TPC of Tampa Bay

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Four and a half stars from Golf Digest may not be enough a proof that a golf course is good. A “#1 course in Tampa” from Golf & Travel magazine is not either. Even being named “Best Choice in Tampa” does not equate to being actually “THE BEST” there is. But if all of these accolades are put together under the same golf course, there is a good enough reason to believe there is absolutely something special about that golf vacation destination. This makes TPC of Tampa Bay worth discovering.

The TPC of Tampa Bay is a stadium course located 30 minutes northof Tampa, in Lutz, Florida. It measures 6,898 yards and plays for a par of 71. This Bobby Weed design was made for some of the most awaited tournaments in the sport – it is challenging enough for the competitive golfer and spacious enough to accommodate the spectators. But Weed also designed it to be playable for golfers of all skill levels, with some of the best Florida scenery to boot, making it a perfect spot for golf vacations as well. The holes are well-spaced, and wind around natural lagoons and ponds, with very small landing areas and rolling mounds.

Apart from being the home of tournaments the likes of Verizon classic, and the PGA Tour’s Outback Steakhouse Pro Am, the TPC of Tampa Bay is also the home of some rich and diverse wildlife. This earned it the one of the only two Audobon Cooperative Sanctuary Certification in the area. That should be enough a proof that this golf trip favorite is in fact among the best not only in the sunshine state, but in the country as well.

World Woods Golf Club – Rolling Oaks Course

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Tom Fazio is known for his excellent layout designs. That much is true. Out of all his array of “excellent” designs, he singles one out as the “best”: the Rolling Oaks Course of the World Woods Golf Club and its sibling course, the Pine Barrens, in Brooksville, Florida. And he’s not alone in saying that. The Rolling Oaks, for example, is rather comparable to the legendary Augusta National. The golf vacation destination makes the most out of Fazio’s undeniable genius and Florida’s gift from nature.

The Rolling Oaks Course of the World Woods Golf Club is characterized by huge old oaks draped in Spanish moss. The course also features some stunning rolling fairways and undulating greens, accented by beautiful azalea bushes. Unlike its sibling course whose bunkers are rather wild and huge, the bunkers on this golf course are defined sharply with bleached white sand. The holes are pretty much forgiving, and are more accommodating to golfers of all skill levels, making golf vacations here a perfect retreat to just about anyone who loves the sport.

Proof that the Rolling Oaks Course of the World Woods Golf Club is as excellent as the designer says it is, three of the world’s largest golf publications have either picked this out among the rest, or have ranked it as among the best. Golf Digest, out of the more than a thousand courses in the Sunshine State, ranked it 24th best in design. Golf Magazine has it 53rd in its list of Top 100 You Can Play. And Golfweek ranked it 74th Best Course Built since 1960. But the best proof, undoubtedly, are the countless golf trips spent here season after season of people who want nothing but great golfing experience.

World Woods Golf Club – Pine Barrens Course

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“Never be too intimidated, neither too relaxed.” This should be the mantra of every golfer who plays a round or two at the Pine Barrens Course of the World Woods Golf Club. This Tom Fazio design in Brooksville, Florida, is on a totally different level on layout and scenery both. And by “totally different level”, it means being ranked among “America’s Best Modern Courses” by no less the Golf Week Magazine. That sure does take golf vacations to epic new heights as well.

Measuring 6,458 yards, this golf vacation destination is a combination of naturally good surroundings and even better layout design. Fazio proved his unmatched genius with this creation carved out of thick Florida pine forests, hence the name. The Pine Barrens Course of the World Woods Golf Club features wide and rather wild waste bunkerings. On top of that, the course also features dramatic and surprising elevation changes, making low scoring a bit of a battle mentally and physically. Intimidating can be too much an understatement for the skill-challenged golfer.

Good to know, though, the Pine Barrens Course pf the World Woods Golf Club has a perfect way to counter the drama. Its beautiful Florida surroundings give the golfers a retreat, a room to breathe. That, and the many world class amenities of the club will surely make frequent golf trips out of any golfer’s first. Just as this course is a balance of beauty and thrill, golfers will have to bring some skill to counter the intimidation, and the course will take care of the relaxation.

Emerald Greens Golf Resort – Meadows Course

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The Emerald Greens in Tampa is one golf vacation destination for everybody. It has a scenic Tampa view, complete vacation facilities, and three distinct and equally beautiful nine-hole courses that could be played as 18-hole combinations, or a site for short lounging games on the greens. One of these nines is the versatile Meadows Course of the Emerald Greens Golf Resort.

