The University of Florida is proposing a new golf complex in west Gainesville, but key questions about the site’s infrastructure, environmental constraints, water supply and construction schedule remain unanswered. UF has not announced when construction would begin or when the facility would open.
The proposal would place the Evans University of Florida Golf Club on more than 500 acres with an 18-hole course, clubhouse, guest cottages and a performance center for the men’s and women’s teams, according to UF. Beau Welling and Steve Smyers are slated to design the course. UF has described the project as a championship-level facility, but has not said whether the site would host tournaments beyond its role as a resource for the golf programs and future competition.
Planning standards, site details still to come
Alachua County’s 2019-2040 Comprehensive Plan says new development should be based on necessary services and infrastructure while protecting the natural environment, according to the county. Related county policies call for buffers and setbacks from wetlands and surface waters. Those standards provide general planning context; the county has not identified the proposed golf-club property’s specific wetlands, surface waters or other environmental constraints.
Water demand is another unresolved issue. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection reported that about 958 million gallons per day of reclaimed water were used for beneficial purposes statewide in 2024, including irrigation of 519 golf courses. The statewide figures do not establish the proposed UF course’s water source or how much water it would require, as DEP data make clear.
UF says it plans to work with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences on turfgrass management, water-use efficiency and environmental-stewardship research at the site. Separately, UF/IFAS Extension describes a golf-course Best Management Practices program addressing contamination, waste and habitat loss. That guidance is general and does not establish which practices UF would use at the proposed course.
Mark Bostick would remain open
UF says the new course would become a home for Florida’s golf programs without changing how the Mark Bostick Golf Course is used. The 116-acre course remains available to UF faculty, students and alumni. It opened in 1921 and was acquired by the university in 1963, according to the Mark Bostick Golf Course. UF has not described a separate long-term redevelopment plan for that property.
That approach differs from a recent project at another Florida university. On Sept. 9, 2025, the University of South Florida said its board had advanced plans to transform a former 138-acre golf course in Tampa into the Fletcher District, with housing, restaurants, a hotel, research space and recreation areas. The USF example involves repurposing an existing course; UF’s proposal would add a new one, as described by USF.
Donor-funded team facilities
The proposal comes as UF pursues other athletic-facility investments, including Condron Ballpark, Exactech Arena, the Heavener Football Training Center and a planned renovation of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Those projects are separate from the golf-club proposal. UF has not announced the golf project’s cost, financing total or construction timetable.
