Golfer’s Guide Tampa Bay Golf Courses Stories

Stuffy Country Club?  Not if owner Bill Place or Crescent Oaks residents can help it.  When he purchased the shuttered Crescent Oaks Golf and Tennis Club in the Eastlake area last September, he and his members knew a different approach would be required to succeed.  And, it wouldn't just involve a $1 Million golf course and clubhouse renovation.  It was time to think outside of the box. 

The first step, a Grand Re-Opening last month featuring M*A*S*H actor Jamie Farr ("Klinger") resulted when member Larry Donizetti offered his friend and fellow member's services to "help the club". More than a thousand people attended that event and were entertained by Farr.

If you’re looking for an experience that is dramatically different from the usual Florida golf course fare, consider Brooksville Country Club. Brooksville is a semi-private facility that welcomes daily-fee play at an affordable rate.

Designed by renowned golf course architect Bobby Weed, Brooksville Country Club’s back nine offers a golf experience unmatched in Florida. Tumbling fairways weave through ancient Live Oaks while a unique set of “quarry holes” snakes along, around and in between the sheer rock walls of an abandoned limestone mine.

The more traditional front nine is no pushover, offering rolling terrain, tree-lined fairways and a variety of doglegs that will challenge and entertain golfers of all skill levels. Anticipation builds, however, as you make the turn to the back nine. As golfers putt out on the long, uphill par-5 eleventh hole, the upcoming quarry holes loom large. 

Opened in April 1993, World Woods Golf Club has since firmly established itself as one of North America’s finest golf facilities. World Woods Golf Club offers two championship layouts, both consistently rated among the top 100 courses in the U.S.A. For good measure, World Woods also boasts the top-ranked practice facility in America.

Golf Digest awarded the Pine Barrens Course at World Woods its highest rating of five stars for 2004/2005, which is defined as “Golf at its absolute best. Pay any price at least once in your life.” This is the second time that Pine Barrens has earned this coveted award. Courses were rated in the categories of course condition, pace of play, service, value for the money and overall golf experience.