There’s a PGA Tour course twenty-five minutes north of us and a municipal course two miles from our Largo door. In between sits a dozen more — some of the best value public golf in Florida, playable year round. Here’s how to pick.
The Headline: You Can Play a PGA Tour Course
The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor has hosted the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship since the tournament began in 2000, and resort guests and the public can play it.
It’s a Larry Packard design that opened in 1974, a par 71 stretching more than 7,200 yards from the tips, and it’s ranked as the seventh toughest course on the PGA Tour. What makes it unusual for Florida is the terrain: pine-lined fairways running over genuine rolling ground and elevation change of a kind you almost never find in this state. Lakes and ponds throughout, and the occasional alligator on the walk.
The finish is the famous bit. Holes 16, 17 and 18 are The Snake Pit — a stretch that has decided the tournament more than once, announced by a large and genuinely unsettling snake statue at the 16th tee:
- 16 — The Moccasin (par 4). Narrow, water down the right at the bend of the dogleg, demanding approach. Feared on Tour as one of its hardest holes. John Daly took 12 shots here in a single round in 2014.
- 17 — The Rattler (par 3). The biggest green on the course, protected by four bunkers. Miss it and recovery is awkward.
- 18 — The Copperhead (par 4). Uphill to the clubhouse with bunkers front, back and both sides of the fairway. No respite.
Realistically: this is the splurge round, not the everyday one — expect resort pricing well into the hundreds. But five sets of tees are in play outside tournament weeks, so it isn’t only for low handicaps. Innisbrook has three other Packard courses too (Island, South, and the nine-hole North) at more ordinary rates.
The Map
Closest to Our Largo Rental
⛳ Largo Golf Course — about two miles
12500 Vonn Rd, Largo — a municipal course, and the one we’d send most guests to first.
It’s short, but it’s not easy — plenty of water and sand, with bunkers placed to punish anyone unused to real sand. A newer golfer can use a driver on most holes and still get a proper short-game workout. Rates are very reasonable, weekday tee times are usually easy to get, the carts are well maintained, and there’s a decent rental set if you flew in without clubs. Visiting golfers describe it as somewhere they return to every trip.
Open 7am to 7pm daily. Call (727) 518-3024.
⛳ East Bay Golf Club
702 Country Club Dr, Largo. An interesting, unusual layout close by. Reviews are genuinely mixed — some rate the condition and pace highly, others don’t, and there’s a two-person-per-cart minimum that irritates smaller groups. Worth calling to ask about current course condition before you book.
Closest to Our Seminole Rental
⛳ Seminole Lake Country Club — about three miles
6100 Augusta Blvd, Seminole. Semi-private since 2009 but open for public play, and one of the better-liked courses in the Tampa Bay area. Family-owned since the Cunningham brothers opened it in 1962, sitting on the banks of Long Bayou and Cross Bayou.
Wide fairways make it forgiving, so it suits beginners and mixed-ability groups. Conditioning gets consistent praise, the greens roll true, and there’s ice water and cold towels on course — which in a Florida summer is not a small thing. A little pricier than the municipals. Rental irons and woods available.
⛳ Bardmoor Golf & Tennis Club
8001 Cumberland Rd, Seminole. A better course than its rating suggests — good variety, excellent greens, and a proper practice area. Two things to know: walking is not permitted, and tee times are spaced only seven minutes apart, which regularly means waiting on tees and rounds pushing towards five hours. Book the earliest slot you can.
The Bayou Club next door is private, though it operates as an event and wedding venue.
Best Value
⛳ Mangrove Bay & Cypress Links, St. Petersburg
875 62nd Ave NE. Widely considered the best-value public golf in the area. A full practice setup — putting green, chipping area and driving range — affordable rates, very walkable, and a forgiving Florida layout that stays fun for beginners. Cypress Links, the executive course, shares the site.
⛳ Mainlands Golf Course, Pinellas Park
9445 Mainlands Blvd W. Short, cheap, and with greens that punch well above the price — consistent, true-rolling, with real slope to read. A well-stocked pro shop, good rental clubs, and a food truck that regulars rave about. Popular with snowbirds who come back every winter. Opens 6:30am.
⛳ Clearwater Country Club
525 N Betty Ln, Clearwater. Reasonably priced and, by several accounts, in better shape than it was a few years ago. The layout is quirky — some holes sit close enough together that metal fencing separates tees from greens. John Daly is reportedly on the member list, which the regulars enjoy mentioning.
⛳ The Landings, Clearwater
1875 Airport Dr. Eighteen holes squeezed alongside an executive airport runway, and it plays fast — a round from the back tees in around two hours is realistic. Elevated greens, narrow fairways, and affordable twilight rates make it a good after-work or late-afternoon option.
