A new golf course has opened in Manatee County. What to know about Soleta Golf Club
Roughly a year ago, Nick Price stood on a bulldozer for the groundbreaking of a new golf course.
On Tuesday, Price’s design — Soleta Golf Club — was unveiled.
“As you get ... deeper into the project, it evolves a little differently, but it’s basically what we’ve wanted,” said Price, a World Golf Hall of Famer and former No. 1 player in the world. “I think we did better than what I expected.”
The course, 33720 Singletary Road, is the first in Myakka City. It’s a private club with local memberships starting with a $100,000 initiation fee and national memberships — for those living outside 60 miles of the club — costing $50,000.
Price, the course architect, utilized the natural landscape to build a course fit for golfers of all skill levels. From high handicappers to the low handicappers and tour player, Soleta is a track that winds its way around wetlands and uses native white sugar sand areas to border a Florida course with a links-style feel.
“To get those (landing areas) correct is imperative, so you have wide enough areas,” Price said about surrounding the holes with the native sand areas.
Another unique aspect of the course is its versatility. Price said the design gives players three or four ways to chip, two or three ways to approach the green and there are 120 yards on free-form tees.
“That allows the tee to be moved up or back 20 yards at a time, so you have 40 yards of distance to play with,” Price said. “So the hole you played yesterday might not be the same hole you’re going to play today.”
Soleta Golf Club opens in Myakka City
Soleta, which is the Native American name for a sandhill crane, has a membership cap of 375 divided between 275 for locals and 100 for national members.
Membership and sales director Alan Pope said it’s by design to have a small membership.
“We don’t want you to come out here to play golf anytime without worrying about playing a five-hour round,” Pope said.
The membership price, though, will rise from $100,000 for locals and $50,000 for nationals over the next few months, Pope said. Those figures are pre-sale prices. The club has 170 members, and the course has already gotten the attention of tour pros.
Bradenton’s Nelly Korda — a professional golfer and Olympic golf medalist — is a member.
“I asked her one thing, what she liked about it,” Pope said. “She said, ‘The fairways are not flat here.’”
Latest golf performance technology
The 7,400-yard par-72 golf course is part of the first phase at Soleta. The practice facility is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025. Renowned Hall of Fame golf instructor David Leadbetter leads the performance center at Soleta, which features Toptracer and Trackman technology.
“Toptracer is a game changer,” Pope said. “Toptracer is the one you see on TV when you watch the ball go, and it tells you the ball speed, the duration of the ball. So we have it here.”
Pope said you download it on your phone or iPad when you practice, and it will give you all the data for your shots — ball speed, direction, club path and more.
When the performance center is completed as part of Soleta’s next phase, it will include hitting bays, a locker room with a hot tub, cold tub, sauna and have a small restaurant.
There are also plans to add a pool, tennis and pickleball as part of the amenities.
The course is separate from the 93 luxury homes planned from Anchor Builders and John Cannon Homes. Lot homes have a 3,600 square-foot minimum with prices starting at $3 million. The lots are half-acre and 1-acre properties.
