Founders Golf Club
About Founders Golf Club
Founders Golf Club takes its name from J. Hamilton Gillespie, the Scotsman remembered locally as the "Founder of Golf" in Sarasota. Born in Edinburgh in 1852, Gillespie was given a family set of golf clubs as a boy of eight and went on to become an early promoter of the game in Florida.
Gillespie arrived in what is now Sarasota when the settlement amounted to little more than a company store and a dirt track. Behind his house he laid out a two-hole course, the basis of the city's claim to the earliest golf ground in America. He later added a nine-hole course and Sarasota's first golf clubhouse, and served six terms as mayor, playing a significant role in the young city's commercial growth.
At a glance
- Access
- Public
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 7,007 yards
- Tees
- 9 tee boxes
- Course rating
- 75.3 / 144 slope
- Difficulty
- Average
Scorecard
| Tee | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Out | In | Total | Par | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 36 | 72 | ||
| Handicap | 5 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 3 | 17 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 16 | 10 | 18 | 4 | |||||
| BLACK | 417 | 180 | 371 | 521 | 387 | 455 | 603 | 217 | 445 | 497 | 207 | 439 | 371 | 584 | 225 | 409 | 136 | 543 | 3596 | 3411 | 7,007 | 72 | 75.3/144 |
| BLACK/PEWTER | 349 | 180 | 371 | 521 | 387 | 397 | 603 | 217 | 378 | 497 | 207 | 397 | 371 | 584 | 179 | 409 | 136 | 514 | 3403 | 3294 | 6,697 | 72 | 73.9/140 |
| PEWTER | 349 | 173 | 336 | 507 | 341 | 397 | 562 | 180 | 378 | 486 | 189 | 397 | 338 | 544 | 179 | 363 | 127 | 514 | 3223 | 3137 | 6,360 | 72 | 72.1/135 |
| PEWTER/COPPER | 349 | 157 | 323 | 507 | 341 | 385 | 562 | 165 | 366 | 486 | 161 | 397 | 338 | 536 | 151 | 353 | 127 | 514 | 3155 | 3063 | 6,218 | 72 | 71.4/132 |
| COPPER | 339 | 157 | 323 | 488 | 327 | 385 | 549 | 165 | 366 | 472 | 161 | 385 | 326 | 536 | 151 | 353 | 115 | 464 | 3099 | 2963 | 6,062 | 72 | 70.5/129 |
| COPPER/SILVER | 339 | 157 | 279 | 461 | 327 | 333 | 520 | 165 | 330 | 472 | 144 | 351 | 326 | 484 | 151 | 327 | 115 | 464 | 2911 | 2834 | 5,745 | 72 | 68.9/125 |
| SILVER | 309 | 144 | 279 | 461 | 299 | 333 | 520 | 129 | 330 | 445 | 144 | 351 | 300 | 484 | 136 | 327 | 102 | 448 | 2804 | 2737 | 5,541 | 72 | 68.1/121 |
| SILVER/GOLD | 300 | 144 | 279 | 445 | 273 | 333 | 496 | 129 | 286 | 445 | 111 | 319 | 300 | 450 | 136 | 294 | 102 | 448 | 2685 | 2605 | 5,290 | 72 | 66.9/119 |
| GOLD | 300 | 113 | 251 | 445 | 273 | 282 | 496 | 90 | 286 | 423 | 111 | 319 | 277 | 450 | 118 | 294 | 90 | 376 | 2536 | 2458 | 4,994 | 72 | 65.5/116 |
Tee and scorecard data retrieved from the USGA GHIN course database
Course handicap at Founders Golf Club
How many strokes you get from each tee, by handicap index.
| Tee | Rating | Slope | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 36 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLACK | 75.3 | 144 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 22 | 29 | 35 | 42 | 49 |
| BLACK/PEWTER | 73.9 | 140 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 20 | 27 | 33 | 39 | 47 |
| PEWTER | 72.1 | 135 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 | 36 | 43 |
| PEWTER/COPPER | 71.4 | 132 | -1 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 23 | 29 | 34 | 41 |
| COPPER | 70.5 | 129 | -2 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 21 | 27 | 33 | 40 |
| COPPER/SILVER | 68.9 | 125 | -3 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 19 | 25 | 30 | 37 |
| SILVER | 68.1 | 121 | -4 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 23 | 28 | 35 |
| SILVER/GOLD | 66.9 | 119 | -5 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 21 | 26 | 33 |
| GOLD | 65.5 | 116 | -7 | -1 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 24 | 30 |
Work out your exact course handicap here, or calculate your handicap index.
Golf courses near Founders Golf Club
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- Legacy Golf Club At Lakewood RanchBradenton · Public · 18 holes · 4.1 mi7.7
- Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country ClubBradenton · Public · 18 holes · 5.1 mi9.3
- The Meadows Golf ClubSarasota · Public · 18 holes · 5.5 mi7.3
Updated October 2026 · Best golf courses in Florida ›
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