Westchase Golf Club - “It’s Not Private, You’ll Just Think It Is” |
|
|
|
First-class service, a recently-updated clubhouse, and greens renovated with the new Sea Dwarf Paspalum grass will create that kind of loyalty and satisfaction. Then there are the more subtle factors, like the gorgeous, yet serene nature-trail ride you’ll take every time you play Westchase. You’ll appreciate subtleties like the vertically-planked bridges that bring a smoother, more tranquil feel as you navigate over the 16 lakes, 21 wetland conservation areas, 14 upland conservation areas and the one creek that bisects the property. Cypress, oak, pine, maple and other trees comprise these beautiful natural habitats. Beautiful pickrel weed with its bright violet bloom, arrowhead, bulrush and water lilies are among the aquatic plant species inhabiting the wetland areas. 
Westchase’s 213 acres offer sanctuary to a myriad of wildlife including alligators, deer, turtles, bobcats as well as countless native and migratory birds. Since opening in 1992, at least two mating pairs of American bald eagles have nested in pine trees on the golf course. Indian blue peacocks strut their stuff in the hammock forest adjacent to the third hole. Several species of ducks and other waterfowl migrate south to the warmer Florida climate, annually nesting in the undergrowth around the open water of the large lake in the center of the property. In early spring you are sure to spot a mother hen with her new ducklings in tow. Many golf courses love to trumpet their new upgrades or renovations, but other than the new greens and player-friendly changes in the clubhouse, Westchase has been the same first-class facility since the day it opened 15 years ago. General Manager Clay Thomas went to work at the course right out of college, right after Westchase opened, and Superintendent Gene Roberts helped build the layout from the ground up, and obviously has cared for it since its birth. It is that kind of “family” commitment that makes Westchase unique among upscale public courses anywhere. With the extension of the Suncoast Parkway and the nearby Veteran’s Expressway, Westchase is also now easier to get to than ever before from the south, the airport, or especially if you’re in the Westshore business area anyway. By the way, Westchase features brand new Cobra rental sets for businessmen who want to mix a little pleasure with their work. 
The Westchase Experience will likely begin quietly, at the end of Westchase Golf Drive, tucked back into the development that, thankfully, is all developed, meaning very little construction noise or traffic as you escape the busy Westchase village area. The modern, 9,500 square-foot clubhouse, with its beautiful landscaping and trademark cupola, invites visitors into its open vestibule with easy access to the comfortable dining facilities, (sporting a fresh new set of wide-screen TVs) then it’s out to the aqua-range with its 5000 square-foot island green before stopping by the spacious, airy pro shop where you’ll find a lot more than stacks of golf shirts and sweaters. Like the entire “experience,” Clifton’s designs are subtle and understated, like the classic lines of a luxury car or a welltailored suit. This course isn’t one to wow you with a lot of sharp angles or targets that must be hit. It is just a consistently strong, yet fun, challenge to golfers of all skill levels. From the 6,700-yard tips, you’ll get all you want from four solid par-5s, four par-4s over 400 yards and four par-3s that’ll likely send you to your bag for four different clubs off the tee. Many of the greens, beginning with the very first one, encourage you to bump the ball into them, though a solid aerial game comes in handy with more than a dozen of Westchase’s holes having water in-play.
The three par-4s in the middle of the front nine again show some of the subtleties of Westchase, the long distance the homes are set back from the course, the mixture of pines and palms lining the fairways. The three finishing par-4s on the back side feature two of Westchase’s toughest holes. GM Thomas loves the 16th-17th combo, the two longest par-4s on the back side, both demanding distance control and shot placement for a successful approach to the pins. And new carts with the detailed graphics of ProLink GPS are there to guide you all the way. The only two parallel holes at Westchase are the 9th and 18th, both with marshland carries on the approach to greens visible from the Westchase Grill clubhouse dining room and veranda. Diners not only have a perfect view of golf outside, they’re in a wonderfully collegial environment inside. And with separate private rooms and a large main dining area, Westchase is perfect for any sized meeting, conference, wedding or golf event, from a couple of foursomes to a full-course charity outing. Westchase Golf Club leaves nothing to chance, which is how they received the CLASP award from the National Golf Foundation, and why you’re sure to enjoy the Westchase “Experience.”
For much more information, or to book a tee time or an outing online, visit their extensive Web site at
www.westchasegc.com or call (813) 854-2331 and find out if what other visitors have already said is true, that Westchase isn’t a private club, but sure does feel like one. Tournaments, corporate outings, weddings and banquets welcome. PGA instruction available. |
The folks at Westchase Golf Club are far too low-key to create a brassy slogan like “It’s Not Private, You’ll Just Think It Is”. That line has actually come from more than one visitor to this quiet, upscale, but very public corse located in the masterplanned development of Westchase in Hillsborough County just north of downtown Tampa.
Clifton’s subtleties extend to extending greens out into his many lakes and wetlands, creating many risk/reward scenarios, or the intriguing placement on the seemingly short par-5 of a berm in front of one, a double-dogleg in the second and a sharp dogleg in a third to discourage those trying to reach them in two. The par-3 third might be Westchase’s “signature” hole, if they were into having something like that. The tee shot over wetlands and water gets longer to clear the bulkhead and hit the green the farther right you play it. The other par-3s are also either all-carry to get to relatively small putting surfaces, or deceptive in their green design.