Whether paired with the Cypress Course or the Pines Course, or as a short course, the Meadows Course of the Emerald Greens Golf Resort is a delight to play. It is arguably the most versatile of the nines – and the most forgiving too. Though its greens are shorter, the more open nine makes it an easier course to meander through for golfers of any skill level. It has all the goodness of Floridan golfing – from a good variety of bunkers to an abundance of water on most every hole, playing under the perfect sunshine in the Sunshine State. Golf trips here are defined by the golfers’ creativity in pairing the nines, and in tackling each unique obstacle they present.

The Meadows Course of the Emerald Greens Golf Resort, as well as the Cypress and the Pines Courses were all originally designed by Ed Ault back in the early 70’s but was renovated in 2004 by Dan Maples. The Emerald Greens may be the only golf resort in all of Tampa Bay, but it sure does give more than any golfer would expect. It makes up for what everyone needs in their golf vacations.

Emerald Greens Golf Resort – Cypress Course

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The Cypress Course of the Emerald Greens Golf Resort features just nine of the fascination 27 holes of the resort, but it in itself is enough to satisfy a golf hungry golfer. Whether played as a short course, or paired with its adjacent nine-hole course, this nine has some of the best combination of scenery, challenging layout, and everything good about Tampa, Florida’s golfing scene. A golf vacation at the Emerald will never be complete without playing this course.

Measuring 3,555 yards, the Cypress Course of the Emerald Greens features a lot of water on its holes – as are the other two courses in the facility. As its name implies, the course is surrounded by a dense growth of large cypress trees that make it more scenic. The greens on the Cypress nine are large and undulating, the bunkers vary between small pot bunkers and the large intimidating ones. Golf trips here are defined by the variety of games that could be played depending on the nines combination. The Cypress-Meadows is a favorite 18-hole combination for a game at the Emerald for the variety it offers, having larger greens on the Cypress, and relatively smaller greens from the Meadows.

The Cypress Course of the Emerald Golf Resort, along with the other two nines – The Meadows and The Pines, make up this favorite Tampa golf vacation destination. The facility also features double sided practice range, and putting and chipping greens. The courses were originally designed by Ed Ault in 1971, and was redesigned by Dan Maples in 2004.

Atlantis Country Club

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Whoever thinks that a shorter course is easier to conquer than a longer one obviously needs to expand his golf experience. There is much reason to believe he has not played the Atlantis Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida yet. And there is much reason to believe that he needs to plan his next golf vacation here, so as to know just how lethal a short layout is as a long one. This is totally unlike anything else in the state. Or anywhere else in the golfing world, for that matter.

The Atlantis Golf Club, a Robert Simmons creation, measures just 6,610 yards from the back tees, and looks shorter than it actually is. With the old growth pines lining the fairways, it does look shorter than it actually is, but there is nothing so simple and easy about it. Unlike in most other Florida course, golfers here do not have to worry about endless greens and gigantic water hazards in this golf course; they only have to battle the quick and undulating greens and unpredictable fairways. And they are not necessarily easy. Golf vacations here require an extra set of patience and technique, as well as good judgment to know when the next shot are actually what they seem to be.

Its multiple tees, as well as its many other world class amenities including a fine dining restaurant, makes this golf course one for everybody. The Atlantis Country Club is a must-see, a must-try, and a must play course for that unique golf trip.

Cypress Creek Country Club

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Robert Von Hagge has practically spent his entire life on the golf course. When he was not, he was doing something for and about the sport. His entire lifetime was spent on golf and his deep passion and connection to it is reflected vividly on his creations. Today, his name is synonymous to many of the best golf courses in America, in the Caribbean, and all over the globe, and a worldwide recognition for his immense talent in the field. But no matter how great he has become, there will always be room to look back to the very first golf vacation destination that bore his name as designer: THE CYPRESS CREEK COUNTY CLUB in Boynton Beach, Fl.

The course is now forty years old but it has not lost its touch. It is still the same golf course with the beautiful long and wide fairways, natural vegetation, and much of the traditional features of a Florida golf paradise. The Cypress Creek Country Club is the kind of golf course that would both fascinate and entertain the casual player, but has enough a grit to it that would keep the low handicap player thinking and rethinking. This makes it perfect for those cozy and long golf vacations.

