Pros:
-Signs are well displayed and very informative. Each sign has all of the info you could possibly need about the hole layout and position of the next tee. If it's a bit of a walk to the next tee there is another sign halfway making sure you don't lose your way.
-Course layout is very fun to play with well defined fairways cutting through all of the foliage.
-As mentioned in other reviews most of the holes are layed out to favor precision rather than distance making for a more challenging game. There is still a fair amount of long open holes to play for those who like the long bombs.
-The concrete tee pads are all large and in good condition with amateur pads on the necessary holes. Each tee has a bench and a trash can.
-The beautiful foliage and all of the animals (read: squirrels) really add to the experience.
-Both times I played the course there seemed to be quite a lot of people at the park, one time the parking lot was full, yet the park never felt crowded nor did I feel rushed on any of the holes. I had to wait for some people to find their discs in the shared rough but it just gave me a reason to sit on one of the many benches and catch a rest before moving on.
Cons:
- I played the course twice during my week and a half stay in Sarasota and the second time I played was after a night outing. I could tell by the left over glow sticks attached to the baskets and signs. I think there may have been luminaries used during this event as well because the course was littered with all sorts of brown paper sacks filled with sand, but I didn't find any candles in the few that I checked. None of this was there on my first playthrough so I assume it was related to the night round and just chocked the mess up to them not returning to clean up yet because I was there at around 7 am. The bags were just odd.
-There was a couple of homeless guys hanging out on a bench at one hole. It just seemed a bit shady but it wasn't a big deal really.
Other Thoughts:
-When researching parks in the Sarasota area before my trip I ran into the name "Sarasota Sky Pilots" a lot. I figured it was just a small club and paid no mind. In the 4 times I played golf on my trip I met about 12 different members of this club. they were all very friendly and I even tagged along with a couple at a different course.
-The restrooms seemed fine when I was there. No more dirty than any other public restroom in my opinion.
-Both times I played this course I saw the fellow selling discs with his dogs. At first I thought "great, tee 10 is surrounded by 3 frigging dogs (I'm more of a cat person)," but these dogs are super well behaved and don't really even look at you. The prices were decent for his discs and I even bought myself a Pro Pig.
-As I stated in the title, if you're in or around Sarasota you MUST play this course.