Southern Pool Designs designs and builds custom pools for homes in Sawgrass Players Club and Sawgrass Country Club, the two gated communities that make up Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. Our St. Augustine office manages design, association review, St. Johns County permitting and construction under one contract. Sawgrass projects typically land in our Signature tier ($175,000 to $325,000) and Monument tier ($325,000 and up).
Two Communities, Two Review Processes
Sawgrass is a census-designated place in unincorporated St. Johns County, so the county issues the building permit. Before that permit, the design needs approval from the association that governs your lot, and Sawgrass has two of them.
Sawgrass Players Club
Sawgrass Players Club surrounds TPC Sawgrass, with its Stadium and Dye’s Valley courses, and The Players Championship has been played here since 1982. Entry is through the Main Gate and the Solana Road gate. The community has nearly 1,900 single-family homes, patio homes and condominiums in 16 neighborhoods, and each neighborhood has its own subassociation, board and governing documents.
The master association, the Sawgrass Players Club Association, reviews exterior changes through its Architectural Control Committee (ACC). What that means for a pool:
- Pools are squarely in scope. The ACC has final jurisdiction over swimming pools and their fences and enclosures, and those also require St. Johns County permits.
- A complete package. Applications include a site plan, material descriptions, landscape changes, and photos or samples. The review fee is non-refundable, and a performance deposit is returned after the project is completed successfully.
- Trees and drainage. Removing a tree over 4 inches in diameter needs ACC approval, and the ACC also has final say over drainage changes. Grading cannot create a hardship for the neighboring lot.
- Work hours. Vendors work weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (7 p.m. during daylight saving time) and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no construction on Sundays or major holidays. Some subassociations set stricter rules.
- Follow the approved plan. Building outside the approved plans can draw fines, so field changes go back through review.
Sawgrass Country Club
Sawgrass Country Club is the older community. The club opened in 1974 and hosted the Tournament Players Championship from 1977 through 1981, before the event moved next door to TPC Sawgrass. Today the gated community covers about 1,200 acres, with 27 holes originally designed by Ed Seay, about 1,409 residences in more than 30 neighborhoods, and a members’ Beach Club on roughly 1,600 feet of oceanfront. Sawgrass Association, Inc. runs an Architectural Review Committee (ARC) with posted application deadlines, so we build the design schedule backward from the next deadline instead of losing a month waiting for one.
Lagoon and Fairway Lots
Lakes and lagoons wind through both communities, and many lots face water, golf or both. Sawgrass sits only a few feet above sea level, which shapes the engineering.
- Lagoon lots. The view across the water is the reason for the lot, so we usually run the pool parallel to the bank and keep the deck low. Where a lot has a bulkhead, any work on it follows the Players Club’s own bulkhead specifications and requires a maintenance agreement, so we design the pool and deck to leave the bulkhead alone unless that work is part of an approved scope.
- Fairway lots. A pool on a golf lot is seen from the course, so fence style, screening and landscaping matter to the review board as much as to you. We plan them as part of the design rather than adding them at the end.
- Low ground and groundwater. With low elevations and water nearby, engineering accounts for groundwater during excavation and for how the finished deck sheds water away from neighbors.
Replacing an Older Sawgrass Pool
Development at Sawgrass began in the early 1970s, and many homes have pools that no longer match the house or the way the owners live. For those homes we do a complete rip and replace: demolition of the old shell and deck, then a new pool, spa and hardscape designed from scratch and approved like any new pool. We do not resurface or repair existing pools.
Design Ideas for Sawgrass Homes
- Lagoon-edge pool and spa: a long rectangular pool facing the water, with a raised spa with perimeter overflow set where the view is widest.
- Courtyard pool for patio homes: a compact knife edge pool that fits a smaller lot and still reads as architecture.
- Fairway terrace: a sun shelf, a fire feature and covered seating, screened with planting the board will approve, with lighting on smart automation.
What a Pool in Sawgrass Costs
- Foundation: $120,000 to $175,000
- Signature: $175,000 to $325,000, our most-built tier
- Monument: $325,000 to $1,000,000+
A courtyard pool with a spa on a patio home lot often fits Signature. Lagoon-front pools with a vanishing edge, full outdoor living and automation tend toward Monument. Replacing an existing pool adds $8,000 to $20,000 for demolition. Our pricing page explains what moves a project between tiers.
How a Sawgrass Project Runs
- Welcome call. We confirm whether you are in the Players Club or the Country Club, which neighborhood, and your budget band.
- On-site design consultation. We walk the lot, note the bank or bulkhead, trees over the removal threshold, drainage paths and the views that matter.
- The Signature Experience. A paid design phase produces your custom 3D design. We then coordinate engineering, prepare the ACC or ARC submittal, obtain the St. Johns County permit, and build within the community’s work hours under a dedicated project manager, finishing with a walkthrough and the association’s final review.
Sawgrass Pool FAQs
Do I need association approval for a pool in Sawgrass?
Yes. In Sawgrass Players Club, the Architectural Control Committee has final jurisdiction over pools, pool fences and enclosures. In Sawgrass Country Club, Sawgrass Association, Inc. reviews projects through its Architectural Review Committee. Your neighborhood subassociation may add its own rules, so we read both sets of documents before design starts.
Who issues the building permit for a Sawgrass pool?
St. Johns County, because Sawgrass is unincorporated. We submit for the county permit once the association has approved the design, which avoids redrawing plans to satisfy a board after the county has already reviewed them. Our Ponte Vedra Beach page covers county zoning in more detail.
Can I build a pool on a lagoon lot with a bulkhead?
Usually, yes. The pool and deck are designed to stay clear of the bulkhead, and any bulkhead work itself follows the Players Club’s specifications, a maintenance agreement and its own review fees. Engineering also accounts for groundwater, since Sawgrass sits only a few feet above sea level.
How much does a pool cost in Sawgrass?
Most Sawgrass projects land in our Signature tier ($175,000 to $325,000) or Monument tier ($325,000 and up), depending on size, spa, edge details and outdoor living. Rip and replace projects add $8,000 to $20,000 for demolition of the existing pool and deck.
Start Your Sawgrass Pool Design
Call our St. Augustine office at (904) 217-0254 or request a design consultation, and we will walk your lot with your association’s requirements in hand.