 SADDLEBROOK RESORT Saddlebrook Course (813-907-4566)
Florida Golf Course Review
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, 540 guest rooms and suites, over 95,000 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 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 and TD's Sports Bar - serving great breakfast buffets and lunch daily. Each golf
course has a putting green situated on the way to the first hole. The 16 acre practice center is about a three minute ride on golf cart. The Golf Academy offers instructional
programs and private lessons year-round. Also on property is Saddlebrook Preparatory School, combining academics with golf and tennis training for grades 3 to 12.
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 four sets of tee areas that play to
distances and slopes measuring 6510 yards/142 slope, 5891 yards/137 slope, 5353 yards/123 slope, and 4672 yards with a slope of 117 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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