INNISBROOK COPPERHEAD GOLF COURSE (727-942-2000)
Florida Golf Course Review
Copperhead at Innisbrook Resort is the most well known of the resort's 4 semi-private layouts and presents 7340 yards of high quality championship golf. This course is host to
the PGA TOUR's Valspar Championship presented by BB&T(click here for more information), and has garnered numerous awards including being rated #4 on the list of Florida's
Best Courses to Play. As you will see by the pictures featured in this review, the course is lushly landscaped and features a great variety of holes.
The terrain of the Copperhead Golf Course at Innisbrook in unlike what one would expect from Florida golf. It is quite rolling, with many uphill and downhill tee shots, elevation
changes, and approaches over and around considerable water hazards. The surrounding lakes, ponds and swamp lands are home to abundant wildlife, including fox squirrels,
Canadian geese, alligators, raccoons, blue herons, and many other types of water fowl. The courses at this luxurious Resort were built to support the natural habitats of these
creatures, which are plentiful throughout the 1100 acres.
Three separate clubhouses service the 4 semi-private courses at Innisbrook. The Copperhead and Island courses have their own facilities, with putting greens and driving ranges
nearby, and the South and North Courses share the same clubhouse and practice areas. Each features pro shops, men's and women's locker rooms with showers, restaurants
and lounges, swimming pools, and all have spectacular views of the courses. The golf courses feature standard marking systems, with yardage blocks at 100/150/200, and
sprinkler heads measured to the center of the green. 150 yard stakes are also present as a directional aids and to assist with club selection. Color-coded flags indicate the day's
hole locations. 4 sets of tee areas provide golfers with opportunities to play to their skill level - and hole diagrams are present with posted yardages from each tee.
On Copperhead, the championship tees measure a whopping 7340 yards - paradise for long hitters. The slope for these tees is 134. The golds weigh in at 6705/131, the silvers at
6180/128 and the jade at 5605/130. We recommend the silver tees, with 4 par fours of 385 plus and 3 par fives over 500 yards - for the average golfer. The elevation changes and
tree lined fairways are quite different from what one would expect, especially if you are used to playing on the eastern or central section of the state.
The opening hole is a gorgeous par five, and a spectacular way to begin a round of golf. Innisbrook's View as it is aptly named, is a narrow dogleg right that plays downhill off the
tee and uphill on the approach. It is not overly long, but will require your best effort to reach in regulation. The par 4 second bends in the opposite direction, and favors those who
are long off the tee. Anything short of the 150 marker will not have a clear shot at the pin. Be careful of the water far right. Another hazard presents itself 200 yards out on the right on
number three, and also juts out towards the fairway near the 170 marker. The pond left of the fairway comes into play about 140 yards from the green. The par 3 fourth, though well
bunkered, is easily managed with a mid iron, and precedes the course's # 1 handicap. A drive that carries 230 yards from the tips (200 from the golds and 155 from the silver tees
) is needed to reach the fairway over a pond, and is followed by a second shot that plays considerably uphill. At the 200 yard marker the design drops downhill and bends slightly
left. The sixth plays quite the opposite, from an elevated tee downhill, then up again to an elevated green. Numbers 7 and 8 are score-able holes - though both feature well
bunkered putting surfaces. Fairway traps are strategically placed on the finishing hole of the front, and the green complex demands an accurate approach, with mounding and
green-side bunkers. There are some long holes on the front, with all five par fours measuring 420 yards plus over the 3795 total yards from the championship tees.
The back nine is considerably shorter - 3500 total yards, but the par fours continue to favor long hitters. The tree lined fairway plays downhill on the 445 yard tenth, which is
challenging due to its length. A tee shot to the right center of the fairway is the best play on eleven, as trees along the left will block a direct route to the green. Twelve features a
short carry over a pond, with a second hazard 150 yards out on the right side. A beautiful par three follows on 13. A water hazard demands a high arcing shot and bunkers green
-side increase the need for accuracy. This is the 18th handicap and the best birdie opportunity of the day. The 14th is a double dogleg and a true three shot par five. An accurate tee
shot to the right center of the fairway followed by a long iron or fairway wood to the 100 yard marker will present a clear approach to a well bunkered green. Par is extremely good
here. Fifteen is another gorgeous par three. The water short should not come into play here for real men (sorry ladies), but the green side traps are treacherous. Number 16 was
given the moniker "The Test" - quite fitting. This is a tough dogleg right, which demands a drive past the 200 yard marker for any chance of reaching in regulation. A huge elevated
putting complex on 17 features some of the toughest bunkering on the course. The 4 par threes here are the 15-18 handicaps - so scoring well on them is paramount to having a
successful round. Fairway bunkers short left and long right warrant consideration off the tee on the 445 yards par 4 closing hole. The approach plays uphill to a putting surface that
is ridged and slopes sharply left to right.
The Copperhead is an aesthetically beautiful golf course, and is extremely enjoyable to play. If you have some length to your game, it certainly will help enable you to score well
here. It is always a thrill to play a course that is annual host to a PGA Tour event. One can imagine that the pros genuinely look forward to the tournament here. The grounds are
absolutely beautiful, and the resort has too many amenities to mention. Suffice to say that visitors will not run out of high quality places to dine, nor will they run out of things for
themselves and family members to do. There is a water park and other activities for children, 6 swimming pools, tennis, racquetball, a workout center, nature path - plus the great
golf facilities. The accommodations in 620 suites of various forms each provide a kitchen, patio or balcony, and spacious living quarters - high class luxury all the way. Innisbrook
Resort is the ideal spot for a golf vacation - highly recommended by the Two Guys Who Golf. Play on all four courses is limited to members and guests of the resort - you have to
stay here to play here.
Click here to visit the Two Guys Who Golf Detailed Information page with a link to this course's web page (if available).
Innisbrook offers some great stay & play packages - for more information click here to visit the Two Guys Who Golf information page for Innisbrook Resort.
For the Two Guys Who Golf pictorial review of the North Course - click here.
For the Two Guys Who Golf pictorial review of the South Course - click here.
For the Two Guys Who Golf pictorial review of the Island Course - click here.
|
