A new Florida golf course will wind around wetlands and a river. See what’s coming

When David Turner first toured the property, two sandhill cranes appeared.

Later, Turner and the rest of the developers were brainstorming a name for their golf course venture in Myakka City, and that initial sight served as inspiration.

“We were just looking for something unique that stood out a little bit,” Turner said. “Soleta, we found is a Native American term for the sandhill crane.”

On Tuesday, they were at the groundbreaking for Soleta Golf Club on Singletary Road.

The projected opening for the course, which is a Nick Price design, is November 2024. The unique aspect of the track is that it won’t be surrounded by the 93 planned homes from John Cannon Homes and Anchor Builders.

Rather, the course will stay separate as it winds around the naturally preserved wetlands and against the Myakka River to the south.

“That’s what’s going to be really nice about this project,” Price said. “I think one of the real attractions to people who love to play golf, that’s what this golf course is going to be. It’s going to be for golfers who love to play golf.”

The project, including the home lots and course, encompasses 500 acres. Soleta Golf Club will be private with local memberships starting with a $100,000 initiation fee. A national membership, which is given to those living outside 60 miles from the club, starts at $35,000.

Homes are slated to go in the $3 million range for 3,400 to 3,600 square feet on land up to one acre. Of the 93 homes, 71 are reserved.

World-renowned golf instructor David Leadbetter leads Soleta’s practice facility, which is dubbed the “Field of Dreams.”

There are plans for additional amenities, including tennis courts, pickleball courts, a fitness center, a swimming pool and spa.

The golf course, though, is set to offer a challenge for all skills — from the seasoned tour pro to the high handicapper — measuring 7,400 yards and is a par-72.

“My big philosophy is you make the course difficult with the angles,” said Price, a former world No. 1 player. “The better the player, the more you increase the angle, the more you make him carry water or carry bunkers or whatever. Whereas, when you slide the tees around a little bit, you shallow out those angles. You make it easier for the handicap player.”

Price said the course won’t have any rough, because the fairways will blend naturally into the preserved wetland areas and the greens will feature TifEagle Bermuda grass.

“I’ve known Nick for a long, long time, and he’s got a very keen eye and a keen mind for golf architecture,” Leadbetter said.