Sailfish Sands Golf Course (formerly Martin County Golf Course) represents the municipal golf ideal in several ways. Sailfish Sands provides natural beauty and access to affordable public recreation as an alternative to land development. It features Florida’s first 9-hole reversible golf layout and a Toptracer range that tracks ball flight and distances using the free Toptracer Range app. Sailfish Sands anticipates modeling the way for mid-21st century golf:

• Low cost

• Low impact

• High tech

• High quality

The operation features:

• A 9-hole reversible course

• Toptracer driving range (open 7 days a week, 6:30am to 9:00pm, daytime and under the lights)

• An 18-hole championship course

• A soon-to-be replica of the golf entertainment model popularized by Topgolf and Drive Shack (including a double deck range with hitting bays and a bar & restaurant)

• Glow golf nights

Last Tuesday, I had the chance to speak at length with Kevin Abbate, Director of Martin County Parks & Recreation. Along my visit, I also met PGA pros Mike Saunders and Will Reilly, who praised the golf facility’s culture as one that invites all walks of life, all ages, and ultimately all experiences of golf. Mike Saunders called the operation the “brain-child” of Kevin Abbate, who I would learn has a long history in recreation and entertainment as someone who leads cycling events and once worked in waterpark design.

Kevin explained to me how his job as Director of Parks & Rec to provide vision and allocate budget comes from an asymmetry between the value of assets under control of his department and the budget allocated to maintain those assets. Before recent renovations, what was formerly Martin County Golf Course required a significant subsidy, and according to a 2018 report, had lost over $6.6 million over 3 years. Hence the need to prioritize profitability!

So, Sailfish Sands overcame some initial resistance to develop a state-of-the-art facility. While the renovation cost an estimated $8 million to the county, it anticipates bringing in several sources of revenue to ultimately eliminate the need for municipal subsidy and achieve sustainable profitability.

The 9-hole reversible layout plays in alternating directions week-by-week – the clockwise direction one week (Gold Course – 2,818 yards from the tips) and the counterclockwise direction another (Black Course – 3,368 yards from the tips). This allows greater variety (and a better golfing experience) through less land, while also allowing the golf course to heal week-to-week as different divot patterns are formed.

The former Red and White Courses of Martin County Golf Course have been converted into this new 9-hole layout, while 80 acres were converted to a runway protection zone for the neighboring municipal airport. Kevin Abbate pointed out the removal of significant invasive species (primarily Brazilian pepper trees) along the 18-hole championship course, which now opens the layout substantially.

The operation has reduced irrigation from previous figures by 30% and uses treated stormwater. John Sanford’s design of the 9-hole reversible course was also recognized by the ASGCA 2021 Environmental Excellence awards.

What stood out to me were both the quality of the greens, and the promise of this visionary quest to provide a unique golfing experience within Martin County. The course aims to be a source of overflowing revenue. What once cost the county money might even provide profits such that it can become a subsidy itself (its revenues could support other municipal parks and amenities), and thus become economically regenerative.

Perhaps above all, Sailfish Sands proves the potential for innovation to generate excitement not just within golf, but within golf’s larger context of municipal parks & recreation.