SADDLEBROOK RESORT Saddlebrook Course (813-907-4566)
Florida Golf Course Review 2/25/06
Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel is a full service luxury resort specializing in golf and tennis packages with
accommodations and amenities that earn the property the industry's highest awards year after year. Included on
property are two beautiful 18-hole championship golf courses, a golf preparatory school with outstanding,
comprehensive practice facilities, 45 tennis courts with excellent instructional programs, 800 guest rooms and
suites, over 82,000 square feet of flexible meeting/conference space, a new sports village with fitness center,
wellness center plus full service spa, a great variety of dining facilities, spectacular tropically landscaped pool
area with hot tubs, and recreational opportunities that includes a 5 acre challenge site. For more info on this
world class resort, visit our page for Saddlebrook on our Florida Golf Resort section, with direct link to their website by clicking here.
The Golf courses are on property - within walking distance from any of the rooms and suites. Both are serviced
by one clubhouse, which includes a pro shop stocked with golf attire, accessories and clubs. The poolside bar &
grill is across the way, Dempsey's Steak House is next door and the Cypress Restaurant - serving great
breakfast buffets daily is perched just across from the 18th green of the Saddlebrook Course. Each golf course
has a putting green situated on the way to the first hole. The practice center is about a mile away - with free
shuttle available. Besides the prep school, lessons of various kinds are offered to juniors and adults.
SADDLEBROOK COURSE
The Saddlebrook Course is the tighter of the two layouts on property, although it does present a mix of narrow
and wide fairways. Golfers will encounter some beautifully designed par fours and fives that feature narrow
openings off the tee or approaches to the greens framed by tall moss draped cypress on both sides- giving the
course a unique southern bayou feel. We encounter a couple alligators on our review round, and also observed plentiful native water fowl.
Like the Palmer Course, this layout features an array of sand bunkers, some positioned strategically near the
landing zones on doglegs, and many situated greenside. There are 57 sand traps in total. The putting surfaces
are not as undulating however, and there is a mix of raised and fairly level green complexes which present
opportunities for a variety of approaches ranging from low running chips to high arcing lobs. Generally speaking, there is ample room greenside to recover from slightly offline approaches.
Water hazards are more prominent on this layout, with ponds and lakes involved on 14 of the hole designs, and
with forced carries to the green on several holes on the front side. The landscaping on the Saddlebrook course
is meticulously arranged, and the tall strands of cypress give the layout added character. The finishing hole is
one of Florida's best - a long par four that doglegs right with water all along the right, which also squeezes the
landing zone greenside. The green complex has the Cypress on the Terrace Green Restaurant and patio as a
back drop, with a wooden bridge/walkway adding to the aesthetic appeal (see first photo in this review). There
are three sets of tee areas that play to distances and slopes measuring 6564 yards/127 slope, 6127 yards/122 slope and 4941 yards with a slope of 126 for women hitting from the red tees.
There is an abundance of native wildlife on both courses, and though the layouts meander through the resort and
residential community, golfers will experience a feeling of serenity, with the age old forests and water lands
always nearby. A stay at this resort is highly recommended. Both courses are also open for public play. For more information, visit our page fro the Palmer Course, with direct link to their website by clicking here.
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