COURSE REVIEWS

The TPC of Tampa
Bay Area Course let you
Play Where the Pros Play

By Bill Chastain,
Course Reviewer

TAMPA BAY - Bite off what you want to chew, the Tournament Players Club of Tampa Bay can be as challenging as the golfer wants it to be. But be prepared to pay the price for taking the risks.

The course is home to the GTE Classic, one of the most successful Senior PGA Tour events. Just listen to what some of the touring pros on the Senior PGA Tour:

- "A great taste of golf.'' -- Jack Nicklaus

- "One of the best courses on the Senior PGA Tour.'' -- Raymond Floyd

- "This is a terrific test of golf."-- Lee Trevino

Need one say more?

Located just a 20 minute ride from the Tampa International Airport in Lutz, which is just north of Tampa, TPC of Tampa Bay is the area's premier public golf facility and is open to the public seven days a week. Designed by architect Bobby Weed and founded in 1991, TPC of Tampa Bay is part of a network of courses owned and operated by PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties.

From the Championship tees, this par-71, 18-hole stadium golf course measures 6,898 yards and reduces to 6,008 yards from the white tees, making for a track capable of giving any Senior PGA Tour pro fits. But it also can provide a fair, but challenging golfing experience for those of lesser abilities.

Though the course is public, if you plan to play the TPC of Tampa Bay on more than a rare occasion, it would be to the golfer's advantage to take advantage of one of the three membership programs available. Members in each of these programs receive significantly reduced rates and additional membership privileges with payment of an annual fee. Privileges and fees vary by membership program.

Rates for green fees change three times during the year; each paid round includes a bag of range balls. Prices if you do not take advantage of a membership are as follows. In season is from January to March and December when daily green fees are $118. Shoulder season is April, when daily fees drop to $91. Off-season, which runs from May to November, sees $69 green fees during the week and $80 during the weekend.

A vantage membership, which costs $1,500 annually, discounts green fees to $30 a round during every season. (For more information on membership opportunities contact TPC 's marketing department at (813) 949-0090.

The course features 14 lakes, 83 bunkers and many holes that meander through cypress marshes, which is the natural setting for the land on which the course sits. TPC has a creative layout. The No.1, a 395-yard par-4, tempts the golfer to bend the ball back to the right for a clear shot at a green that can't be seen from the tee.

Such a shot can cause a golfer to block out the swing, resulting in a lie in the trees along the right side, which can turn what should be a possible birdie hole with proper placement off the tee shot, into a bogey or double bogey.

Given the layout, there is a chance for golfers to gain some momentum at the beginning as Jim Dent did during the second day of the GTE Classic. Dent stepped up to the 191-yard Par 3 No. 2 and missed the green to the right with a 5-iron and he could only watch as the ball came to rest in a swale.

But Dent made the right stroke on his chip shot and watched with a smile as his second shot rolled into the hole. Dent went on to shoot 29 on the front and finish 6 under on the day. "It turned the whole day around,'' Dent said.

However, if it doesn't happen at the beginning, golfers can't lose their cool as they don't want to be playing catch-up on TPC, as the distance of the holes and tight fairways -- when not playing it safe -- will make your numbers mount quickly.

Pan to No. 14 and 15, which require patience and accuracy. No. 14 is a 588 yard Par 5 with danger all along the left side in the form of water from tee to green. Along one stretch is sand that runs for 100 yards between the fairway and the water. If the golfer tries to play it safe to the right, he will find a hilly wall that can provide an ideal lie or one where the golfer can only minimize his losses by bumping the ball back into play.

Finding the green is one thing. Finding the right location on it is quite another. Just finding the green is tough enough given the water on the left side and the five bunkers surrounding it. But once on the green, the golfer will find undulations that make playing to the right pin placement crucial for avoiding a three putt.

• Past PGA Tour coverage from TGM • Past Florida course reviews

Patience is critical once No. 14 is recorded on the scorecard as No. 15 could be the most difficult hole on the course. Danger lurks on either side of the Par 4, 452 yard hole with the slight dogleg around a combination of lagoon and wetlands all along the left side to the green, protected by bunkers. A long, accurate drive is rewarded on No. 15 with the prospect of a long iron that must be hit with the utmost of accuracy or it will either find the lagoon or the cypress trees along the right side.

"I think it is one of the few courses on the senior tour where you really have to play golf shots,'' Nicklaus said. "Most of the golf courses are very short and really don't require you to do too much. Here it's one of the places that actually requires you to play pretty good golf. So if you play poorly here, you know you played poorly. If you play well, you know you played well. It's not just putting.''

Lanny Wadkins said the appeal of the course is how much it demands on accurate iron play. "It's very straightforward golf,'' Wadkins said. "You' ve got to drive it good and play good irons. There's a big premium on iron play with all the humps and bumps off the greens. You've got to hit good irons and not make any big mistakes off the tee.''

TPC is enhanced by a first-class practice facility, a fully-stocked golf shop and the TPC Grille, open to the public and available for meetings and receptions. Time reservations can be made two weeks in advance by calling (813) 949-90. The head professional is Val D'Souza.

Tournament Players Club of Tampa Bay
5300 W. Lake Fern Road
Lutz, FL 33549
(813)949-0900
www.tpctampabay.com