My Favorite Golf Courses
Having played golf for over 40 years now I've got to play golf on some pretty cool courses. Bay Hill in Orlando (home of Arnold Palmer), Hyannisport Country Club (home of JFK), and World Woods in central Florida come to mind as some of my favorite courses.
Click on the links on the left to learn more about the great courses I've been lucky enough to get to play.
What Makes A Favorite Golf Course?
Living in Florida around Tampa Bay I'm lucky enough to play golf year round on some great golf courses. Not only are there great public golf courses but many of the expensive private courses open up in the hot summer months for public play. That means I get on some super golf courses.
And with several pro tournaments in the area over the course of the year I also get to play the same courses the pros play. Innisbrook's Copperhead course in Palm Harbor Florida is home of the Transitions Championship where I get to marshall at. The seniors play the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am at the beautiful Tournament Players Club of Tampa. Both of these courses get rave reviews from the Pros every year. They get rave reviews from me too.
Certainly this kind of buzz factor helps make a favorite golf course an easy decision. Who doesn't love to see a course they play regularly on TV and compare notes with the pros.
But ultimately it's the course itself that makes me fall in love. Challenging golf holes and picturesque beauty are the biggest factors. And the design is also critical.
Golf Course Design
Once you learn a little about golf and can become at least an intermediate golfer you begin to understant the method to the madness that is golf course design. For example, at the TPC of Tampa Bay, the driving areas look very small from the tee. But when you actually get out to the fairways you realize there's more room than you thought. That makes you think a little more and you have to reconcile what your eye sees and your mind knows. Now that's cool design.
Golf Course Condition
Everyone loves to play on a golf course that's in great condition. When the fairways are perfect and the tee boxes are flat and clean it just makes golf more fun. I especially appreciate good greens. I depend on my putting to save a lot of strokes and if the putting surfaces are not smooth, I just can't concentrate on any part of my golf game. The greens don't have to be particularly fast but the golf ball roll has to be true. That's the biggest factor.
Golf Course Amenities
I'm not a big amenity guy myself. I don't need a fancy clubhouse or a special restaurant to enjoy a course. But it is nice to sit someplace after a round with a great view of the course.
Now if that course is a resort course then restaurants and facilities become more important. Especially if you are staying right on the golf course or close to it. Innisbrook offers a lovely "stay-and-play" arrangement where the condos you rent are close to the course. And there's plenty for the kids to do while you play golf.
Your Golf Experience
I guess the number one factor for me for whether a golf course becomes a favorite is the kind of experience I have over all. If me and my buddies have a particularly fun and memorable round that makes the course stick in my mind.
Career rounds also are factor. An 83 I shot at Bay Hill from the way-back tees with a great buddy of mine will always make Arnie's place special to me.
