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Orlando Golf - Course, Resort and Package Information
They come, said Drake, for the privacy, as access to this gated, isle resort is only by bridge or boat. Originally, it was built in 1982 as a base for Arvida
Realty Services to showcase its Longboat Key real estate offerings. But since 1990, while each of the 232 condominium units are privately owned, it's been
managed by The Shannon Resort & Club Group, Inc. as a 410-acre, beachside retreat.
Accommodations include: guest rooms, club suites, one- and two-bedroom suites and two-bedroom deluxe suites. All, with exception of the guest rooms, have
fully-equipped kitchens, washers and dryers, and an array of amenities the seasoned traveler has come to expect from any AAA, four-diamond resort.
Dining, too, measures up. Here, it can be as casual as burgers by the beach or room service in your suite or balcony to elegant, candlelight service enhanced by
the sea and a shimmering, low hanging moon. You'll also find live entertainment most nights at The Pointe Lounge and complimentary, Friday-night wine tastings
in the Library. Seasonal barbecues and happy hours poolside, as well as clubhouse and al fresco dining, bring full circle the extent of the culinary venues offered to all guests.
Also, as if all this and its expanse of white sandy beach weren't enough, The Resort features a 45-hole, private membership golf complex and a 38-court
tennis club. There's even a fitness and massage center, a swimming pool and Jacuzzi, opportunities for boating, sailing and fishing, and a fully supervised "Kids
Klub" for ages 5 - 12. While many of these activities are already included in The Resort's rates, more have been added.
Near-future developments could only be hinted at but seem focused on interior renovations, introducing a major, national tournament to the tennis center,
adding a spa and improving the golf courses - both of which deserve specific mention.
There are two locations at The Resort for playing golf and, for that matter, tennis. The first is located adjacent to the resort. Opened in 1960, the Bill
Mitchell designed Islandside Golf Course, features 18 holes of crisp, up and down shot making.
The end result is a 6,792-yard, par 72 course running north and south that cuts through a 112-acre bird sanctuary filled with over 5,000 palm trees and flowering
plants and shrubs.
The tennis center, directly across the street and behind the reception center, features 18 Har-Tru courts (six lighted), a fully stocked pro shop, ball machine
rental, and tennis clinics along with private and semi-private lessons. A "pool" of several hundred area members guarantees a match for any guest looking for some action.
The second golf and tennis location is at Harbourside, a 3-mile drive up the island along Sarasota Bay. Here, three separate nine's meander bayside through a
gentle setting of oak, palm, pine, and palmetto.
Atlantan, Willard Byrd, designed the original 18 holes that opened for play in 1982. It consisted of the Red Course measuring 3,323 yards and the White Course at
3,426 yards. Added later was the Blue Course at 3,386 yards.
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