The polar vortex that we survived has me thinking about taking the wife to Tampa for a couple rounds of golf late this month or early March (Would golf on a Friday and Sunday). What 2 golf courses near Clearwater or heck even Tampa (since we'd fly into Tampa) would you recommend?

Budget would be $250 total per golfer for 2 rounds, so $500 for both of us. I'd like both courses to be scenic. On the ocean would be great, but w/ what we want to spend on a spur of the moment trip perhaps the budget is too low.

Any reasonably priced resorts (or is that an oxymoron) you'd recommend in the Tampa/Clearwater area? I called Hammock Beach Resorts and was quoted $2000 for 4 nights w/ one round on the ocean course. I just started kicking this idea around a few hours ago, but that's probably $500-$700 more than I wanted to spend

one small correction. Should read:

I called Hammock Beach Resorts and was quoted $2000 for 4 nights w/ one of the rounds on the ocean course.

If you want a cheap round on a private course PM me your exact dates and I will get out for a round with you. My course is in Oldsmar.

That's very nice of you. If we go I definitely will!

Haven't gone yet! Does anyone have an opinion on Fox hollow golf club? I played another Trent Jones Sr. course, the masterpiece last year and it was so inspiring that my wife bought his biography, "A difficult par."

I don't see many recent reviews on this course, so I'm a little skeptical to play it especially since this is one of his last designs and I know towards the end he did not have as much of a hand in it, but rather just gave his name to it. He was a master marketer and I don't want to be disappointed.

Course is good. My only issue with it is the 5+ hour round you are guaranteed to get. I have never played a fast round there. Get our really early if you can.

Also drove by it today and it looked in good shape to me.

Thanks. My wife is kind of new, so she won't mind. She doesn't keep score really but isn't afraid to hit a second or third shot every now and then and will also just pick up and move on to the next hole so we could make due I guess. (I'll book early though if we go. Thanks).

Have you played Fox hollow? I can only search tee times a week in advance, but it looks hard to get on unless it's twilight and $80 at 3PM is silly IMO. I can't believe people pay $6700/year to be a member and as far as I can see the only benefits are being able to book 2 weeks in advance.

I see there is something called a Sun coast card, where you get around $10 & at much as 50% off a round, however I don't know how hard it is to secure a tee time. Golf is different in Florida. That's for sure.

[

Have you played Fox hollow? I .[/QUOTE]

Correction, I meant Lakewood Ranch. Going to have to blame the bourbon for that.

I have played one of the Lakewood Ranch courses in a tournament last year. Very nice course.

These are pretty good courses in that area that I have played and would would recommend:

Bardmoor in Seminole
Crescent Oaks in Tarpon Springs
Cove Cay in Clearwater
Eagles Club(Lakes and Forrest courses) in Odessa

Thanks. I'll look those up. I think one is a country club though, isn't it? The wife decided that she wants to play Pine Barren in Brooksville and then Legacy in Bradenton if we can get a reservation or Waterlefe if we can't get on Legacy.

Edit: I looked at the aerial of Cove Cay. That looks pretty decent alright and reasonably priced.

Waterlefe gets gushing reviews on golfadvisor and there aren't as many recent ratings of Legacy and overall it only gets a fair score. I'd like to play a Palmer design, but it sounds like Waterlefe might be nicer.