IMG Academy Golf Club - Bradenton, Florida

Pat P. (.

Parcours plutôt bas de gamme

Jeremiah Y.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to give this review negative stars. After almost 2 years after our wedding, we have finally gathered the courage to post a review about our horror of an experience with IMG.

My wife and I had our wedding at IMG Academy golf course on 9/3/22. We initially met and coordinated our wedding plans with Claire who was extremely helpful in ensuring all of our needs and wants were met. Roughly 2 weeks prior to our wedding, we are suddenly informed that Claire is leaving IMG and Sadie will be taking over. It was a complete mess since then.

Communication was Sadie was terrible. It felt like she didn’t want any thing to do with our wedding assuming because it was dumped on her last minute. She was extremely short with us anytime we had questions or needed something. If we had initially met with Sadie instead of Claire, I’m confident we would have never booked our wedding with IMG to begin with.

On the wedding day, the men’s changing room had no AC. It’s early September and 90 degrees. We were told by the manager they couldn’t get anyone out to fix it and the best they could do is give us a small standing fan. Imagine a renowned place like IMG not having their own maintenance crew for their clubhouse.

The worst part of the day occurred when we were being shuttled around by IMG in their golf carts during our photo session. Long story short, as my wife was getting situated in the golf cart to leave, the driver suddenly took off down the hill, resulting in my wife losing balance and her dress getting caught in the tire, essentially pulling her out of the golf cart and getting dragged under the tire. Her dress was completely torn apart and her skin was ripped and bruised from rubbing against the tire. Essentially my wife was ran over by the golf cart due to IMG’s incompetence. On top of that, no one from IMG even bothered to help me and my groomsmen lift the golf cart off my wife. They just stood there and watched like a bunch of idiots.

Finally at dinner, we were guaranteed that enough food would be provided for our guest of 150. Only to find out later that half of our guest didn’t get any fish and the food was cold.

We met with IMG 2 days following our wedding to discuss the above incident. They and their insurance company were not willing to work with us. Even tried to make it sound like it was our fault. Didn’t even offer a partial refund for our wedding. I believe the best they offered was to pay for repairs on my wife’s wedding dress. We attempted to seek legal action but the whole ordeal took such an emotional toll on my wife that she just wanted to move on from it. Ultimately the memories of our wedding day will forever be tainted by my wife being ran over by an IMG golf cart, just minutes before walking down the aisle.

Unless you’re prepared for a nightmare like ours, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND AVOIDING THIS PLACE AT ALL COST. There are so many better venues to host your events at in the surrounding area.

Maryam G.

We recently celebrated my brother's wedding at IMG Academy Golf Club, and it was absolutely perfect! Debbie and her team did an outstanding job, ensuring every detail was flawless from start to finish. The venue was stunning, creating the perfect backdrop for such a special day. The food was delicious, with every dish exceeding our expectations. The bartenders and catering staff were attentive, professional, and made sure all the guests were well taken care of throughout the evening. Debbie's attention to detail and her team's exceptional service truly made the day unforgettable. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience and highly recommend IMG Academy Golf Club for any special event.

Len's R.

What a beautiful venue! Very clean and the view makes it a relaxing space. The dinner was served quickly and the chicken was cooked perfectly. Dessert was served “home style” so it was fun to pick from the colorful goodies!

Chris D.

The people that we interacted with that IMG Academy were very friendly and accommodating. The course was in good condition with the exception of a couple tee boxes. The greens rolled true, and were in great shape. Overall, very pleased with the course, will return.

Dan B.

Course was decent but I was highly disappointed by the treatment in the clubhouse. The guy behind the register basically shamed my adult daughter (who was just going to ride along and not play) about her outfit. She was wearing running shorts and a sport top. Not egregious or too revealing by any standard. He went on and on about how she can’t look like that on the course. Of course it ruined her day and mine. With so many nearby options I won’t be back. Again this is a nice place buts it’s not Augusta and to treat customers that way is completely unacceptable.

Mike M.

Nice golf course, well maintained with a good layout. The course was challenging but fair. They have a nice range and short game area for warming up. Range balls included in the price. I played the week it was aerated but you could tell the greens were typically in good shape. They still rolled good so it wasn’t bad to play. Most of the bunkers were in good shape. I would give it 5 stars but the restaurant wasn’t open and there wasn’t a snack cart. Covid situation and I get it, but a snack cart would have been great in the Florida heat.

D C.

I played this course twice on a recent trip to AMI and really enjoyed the course. It was in fantastic shape in all areas. The greens were fast and smooth. The course strikes a good balance of being challenging without being discouraging. The carts all are on the new side and have GPS. For the price I am not sure there is a better option.
The pro shop had a surprisingly large selection. They had lots of popular brands with some good options. All of the staff were super friendly and happy to help. Because it’s an IMG property ALL of the staff have to pass extensive background checks because the volume of students they might encounter. So everyone from the golf shop manager to the guys taking the sand pits have been vetted.
The members I played with were all friendly and happy to host.
This will be my go to course whenever I’m in the area.