Clearwater area, again

[ecdh]

I go to Clearwater Beach every year for a week  in winter/spring and get a couple rounds in while there. I can’t believe how weak the public golf offerings seem to be within 45 min and keep hoping for a breakthrough. Who has a strong recommendation? Should I try Eagles? I’ve played Bardmoor and Dunedin and a bunch of others that I’m forgetting, which is telling. Only the long trip to World Woods has been a really happy golf experience (and they’re about to close for a major reno). 
Thank you!

[cwb12]

Innisbrook Copperhead or rent a boat.

[ecdh]

Ha. I meant to say I’d play Innisbrook but probably not for what they are charging in Covid times. Are the non-Copperhead courses worth it? 

[cwb12]

Island is fine. Conditions are 2nd best, but harder than copperhead for average player. Other 2 not worth the time/money at all

[Robber6656]

The South isn't bad. The North god awful............ Island has 4 of the worst holes I've ever played. Copperhead is very good.

[ecdh]

What about Lake Jovita? Saddlebrook? The Eagles?

[GCS]

I'd lean towards Lake Jovita or Saddlebrook.

[ecdh]

Reporting back, I just tried Westchase, from good reviews online. It isn’t great but I think it’s the best I’ve played inside 45 minutes of Clearwater Beach. Miles better than Bardmoor, Cove Cay, and Dunedin, which have all been beat up when I’ve played this time of year. Westchase looks pretty shaggy and has a raggedy range where you hit into a lake and the bunkers are in poor shape and it’s Florida flat, but it’s a decent layout with a bunch of hazards and bending doglegs. It has a loop routing where you never see any other holes from the hole you’re playing, which in a way is nice. The greens were fairly firm and in pretty good shape, as were the fairways. In general the areas of poor conditioning were not much of a factor in the play itself, unlike those other tracks. 
 

I nevertheless remain on the hunt for other options. Someone could make a mint in the Tampa/Clearwater area on a well-managed upper-middle level course. 

[cwb12]

I was out at Dunedin last month and someone there said they are dumping $13M into the course/facilities in the next 2 years, so that could be it in the future. I doubt it would be that much money, but even 1/4 of that would make some great improvements.

[ecdh]

8 hours ago, cwb12 said:

I was out at Dunedin last month and someone there said they are dumping $13M into the course/facilities in the next 2 years, so that could be it in the future. I doubt it would be that much money, but even 1/4 of that would make some great improvements.

That would be great, thanks, I’ll take it. I’ve played it a couple times and it seems to have potential. First few holes fairly boring from my memory, gets better on the back.

 

I played Rolling Oaks at World Woods today. They’ve really let things deteriorate before their closure and revamp. Still a fun layout with lots of bunkering in tricky places. Not as special as Pine Barrens but a good track. This was goodbye until the Cabot ownership. 

[ecdh]

On 4/15/2022 at 8:19 AM, cwb12 said:

I was out at Dunedin last month and someone there said they are dumping $13M into the course/facilities in the next 2 years, so that could be it in the future. I doubt it would be that much money, but even 1/4 of that would make some great improvements.

Saw some recent info. Seems like 1/4 of that amount is more on target. Still, promising. https://www.tbnweekly.com/north_county/article_b02576a6-67f8-11ec-bed8-1349d38ec9f7.html