The Hardest Round Nearby
⛳ Cove Cay Golf Club, Clearwater
2612 Cove Cay Dr. Short in yardage, but experienced local players call it the most difficult course in Pinellas County. Trees and ponds punish anything off line, and every green is a raised bowl guarded by two or three bunkers. Good views over Tampa Bay.
Card only — no cash, and there’s no roving snack cart, so bring what you need.
Something Different
⛳ Chi Chi Rodriguez Golf Club, Clearwater
3030 McMullen Booth Rd. A par 69 with tight, challenging holes packed close together like a links course, plus a number of blind tee shots. Good greens, good value, and plenty of wildlife — players report gators and coyotes alongside the birdlife.
The reason to play it, though: a share of every green fee supports the on-site academy, a school for local children in grades four to eight. You’re funding something while you play.
Note: no alcohol is allowed or sold. Most visitors don’t find out until they arrive. The hot dogs, by consensus, are good.
⛳ Twin Brooks, St. Petersburg — for beginners and kids
3800 22nd Ave S. A par 3 course under 1,000 yards total — ideal for a first round, for juniors, or for anyone wanting to drill wedges and short irons. Easy walk, no cart needed, nine holes in about an hour and a quarter. There’s an affordable mat driving range too.
Practice and Lessons
🏌️ Chi Chi Rodriguez Driving Range
2987 McMullen Booth Rd, Clearwater. The best range in the area by reputation. A large bucket runs around $15 with clubs included, no reservation or membership needed, plenty of mat bays with shaded and covered options, automatic ball tees, chipping green and a good pro shop. Open until 8pm, which makes it an evening option when it’s too hot to play.
🏌️ Lessons
Chris Ardolina Golf, based at Cove Cay, has a near-perfect rating across well over a hundred reviews, with beginners and juniors specifically well served — video review, drills to take away, and on-course strategy rather than just swing mechanics. Worth booking ahead if you want a lesson during a one-week stay.
Several of the courses above also offer instruction — Seminole Lake, Cove Cay, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Mangrove Bay and Twin Brooks all list coaching.
Further North
- Lansbrook Golf Club, Palm Harbor — a challenging course in a genuinely green setting that rewards precision, with a driving range, separate chipping area and putting green. Multiple tee options suit mixed groups. Opens 6am.
Know Before You Go
🌡️ Tee Off Early
From May through September the middle of the day is punishing. Most courses here open between 6am and 7am and offer twilight rates in the late afternoon — use both ends of the day and skip the middle.
🐊 Yes, Really
Alligators are common on Florida courses, including the Copperhead. Don’t retrieve balls from pond edges.
⏱️ Pace of Play Is the Local Complaint
It’s the single most frequent gripe across every course around here, and it’s worse in winter when the seasonal population arrives. Book the first tee times of the day if pace matters to you — a mid-morning weekend slot can mean a five-hour round.
💧 Conditions Vary With the Weather
Be aware that Pinellas has been through drought periods that leave fairways dry and thin even at well-run courses. Recent reviews are the best guide to current conditions — check before you commit to a green fee.
🎒 Clubs
Most courses here rent decent sets, so flying without clubs is perfectly workable. Largo Golf Course, Mainlands, Bardmoor and Seminole Lake all get good marks for rentals.
🚶 Check the Walking Policy
Some courses require a cart — Bardmoor doesn’t allow walking at all, and East Bay has a two-per-cart minimum. Ask when you book if you’d rather walk.
Official Information
Rates, tee times and course conditions change constantly. Book and confirm direct:
- Copperhead Course, Innisbrook Resort (official) — the PGA Tour venue.
- PGA Tour — for Valspar Championship dates if you’d rather watch than play.
- City of Largo Recreation, Parks & Arts — for Largo Golf Course tee times and rates.
- City of St. Petersburg — for Mangrove Bay, Cypress Links and Twin Brooks.
- City of Clearwater — for Clearwater Country Club.
We are not affiliated with any of the courses or businesses listed here.
From Our Rentals
Our Largo rental (1731 Clearwater Harbor Dr): Largo Golf Course is about two miles. East Bay, Bardmoor and Seminole Lake are all inside fifteen minutes. Innisbrook is roughly half an hour north.
Our Seminole rental (13189 87th Ave N): Seminole Lake Country Club is about three miles, Bardmoor about four, Largo Golf Course about three.
Planning a golf trip and not sure which of our places suits? Ask us — and if you want a tee time at Innisbrook, book that one well ahead.