From the Championship tees, the Cypress Creek Country Club measures 6,531 yards and plays for a par of 72. This golf trip favorite is considered among the Best Public Courses in the Palm Beach and surrounding areas. This first major project of Robert Von Hagge has cemented the legacy that was to come; a true reflection of a legacy that spanned a lifetime to build.

Madison Green Golf Club

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A truly great golf course goes beyond having a legendary designer to its name or having merits and accolades from award-giving bodies, or being a preferred site for prestigious golf tournaments. The greatness of a golf course is mostly found in the ordinary, little golf vacations that it transforms into epic, truly memorable, truly happy ones. It is in the face of the simple golfer, made happy by a challenging and fun round of golf. But of course, the aforementioned merits do deserve credit. Such is one of Florida’s finest, The Madison Green Golf Club.

The golf vacation destination in West Palm Beach is characterized by more than a thousand palms, palmettos, and native vegetation that make the course both interesting and beautiful. The layout of the Madison Green Golf Club, which measures 7,051 yards from the longest tees and plays for a par of 72, also features unique sand traps and a whooping 42 acres of water hazards. If that is not challenging enough, let alone distinct to its character, then nothing would come close to being surprising AT ALL.

Its being an unexpected layout makes the Madison Green Golf Club a favored tournament site. It has seen itself as the home of the Florida State Championships, US Amateur Championship Qualifiers, and soon, the 2012 Florida Golf Association Men’s Senior Championship. It has also been awarded Best New Florida Public Course (Florida Golf Magazine, 2002), “Must Play” and one of the Top 20 Golf Courses in Florida (Golf LINKS Magazine, consistently), 4.9 out of 5 stars (Golf Digest). But more than all of that, this John Sanford creation is a favorite and well-known spot for the happiest golf trips – and that is what this place is all about: happy golfers.

Village Golf Club

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A renovation does not necessarily mean the old one is ugly. It sometimes means the old one was good but there is always room to make things better. And such was the case of the 1960s Mark Mahannah creation in Royal Palm Beach, Florida – the Village Golf Club. Golfers would not have imagined there could be a better version of the golf vacation destination, but there is.

The 6,900-yard, par-72 championship golfing facility was expanded on all sides, the greens upgraded, and the amenities overhauled. Golfers are treated on 175 acres of the most verdant of Southern Florida terrain, with holes that wind through many challenging sand traps, mature cypresses, and a lot of water hazard. And by a LOT, the Village Golf Club DOES mean A LOT. Water plays a major role in the course and golfers need to be extremely careful and smart in dealing with the water holes. Thankfully though, most of the landing areas of the course are generous to compensate for the difficulty. To make matters even better, the other facilities in the course have also seen total renovations, thereby completing the golf vacation package.

The clubhouse of the Village Golf Club now measures a whooping 15,000 square feet with the 19th hole a ready oasis for golfers to replenish in after the long game. Golfers would also love the expanded practice putting greens and the practice chipping greens. The whole renovation cost some huge figures for the developer, but warranted better – maybe even the BEST – golf trips hereabouts for countless golfers. And that makes it all worth it.

PGA National – Squire Course

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The PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach, Fl., is founded on the PGA of America’s standards on quality and excellence. It is reflected not only on their services and other amenities, but more importantly on how great the golf courses here are. It is not even a matter of size because even the shortest/smallest of the courses in this golf vacation destination, the PGA National – Squire Course could easily equal the grandeur of its bigger counterparts.

The PGA National – Squire Course is one of the Tom/George Fazio creations on the resort, and measures just over 6,400 yards from the longest tees. What it lacks in length, it makes up for in hazards and other elements for just the right amount of challenge to complement its unmatched scenery. It wouldn’t be called a “thinking man’s course” for nothing. The golf vacation favorite tests foremost of all a golfer’s accuracy and precision in his shots; the long hitters will surely catch themselves scratching their heads more than once on the several doglegs on the course.

And for every heartache and headache it causes the “thinking” golfer, it makes up for in beauty. The PGA National – Squire Course is one for the naturalist. The golf trip haven runs along parts of a natural wildlife reserve and has an abundance of natural vegetation. The course plays for a par of 72, and is named after the first ever Grand Slam winner, The Squire himself, Gene Sarazen. The PGA of America lives up to their dedication to superb golfing, from the biggest down to the minutest detail.