Westin Innisbrook R (Copperhead, Island, Highlands North & South Courses)
Palm Harbor, FL (near Tampa)
1974, Larry & Roger Packard
Gold 6536, 71.9, 132, 71
Silver 6126, 70.4, 125, 71
'03 Fees: $60-$200
Recommended by my buddy Pat: "There is an AMAZING golf course in Tampa called Copperhead. It may cost eight billion dollars to play, I don't know. I got to play on the company. It is a mild drive out of Tampa in Palm Harbor."
Golf Magazine Review: Among FL's most venerable golf institutions. 72 holes, 4 restaurants, 6 pools, tennis and racquetball, cycling trails, and even a wildlife preserve.
Copperhead is home to the PGA Tour's Chrysler Championship. With elevation changes and thick stands of pines, it calls to mind the Sandhills of NC. Long but plenty of landing room on most holes, ready-made for the Big Dog.
The Island Course more than holds its own next to Copperhead. Sinewy and tight, a haven for precision. The opening 6 play around a lagoon (translation: backswing thought--'gators?'), the middle 6 climb dry, hilly terra firma, and the closing 6 offer a bit of both worlds.
The resort's other 2 tracks, Highlands North or South are servicable, affordable budget resort courses.
T&L Golf Review: $80-$200, resort guests only, host to the PGA Tour's Chrysler Championship. The resort is an 1,100-acre retreat with 72 quality holes. Innisbrook's sister Island course, hemmed in by cypress swamps, moss-draped oaks, and citrus groves, strategic bunkering, and risk/reward options, it's just as hilly as the Copperhead, and a hair shorter. The Highlands North and South aren't quite as daunting but deliver an aesthetically pleasing round with water as a main feature on the North.
TravelGolf.com Review, Island Course, 10/11:
The Island Course is one of four at the Innisbrook Golf & Spa Resort, located just outside Tampa.
While the Copperhead, which hosts the PGA Tour's Transitions Championship, is the best known course of the quartet, there are those who prefer the Island Course.
Jane Blalock, who won 27 times on the LPGA Tour before retiring in 1986, is among them.
"I've played both courses," said Blalock, who is now CEO of the Legends Tour. The LPGA Legends Tour Open Championship will be held at the Island Course on Nov. 11-13.
"The Copperhead is tough, but I think the Island Course is at least as tough -- if not tougher," she added. "There's more water and there's nothing easy about it."
The Island Course plays to 7,310 yards from the tips. Designed by Larry and Roger Packard in 1970, the course has plenty of water -- including on each of the first six holes.
Water is prominent -- from the tee boxes to the greens -- on the 525-yard par-5 second and the 455-yard par-4 third. The 205-yard fourth is the shortest of the four par 3s on the Island Course.
The 570-yard seventh hole is the longest on the course and is also the toughest. You can try to bomb it off the tee, but there are trees on both sides that make it tough to set up an easy approach shot. It is reachable only to the best and longest hitters.
The back nine is longer but a bit more benign. The 16th is a long par 4 that plays over water, but the closing holes are a nice way to settle down and come away with a good feeling.
When the wind is kicking up the par 4s can be monsters. Innisbrook is about five miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and the winds that kick in from the water are the best defense for the Island Course.
When the wind isn't at its peak, the course can be tamed. There is room in the fairways, but don't take that for granted. Staying dry is tough with so much water, and the bunkers are also deep. Although the greens are large enough, they are fast, so stopping the ball is tough. Hitting high and accurate approach shots is key.
Where To Booze & Grub: See Fat Guy's Tampa FL Golf Weekend