Tag Archives: golf vacations

Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club – Island Course

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Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Tampa may be known for the Copperhead Course, but what most golfers do not know is that Copperhead is not the only thing there is about this golf vacation destination. There is an equally challenging golf course in the resort that many critics and golfers contend to be even more beautiful than its more famous sibling course: The Island Course.

With a length of 7,310 yards, the Island Course is one of the longer courses in the Innisbrook Resort and features the same beautifully challenging features there is everywhere in the facility. Tight fairways, difficult water hazards, numerous bunkers, and elevation changes not common to Florida topography. What makes this course extra special is the variety in its layout that whilst other courses are characterized by nines, this course has three notable and distinct features. The opening 6 holes has the Lake Innisbrook and several lateral water hazards bordering, the middle 6 is on a rolling hill terrain and some overgrowth of pines and cypresses, while the last set of holes are some of the most picturesque in the state, with the 18th being among Florida’s most photographed hole.This course makes it to the Favorites not only for golf vacations but for important golf tournaments as well.

The Island Course has been the host of such prestigious competitions as US Open Qualifiers, NCAA Championships, and has been the first site of the LPGA Legends Tour Open Championships. Likewise, this course is a favorite recipient of countless recognitions including being one of Golf Digest’s Top 50 courses in America, and 14th in Travel and Leisure Golf’s Top 50 in Florida. This sure is something to discover on the next golf trip to the Innisbrook.

Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club – Highlands South Course

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The Highlands South Course of the famed Innisbrook Resort in Tampa Bay is not exactly the odd one out in the golfing facility. True, it does have the “odd one” feel to it, but it definitely is not an outcast. If anything, it is the most unique of the four courses on site, and definitely still ranks according to the standards set by the other courses on this golf vacation destination.

Just like its sibling courses, the Highlands South Course is also a Lawrence Packard creation, measuring 6,620 yards from the championship tees, playing for a par of 71. What makes this rather different is the “links-like” atmosphere to it. This course opens with a traditional Florida layout of treelined fairways, but opens with a rather loud bang come the 5th hole. From the par 3 No. 5 all the way down the 13th, the holes stretch through a large open prairie gives golf vacations here a Scottish feel. But the presence of water on 10 of its 18 holes are enough a reminder that golfers are still in Florida.

The rolling terrain, numerous bunkers on the fairways and the return to treelined fairways from the 14th to the closing holes further tell that it is in fact a Florida course. The Highlands South course plays for a par of 71 and has four sets of tees to accommodate golfers of any skill level. With its perfect combination of Florida and Scots features, this course is surely the ‘odd one IN’ destination for memorable golf trips.

Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club – Copperhead Course

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The Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club is one golf vacation destination that is not only big in size but on facilities as well. That much is known not only in Tampa area, but in all of the golfing nation as well. But there is one component of the resort that tops everything else off. The Copperhead Course is perhaps the most popular of the four championship courses on the resort. And no questions asked, its layout, scenery, and superstar player list will more than suffice a justification.

The Copperhead Course, being the host of the Transitions Championship of the PGA Tour fame, brings in golfing superstars year after year. This Larry Packard creation was made to be a daunting course, that even the world’s best golfers are fazed by its unconventionally dramatic elevation changes, and tight, tree-lined fairways. Not to mention, the surrounding lakes and ponds are not there merely for aesthetic purposes. They will make their presence felt in the game, and it is not going to be as tranquil as they look. Golfers who spend their golf vacations here are in for an unforgettable experience of stellar proportions.

Another thing that makes an appearance – rather frequently – on this golf trip haven is the wide variety of wildlife in the area. From fox squirrels to alligators to bald eagles to countless kinds of water fowls – they all make their presence known to the guests. The Copperhead Course is the perfect place for a round of golf closest to nature. There is no surprise in its being the No. 4 course in Travel and Leisure Golf’s list of Florida’s 50 Finest, and ranked among America’s Top Resort Courses by Golf Digest. A course of this caliber naturally deserves a superstar status.

Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club – Highlands North Course

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It would not be easy for any golf course to be in the position of the Highlands North Course of the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. Not surprisingly so, the course stands in a 900-acre grand golf resort with world class facilities to boot, and three other 18-hole championship courses that do not come short of excellence. How it would fit in to the standards set by the rest of the golf vacation destination is no easy feat. But the course, manages. Even beyond that, it excels.

Even at a shorter yardage of 6,235 yards from the Championship tees, the Highlands North Course of the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club never lacks on fun, layout, and scenery. And no golfer would probably mind the length of this course. The series of par 3s alone would keep the players occupied. The water hazards all over the golf trip favorite are another thing too: 11 of its 18 holes have water guarding on one or both sides of the greens. The signature 3rd hole, for example, is the beginning of the 7-water hole stretch in the course, with water on both sides of the fairways. And it does not get any easier from there.

 The Highlands North Course of the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club is made up of tight fairways, dramatic bunkering , the abundance of pine and oak trees, and a set of some of the most difficult par 3s Florida has ever seen. This may not exactly be the easiest answer for golfers who want their golf vacations to be made of no-brainer rounds of golf. But this golf course in Palm Harbor in Tampa Bay may be the best retreat for those who are looking for truly challenging games.

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.

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.