Bobby Jones nature lovers clean up a bit

It’s been a long, hard year for many Sarasota locals, but many have found ways to make it better. 

Sarasota residents Drew and Tatum Temple-Gregory were one such couple, who found themselves with little to do at the start of the pandemic. A bike ride by chance, though, had them stumble upon the recently decommissioned Bobby Jones Golf Club. 

They were struck by the wide-open space, its wildlife and its solitude. They hadn’t experienced anything like it. Not golfers, they lived near it but had never explored the site's 36 holes.

“It’s a dream,” Tatum Temple-Gregory said. “The area is just a hidden gem.”

It’s a routine that’s stayed with them almost every week since  and they’re not alone. 

Upon it’s closing because of COVID-19 concerns in March, the city-owned golf course stretches nearly 300 acres. Its golf-cart paths now converted into miles of nature trails. 

Fast forward a year and the golf course-turned-nature trail’s fate remains up in the air. The city has long considered a renovation of the golf course space, and COVID-19 moved the conversation along. City Commissioners and locals have debated what to do with the space, with the current plans being a reduction of the golf course to 18 regulation holes, a nine-hole short course, and 130 acres as public park. 

The Sarasota Parks and Recreation Department with the help of local groups and neighborhood associations recently held a clean-up day. Volunteers arrived early March 13 and collected the items for other volunteers to drive by in golf carts and collect.

“We’re letting the city know we care about this property and it’s very important to us,” said Nancy Milholland, founder of Conserve Bobby Jones Now, an organization devoted to  establishing Bobby Jones as a nature park area. “There’s not a lot of trash, it’s pretty pristine. It’s more of a typical cleanup of a park you’d see with the city.”

Uzi Baram heard about the event and wanted to show his support. Baram, a professor with New College of Florida, concedes he’s not a golfer but started walking the grounds with his children when it opened early into the pandemic. 

“The size of this space really impressed me,” Baram said. “I didn’t understand how big this golf course really was, and how you could walk for a good long time. The first time I walked here with my two kids, we saw two otters playing and that just made it wonderful.”

He and friend Kathleen Callahan, a first-timer to the area, arrived early to pick up what they could and make the area a little cleaner — they felt it was a solid way to give back to a community they enjoy. 

“I’m hoping it becomes more of a resource,”  Baram said. “I hope they encourage more natural Florida wildlife to come.”

Downtown Sarasota residents Michael and Debra Sherman hadn’t yet been to Bobby Jones since they moved to Sarasota in October. But it’s been on their list, and they figured no better time to go than with a day helping the space — not to mention it being a pandemic-safe outdoors activity. 

“Being a golfer, it’s sad to see a golf course overrun and dried out like it is,” Michael Sherman said. “I know they’re planning on renovating it, it’ll be nice to see what it looks like when it’s done.”

Mary Fuerst, a member of the Sarasota Parks, Recreation and Environmental Protection Board, joined Parks and Recreation Director Jerry Fogle to clean up and drive out palm fronds from the sides of the sidewalk. Fuerst usually is up early swimming, but traded that for helping out with palm fronds instead. 

“If they want to get mowers in and do restoration, this stuff needs to get picked up,” Fuerst said.  “Plus it’s a beautiful and sunny day, I could be up north freezing right now … I’m pretending it’s exercise at the moment.”

Fogle, for his part, is excited to see the progression of the space becoming a more natural area. He pictures residents doing plenty of bird watching and enjoying all sorts of animals when the plan is done.

“It’s going to be  tranquil, peaceful, kind of unique” Fogle said. “We have a couple parks similar to (this) but nothing quite this large. I think people are going to enjoy it.”