- April 19, 2025
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Any golf fans in the Lakewood Ranch area who are itching for some action after watching The Masters have the chance to watch high-level golf in person April 16-19.
The LECOM Suncoast Classic — a Korn Ferry Tour event — returns to Lakewood National for a seventh time featuring some players who will be playing on the PGA Tour next year.
As is the case with any golf tournament, it’s valuable to know which holes could host some dramatics.
Lakewood National has two 18-hole courses, but the LECOM Suncoast Classic always takes place on the ‘Commander’ course (par-72, 7,181 yards) while the ‘Piper’ course (par-72, 7,291 yards) remains open to members.
It’s important to note that Lakewood National is flipping its Commander course nines to better suit the tournament.
Typically, the ninth hole ends near the clubhouse, and that provides for a better championship setting, so Hole 10 will be played as Hole 1.
That could make for an exciting start.
Lakewood National Director of Golf Stewart McComb said that holes 1-3 offer some of the trickiest shots on the course, which could cause mayhem.
“The start is brutal,” McComb said. “Number 10 favors the golfer that likes to hit a fade, and nowadays a lot of guys like to hit a draw, so that’s a little bit of a knee-knocker when that’s your first tee shot of the day. Numbers 11 and 12, the greens are kind of perched up with some false fronts, so it calls for some precision on the approach. Even some of our better members here, I’ve seen them just miss there and it ends up taking them two-to-three strokes just to get it back up on the green.”
Another hole that McComb has highlighted is the par-5, 563-yard No. 16 16.
“The left side of that hole could gobble you up pretty quick,” he said. “It’s a par 5 and the entire left side is a penalty area with a rock cart path that goes up that side. A great tee shot makes it an eagle opportunity, but you can get sideways there and bring bogey or double-bogey into play.”
Some holes will offer more challenges than others, but it’s also important to know which shots could provide the most intrigue as well.
LECOM Suncoast Classic Tournament Director Justin Kristich echoed McComb’s sentiments, calling Hole 12 — a 253-yard par 3 — and Hole 16 the most difficult holes on the course.
Another key factor could be the wind.
The Weather Channel currently forecasts winds of 11-12 mph for April 16-19 in the Lakewood Ranch area, and that has given players fits in past years.
“If there’s no wind, these guys will dominate the course as they do at most courses,” Kristich said. “If it’s windy, that’s usually the variable that keeps the scores at bay.”
It’s not as if Lakewood National doesn’t test Korn Ferry players, however, and there is one part of many holes that could be tricky.
Patrons will likely want to situate themselves near the greens for most holes at Lakewood National.
That enables viewers to watch approach shots play out and see golfers put to the test on what McComb calls ‘complicated green complexes.’
Golf courses measure green speeds using a device called a stimpmeter, which drops a ball from 30 inches above a flat spot on a green via a tapered chute. The distance the ball rolls out is the (averaged over three attempts) is the green speed.
For reference, tournament condition greens typically roll at a 12 speed — 12 feet of rollout on the stimpmeter. McComb said that Lakewood National can get up to as fast as a 15, but the grounds crew puts in effort to slow the course down.
“The greens are a defense to the golf course,” McComb said. “Our fairways are super wide. For players of that caliber, I don’t think there’s that much challenge off the tee. When you get on and around the greens, there’s a lot more precision required. You have to be more careful where you’re playing your shots and the positions you put yourself in.”
Kristich also pointed out that because the climate in Florida doesn’t allow for Lakewood National to grow its rough out to a severe degree, the greens are a necessary challenge to keep the tournament interesting.
Despite the challenges these golfers may face, this tournament has produced some low scores over the years.
Of the six winners, four of them posted scores of 20 under par or better, with the record low a 26 under par by Mark Hubbard in the tournament’s first year in 2019.
That means low scores will be crucial every day and could make each hole that much more pivotal with such low scores within reach.
"Some people will say, 'Oh that course is too easy for them,' but on the other hand, as a player, I don't think you want to get beat up either," McComb said. "I don't think the number is a representation of the golf course. I think it's a representation of the talent."
