Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club is in Florida, though visitors might find themselves checking their GPS devices to make sure they didn’t take a wrong turn and end up in the Carolinas.
The terrain is more woodsy and rolling than beachy and wet. Not that the most discerning minds in golf seem to mind.
Innisbrook hosts the Valspar Championship, one of four stops on the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing. After two tournaments in the Miami area, pro golfers like the change of pace in West Florida.
The tournament is played on the Copperhead course, one of four courses at Innisbrook, which is owned by Sheila Johnson. The co-founder of the BET Network bought the resort in 2007 and is an executive committee member of the U.S. Golf Association.
Innisbrook opened in 1972, and the villas around the 900-acre property reflect the low-slung architecture of the time. Johnson spearheaded improvements throughout, though the actual golf course design by Larry Packard is timeless.
The architect lived at Innisbrook and built more than 600 courses worldwide. Packard’s home course was considered one of his finest.
It’s located in Palm Harbor, about a 30-minute drive north of St. Petersburg and Tampa. Golfers will have more elevation changes in the first couple of holes at Copperhead than they will get on 18 holes at most Florida courses.
It’s not exactly the Smoky Mountains, but the hills and large oak trees dripping with moss do not scream Florida. The par-71 Copperhead course measures a hefty 7,340 yards from the back tees.
It’s hosted a PGA Tour event for 26 years and is truly challenging in March when the rough is grown to PGA Tour height. Regardless of when you play, Innisbrook will make an impression. Even if you’re not sure what state you are in.
Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club
36750 N. US Highway 19, Palm Harbor
727-942-2000
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