 TPC TAMPA BAY ( 813-949-0090)
Florida Golf Course Review
The TPC Tampa Bay is a Bobby Weed championship design that is considered to be one of the most beautiful and rewarding experiences on the PGA
Champions Tour. Home to the PGA Champions Tour with an event every year since 1992, this exquisitely manicured golf course features cypress lined
fairways that are extremely undulating in sections, plus ponds and wetlands that create aesthetic beauty as well as challenge. Many of the raised green
complexes demand accurate approaches, as grass swales and mounding create depressions and collection areas that require the best of short games to maneuver.
The putting surfaces themselves are undulating with ridges and tiers, and are usually protected by soft white sand bunkers. Players will encounter
generous fairways on most holes, with plentiful sand traps sculpted into perimeter mounding located near the landing zones. In total there are 91 bunkers
in play (some conventional and some soft white sand) and water hazards figure into the design on 13 of the holes.
The ponds and wetlands help to create some exacting approaches, as the hazards squeeze the landing areas near the oversized greens. This is the case
on the par five 14th and the par four 15th - both of which dogleg to the left around a lake, with the hazards also coming into play immediately to the left of
the putting complexes. The tee shots on both of these holes present risk/reward scenarios, as golfers are tempted to cut off as much as is possible,
leaving a reasonable second shot to well protected greens.
The property meanders through an upscale residential community, with the woods and wetlands providing habitats for abundant forms of waterfowl and
indigenous wildlife. The TPC Tampa Bay is certified in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, which works to address environmental issues and to
provide habitats for native wildlife in urban settings. The rolling terrain, mature forests and natural marshlands all contribute to the beauty and serenity of
an experience here. The fine landscaping and conditioning from tee to green also help make the TPC Tampa Bay special.
The area around the clubhouse is adorned with plants and flowers, and the facilities themselves include a golf shop stocked with logo attire and golf
accessories, beautifully appointed locker rooms with showers for men and women, and a wonderful restaurant/lounge with outdoor patio. A spacious
targeted grass range is supplemented with a short game area with sand bunkers plus a huge putting green. The carts are equipped with rear weather
covers, and on course yardages are provided on sprinkler heads that are measured to the front, middle and back of the greens - nice info to have on
these sloping putting surfaces. Cart paths also have permanent markers at 100, 150 and 200 yards, 150 yard stakes are posted along the sides of
fairways on par fours and fives, and pin placement info is available on each scorecard, which also provide diagrams of every hole.
Four sets of tee areas play to distances and slopes measuring 6898 yards/135 slope, 6610 yards/132 slope, 6008 yards/125 slope and 4990 yards with a
slope of 119 from the forward tees. This facility will continue to host the PGA Champions Tour - with the Tampa Bay Pro Am scheduled for 2012. Recent
winners of this Champions Tour Event at the TPC Tampa Bay include John Cook, Bernard Langer, Nick Price and Bob Watson (twice). This event is quite
a production, and anyone who attends will be treated to a first class event. For more details on this event click here.
With the gorgeous golf course and great facilities, we can understand why the pros love their visit here each year. This course is open for public play For
more info, visit our page for the TPC Tampa Bay, with direct link to their website by clicking here.
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