Laurel Oak, millions of years ago, was one very, very deep water hazard. That became obvious when hundreds of sharks’ teeth were unearthed when the golf courses were built. Fast-forward to the late 1980’s.  Cattle roamed the property until it was purchased by Radnor Corporation. A developer of other golf course communities, e.g. Willoughby, in Stuart, Fl, Radnor opened Laurel Oak’s West Course and our clubhouse in August 1990. In early 1995, the East Course opened for play. Both were developed as Gary Player Signature Courses.

On May 13, 1999, Radnor turned over the ownership of Laurel Oak Country Club to the members. Since then, under the direction of our Board of Governors, the clubhouse has been expanded to meet the growing needs of the members and their guests. In addition, Laurel Oak also retained the services of the world-renowned golf course architect, Rees Jones, to redesign the West Course in 2005.

The decisions to expand the clubhouse and to have Rees Jones create a “new” course were a direct result of our members’ commitment to creating the very best country club lifestyle available in Sarasota.

Laurel Oak has hosted the U.S. Open qualifying tournament and continues to be the site for the Michelob Ultra-Lite National Tournaments.  In addition, for the past several years,  it has been the site for the Sarasota area Special Olympic Fund Raising Tournament.

From its beginning, Laurel Oak Country Club has been a family club. The Board of Governors is dedicated to ensuring its facilities provide wholesome recreation and entertainment for the entire family.