Golf Course Review: The Concession Club, Bradenton, Florida

 THE CONCESSION CLUB

Bradenton, Florida

January 27, 2022

OVERVIEW

FACILITY TYPE: Private

YEAR OPENED: 2006

ARCHITECT: Jack Nicklaus & Tony Jacklin

PAR: 72

LENGTH: 5,042 - 7,477 yards

USGA RATING: 70.9 - 76.7

USGA SLOPE: 127 - 153

TEE OPTIONS: 5

WEBSITE: https://theconcession.com/

PHONE: (941) 322-1922

 

The Concession Club in Bradenton, Florida is a PGA Tour Venue east of Tampa, Florida, with too many accolades to list here. (Visit their website for a full list). This demanding course challenges the best in the world yet is accessible to all levels of play so long as you play the appropriate tees for you and your game.

To provide a brief history, the course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin to celebrate the 1969 Ryder Cup in which Jack Nicklaus conceded the final putt against Tony Jacklin resulting in the first ever tie in the event's history. 

What I didn’t realize until I arrived on site was that they also have a 9-hole Par 3 course called The Gimmie which has been named a top 25 short course in the world, and an 18-hole putting course called Snake Acre, both of which I’ll cover in a separate review.

While I do caddy fairly often for clients during Playing Lessons, it had been a while since I’ve had a caddy on my bag. I was really excited to have a caddy during this round, especially since it is a tour venue notorious for being difficult.

COURSE CONDITIONS RATINGS

FAIRWAYS: 4*

GREENS: 4.5

BUNKERS: 5

SCENERY: 4.5

LAYOUT: 4.5

–

OVERALL: 4.50

*The course was planning on shutting down shortly after my visit to completely redo their fairways

There’s a reason why so many people travel to Florida in the winter. It’s warm, and you can still play golf! January in Florida has nearly ideal growing temperatures for grass with cooler days yet still warmer nights. Because of this, you can typically expect great conditions when you play. The Concession Club was no exception.

Once checked in, I grabbed a golf car and drove over to the range. When I arrived at the range I was dumbfounded. It was such a cool range with many green complexes and hole locations to choose from and a lot of sand and waste area. I wasn't expecting it and had I known, would've arrived much earlier just to hit balls. Visually it was a really appealing range that lent itself well to being creative, which for me is important for staying engaged during a practice session. 

Around the corner, a short drive away was a dedicated short game area with another couple of greens, bunkers, approach areas, and everything the best players in the world would want if this were their home course. After spending some time trying to figure out the speed of the green on their very large, very undulated, very fast practice putting green, I drove back to the clubhouse, dropped off the golf car, met my caddy, and we walked past the first tee, through the concession stand, to their short course, The Gimmie.

After the warm up nine, my caddy and I hopped in a golf car and took a short drive to the first hole where they had another practice putting green where I could roll a few while I waited for the group ahead of us to tee off. From there, we left the golf car, hit the first drive, and off we went, just the two of us, talking about the course, golf, life, and everything else that comes up in a round of golf.

I decided to play one tee box up from the tips and I’m glad I did. On one of the holes, I hit what I thought was a great drive only to hear my caddy say “Yeah, that’s where Bryson hit it from back there” then proceeded to turn around and show me another tee box 50 yards back hidden in the trees. Humbling to say the least.

The course layout is phenomenal. I’d be lying if I said I’ve played more than a dozen different courses in Florida but this one had the most elevation change by far. I usually think of Florida as really flat and while overall the course was on the flat side, the architect's ability to raise tee boxes, slope fairways, and pinch greens on hillsides created amazing depth to the course that was a pleasure to play. It demonstrated great golf design and allowed for more risk-reward for better players.

The highlight was definitely on the back nine par 5 thirteenth. My caddy warned me about the green. It’s notoriously pitched and sloped and several PGA Tour Pros have made really big numbers on the hole because they can’t quite keep it on the green. I hit my best drive of the day after just playing through the group of members ahead of me who all watched me tackle the forced carry over water. The ball landed center fairway and I had an opportunity to reach it with my 4 wood. 

I hit a great approach, it tried its best to find its way up the slope but ultimately funneled into the collection area left of the green. I was left with a 50-yard shot to a green 20-30 feet above my head, that pitches off on all sides, with a nasty bunker if I go long and the risk of the ball coming back to my feet if I come up short. I grabbed the 4 wood again, did my favorite bump shot, and rolled it like a putt to 3 feet and made the birdie.

ACCESSIBILITY

COURSE DIFFICULTY: 4.5

WALKABILITY: 4

The Concession Club is not a beginner friendly course. HOWEVER, I do think it’s an amazing course for a beginner to learn. Being so well designed and having such great conditions lends itself well to learning how to get better. It’ll be more difficult at first, but it’ll pay dividends later.

The only reason I rated the course as a 4.5 was because I played one tee box up from the tips. From the tips, there’s no doubt it would’ve been a 5. At the same time, I likely wouldn’t have had as much fun. And that’s something I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older; gone are the days of tipping it out for the ego. I’ve played my share of 7,400+ yard courses and while it can be done, making birdies is fun too. So whether you’re playing Concession or your local muni, play the tees that are right for you.

Being a private club, unless you're a member or a guest of a member, it's not likely you'll be playing Concession Club anytime soon. This is even more the reason to get a caddy when you do play. There's something very special about walking the same fairways as the best players in the world with a caddy by your side. It's the way golf is meant to be played and is still played that way by the best in the world.

AMENITIES

GOLF SHOP: 4.5

PRACTICE FACILITIES: 5

COMFORT STATIONS: 5

The round begins by arriving at the gate to the community in which the course is built and driving through a beautiful neighborhood filled with multimillion-dollar mansions and nice cars. One of my biggest pet peeves is houses on golf courses. At the Concession Club you get to enjoy these beautiful houses where they should be enjoyed, driving through the neighborhood. As for the course itself, not a house in sight. I even remember continually saying to my caddy “I love how they gave each hole as much space as it needed to be the right hole. They put the course first, the housing second” which I strongly believe in.

The Clubhouse was elegant, large, and bright on the outside. It’s very classic Florida. Inside you’re met with a classic clubhouse feel with dark wood, carpets, and fine details. The golf shop, while not large, is well stocked. Being a private club, there’s not a need for as much inventory as a resort course like The Ocean Course or The Plantation Course at Kapalua. Nonetheless, they had everything you’d need and included a fine selection of goods.

The practice facilities which I covered earlier were a treat alone. I could have simply hung out at the range, their short game area, and putting green and be content. Add on top a round on The Gimmie and the Championship course plus 4 go-arounds at Snake Acre and it all adds up to one of the most memorable golf experiences.

SUMMARY

The Concession Club has it all. It’s in a great location outside Tampa, Florida, they have a world-class 18 hole championship course, a top 25 in the world short course, and an 18 hole putting course. Add on top of that one of the best practice facilities anywhere and you’re sure to have a good time.

I think the key to Concession is understanding it’s a difficult course but also knowing that it can be conquered, just like Collin Morikawa did to win the 2021 WGC-Workday Championship. Play the right tees, play often, and play with a caddy, and most importantly, get out and play.

MOVE BETTER - PLAY BETTER

COACH BLAINE ⛳🏌️‍♂️

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