Challenging
- Fast greens
Waterlefe Golf and River Club
Bradenton, FL, USASlope rating 145, 73.8 course rating, Bobcat tees, 6,908 yds
PublicTed McAnlis
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 2.8Value
- 3.4Scenery
- 3.4Facilities
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Cart attendant
Lakewood National Golf Club
Lakewood Ranch, FL, USASlope rating 138, 74.5 course rating, King tees, 7,181 yds
PublicArnold Palmer
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.5Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Resort
Harborside ~ Blue/Red
Longboat Key Club
Longboat Key, FL, USASlope rating 138, 72.7 course rating, Black tees, 6,709 yds
PublicWillard Byrd
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.2Facilities
Immaculate shape. Very challenging on the marquee 9 hole (think it’s red), lots of water come into play as you navigate the harbor. Tons of fun overall.
Written by
@classiccharles
- Pristine
Sara Bay Country Club
Sarasota, FL, USASlope rating 136, 74.4 course rating, Blue tees, 7,021 yds
PrivateDonald Ross
- 3.0Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
IMG Academy Golf Club
Bradenton, FL, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,842 yds
(1 to 18) University Park Golf Club
University Park, FL, USA
Slope rating 134, 74.2 course rating, Diamond tees, 7,001 yds
(Legacy at Lakewood Ranch) Legacy Golf Club at Lakewood Ranch
Bradenton, FL, USA
Slope rating 131, 73.2 course rating, #1 tees, 7,008 yds
Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch
Lakewood Ranch, FL, USA
Slope rating 128, 73.1 course rating, Black tees, 7,007 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Bradenton, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
The Concession Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Bradenton, Florida at Slope 153 (76.7 course rating · Black tees · 7,474 yds). 9 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Bradenton, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Bradenton, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:38 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
