Are you looking to hit the links this weekend? Go for it! Golf is good anaerobic exercise; walking the course is great for your heart and can lower your stress levels. It’s a terrific way to spend quality time in nature while also building character, as golf is not the easiest of sports. But it’s a way to learn new skills, improve focus, and make new friends. Not only that, but many business deals are also made over a round of golf.
Florida is home to some of the most renowned golf courses in the country, and we all know that Florida is the destination of choice for many out-of-staters. Tampa, especially, has something for everyone.
Take a look at our picks for the Top Five Golf Courses in the Tampa & Hillsborough County area.
5. Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club
Address: 12900 Lake Jovita Blvd, Dade City, FL 33525
Tee Time Price: Between $50 and $100
Par: 72
This magnificent course tricks you into thinking you’re further north along the Eastern Seaboard. Are you in Gulf Coast Florida or are you in North Carolina? With two 18-hole courses, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for great tee times at this Dade City gem. These courses were designed by PGA Tour’s Tom Lehman and award-winning architect Kurt Sandness. With stunning landscapes greeting you at every turn, you’re sure to enjoy both the North and South courses all week long. This club is semi-private, so be sure to book your tee times in advance.
4. Fox Hollow Golf Club
Address: 10050 Robert Trent Jones Pkwy, Trinity, FL 34655
Tee Time Price: Between $29.95 and $59.95
Par: 71
In 1994, this beautiful course made its debut. As one of Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s last designs, this club has become one of the premier semi-private courses in all of Florida. With large, white sand bunkers and dazzling rolling greens, this course is sure to impress. The five sets of tees offer a challenge to golfers of all levels. And if you’re looking to improve your game, the professional teaching staff can help you through the 25 hitting stations, chipping green with practice bunker, and 10,800 square foot practice putting green.
3. Rocky Point Golf Course
Address: 4151 Dana Shores Dr, Tampa, FL 33634
Tee Time Price: Between $40 and $60
Par: 71
Rocky Point Golf Course has a beautiful and storied history. It is part of the Florida Historic Golf Trail. In 1911, it opened as part of the Tampa Automobile Club and 31 years later was used as barracks on the site to house prisoners of war. In 1953, it was sold to the city of Tampa for $1 and became a golf course once again. This course is quiet and vast, which allows for a true escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but also provides the player adequate challenges from both sand bunkers and water. The abundant lakes have become a refuge for a lot of native Floridian wildlife.
2. Westchase Golf Club
Address: 11602 Westchase Golf Drive, Westchase, FL, 33626
Tee Time Price: Between $31-$87
Par: 72
Situated on a former wetland, Westchase Golf Club is a stunning example of the native flora of Florida. Having opened in 1992, Lloyd Clifton designed this 6,699-yard, 213-acre course through the natural wetlands using bulkheads and wooden bridges. It is widely considered one of the most beautiful courses in the Tampa Bay area. Westchase Golf Club is #1 in the state of Florida’s Customer Loyalty and Satisfaction Program (CLASP), a distinction that they have earned by providing a comfortable, beautiful, and challenging course.
1. Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Golf Resort
Address: 36750 US Hwy 19 N, Palm Harbor, FL 34684
Tee Time Price:
Par: 71
Innisbrook Golf Resort is our number one in the area this year. It is one of the only black- and female-owned golf courses in the United States. This par 71 course is the home of the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship every March. It is considered one of the most challenging courses in the state of Florida. Named Copperhead for the “Snake Pit” at holes 16, 17, and 18, this course has elevation changes galore, powdery and deep sand traps, tiered greens, really rough roughs, and scrupulously placed ponds.