Interviews

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Ben Cowan-Dewar: Shock and awe

Golf development firm Cabot now has properties in six countries. Richard Humphreys speaks with co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar about what makes a great site, selection of golf course architects, and more

Team building

Turfgrass has launched its US arm with the appointment of John Lawrence, Adam Moeller and Brad Owen. Richard Humphreys speaks with them, Turfgrass founder John Clarkin and director of agronomy Julian Mooney to find out more

Brian Curley: Life of Brian

The designer has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him in between flights to discuss his career and his new venture with Jim Wagner

Oakmont: An interview with Gil Hanse

With the 2025 US Open arriving at Oakmont, Richard Humphreys spoke with the architect, who renovated the course in 2023, about what to expect

Martin Ebert: Design journey

With a portfolio that includes eight of the ten Open venues, Mackenzie & Ebert occupies an enviable position in the golf design industry. Adam Lawrence spoke with principal Martin Ebert to learn how they got there

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Ben Cowan-Dewar: Shock and awe

Golf development firm Cabot now has properties in six countries. Richard Humphreys speaks with co-founder and CEO Ben Cowan-Dewar about what makes a great site, selection of golf course architects, and more

Team building

Turfgrass has launched its US arm with the appointment of John Lawrence, Adam Moeller and Brad Owen. Richard Humphreys speaks with them, Turfgrass founder John Clarkin and director of agronomy Julian Mooney to find out more

Brian Curley: Life of Brian

The designer has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him in between flights to discuss his career and his new venture with Jim Wagner

Richard Humphreys
/ Categories: News

New golf course opens at Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch community

A new 18-hole golf course, designed by Chris Wilczynski, has opened for play at the Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch community in Florida.

The course is to be a resident-only private venue with 18 holes laid out on rolling ground. It can be played from 3,500 to over 7,000 yards and features wide fairways, strategic bunkering, and five holes that can be played along and through mature oaks and pines.

“It was an honour to partner with Taylor Morrison again to create another state-of-the-art golf course that reflects their vision of the Esplanade brand and will provide Azario residents and the Lakewood Ranch community with an exceptional golf experience,” said Wilczynski. “Our goal was to create a course that’s visually dynamic and fun for players of all abilities. I’m excited for people to experience it.”

The twelfth hole, ‘Enclave’, plays to a raised green surrounded by several deep bunkers and native vegetation. The seventeenth, ‘Big Oak’, requires a bold tee shot across a lake to a multi-tiered 9,000-square-foot green, adjacent to the largest native oak on the property.

To add a dimension to the previously flat land, Wilczynski and his team dug several large lakes and used the soil from the excavation to construct the golf course, residential lots and roads.

“The extensive earthmoving and detailed landscape that we created for each hole brings a dramatic transformation to the property not found elsewhere,” said Wilczynski.

Read more: Chris Wilczynski spoke with GCA about the project following his appointment in 2018.

“Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch is an exciting new addition to Lakewood Ranch, a highly desired location for new housing in Manatee County,” said Joseph Fontana, division president of Taylor Morrison Sarasota. “We were excited to work with Chris again to build a golf course that residents will enjoy for many years to come. Chris understands the vision of our Esplanade brand and helped us develop a golf course that complements its signature lifestyle.”

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  • Azario
    Somer Robertson

    A new golf course by Chris Wilczynski has opened at the Esplanade at Azario Lakewood Ranch

  • Azario
    Somer Robertson

    The course’s twelfth hole plays to a raised green surrounded by several deep bunkers

  • Azario
    Somer Robertson

    The course can be played between 3,500 to 7,000 yards and is to be a resident-only private venue

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Somer Robertson
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