Tampa Bay Golf News

The newest and most reliable online marketplace for purchasing discounted rounds of golf provides golfers the opportunity to play more and pay less.

TeeTimeSavings.com, formerly GolfUS.com, has officially launched its easy-to-use and informative Web site that features a comprehensive catalog of premier courses in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio where golfers in those areas can buy rounds of golf at special prices. More than 200 courses are currently featured on the site, which will expand quickly to add new courses and resorts in even more areas throughout the country.

Due to a recent change in policy at MacDill Air Force Base, law enforcement officers and firefighters can now play the beautiful Bay Palms Golf Course located inside of the base.

Law enforcement officers and firefighters can simply present their credentials to the gate guard as they enter the base just like any active-duty or retired military person would. If sponsoring in a family member, badge holders will proceed to the MacDill Visitor's Center, located just outside of the Dale Mabry gate, where they will present their credentials along with photo identification of family members guest(s).

Experience what it would be like to be a Member of Cheval Golf and Country Club. You can enjoy all of the amenities of one of Tampa Bay's premier private country clubs with Cheval's new Two-Week Trial Membership.

Play a round of golf on the newly renovated 18-hole championship golf course surrounded by pristine countryside and nature preserves, or spend some time perfecting your swing or working on your short game at the club's outstanding practice facility. Earlier this year, Cheval was host to the Celebrities 4 Charity Golf Tournament during Super Bowl Week. 

Tournaments

• On 9/11, 2009 (Patriot Day), the West Central Chapter, PGA, will host the Thanks Troops Golf Tournament, the largest golf tournament ever held in Florida at Plantation Palms Golf Club in Land O Lakes to benefit our wounded combat veterans. There will be two full field tournaments on the same day, followed by a banquet under the stars, hosted by Bay News 10 night anchor, Reginald Roundtree. Every branch of our military will be on hand to present the colors of the United States of America during a ceremony to honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Our wounded veterans have been invited to play in various foursomes and to enjoy the stress free day with great golf and food served by McDonald’s, Chili’s and Outback Steakhouse.

Everyone seems to be on a tighter budget these days, but with outstanding summer golf packages throughout Florida, it's easier than ever to treat yourself to a Florida golf vacation.

One of the best known areas for value, fun and fantastic golf is Highlands County. Just a short drive from the Gulf Coast you can experience 13 championship courses while escaping to a less chaotic part of Florida where the workday routine of pounding the pavement is replaced by strolling the fairway or kicking back as the sun drops out of the sky.

During the last week of April 2009 my fellow Golfer’s Guide publisher Jean Couser and I embarked on a golf trip to the south west of Ireland. We were escorted by Jerry MacManamon and Jeremy Miller, co-owners of Jerry Mac Golf.

They specialize in golf trips to many parts of the world, Ireland being their specialty. Our goal was not only to drink a few pints of Guinness and golf some of the world’s best courses, but to work with Jerry Mac Golf Tours with the intent of offering custom-designed trips to Ireland to Tampa Bay area golfers.

Patrick J. Livingston CEO, National Golf Schools recently announced the opening of two new outstanding Resort Golf School locations making National Golf Schools the largest and “No. 1 Golf School in the World”.

The Broadmoor Resort & Spa is the longest-running consecutive winner of both the AAA Five-Diamond and the Mobil Travel Guide Five-Star awards. It is located on 3,000 lush acres under the shadow of Cheyenne Mountain and offers 54 holes of championship golf, exceptional practice facilities, an award-winning spa, fitness center, two swimming pools, & six tennis counts. The Broadmoor has 700 rooms & suites plus an additional 44 cottage bedrooms, 18 restaurants, cafes, lounges, and one the finest PGA & LPGA golf instructional staffs in the country. For a one of a kind golf school experience, join us at the Broadmoor.

Wack Wack Wack! No, it’s not the new Aflac commercial rather it’s the sound of golf balls being hit at the new Chi Chi Sports & Fitness Center right across the street from the Chi Chi Rodriguez Golf Club at 2987 McMullen Booth Road. 

Come on over and see the new 30 acre sport fitness facility and wack some new balls on more than 50 new shock-less mats or the natural grass area. Shoot to target greens or out of fresh sand bunkers.

In 2007, the Champions Junior Golf Tour began providing an affordable, quality, comprehensive junior golf program with the only criteria for competition being age. This innovative program is designed to offer many different golf opportunities for the junior golfer on local, state and national platforms.

Champions offers weekly year-round leagues in Clearwater, Dunedin, Tampa and Sarasota, plus more than 40 regional statewide tournaments, as well as summer camps, clinics and seminars. This year the national tournaments are being held in Kingsport, TN and Birmingham, AL. The Florida State Tournament and the National Invitational Tournament will be in Bradenton, FL.

The Legends Tour, the official senior tour of the LPGA and comprised of the greatest female golfers of all time, will play its first major championship at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in November. The Legends Tour Open Championship will be contested on Innisbrook’s Island Course from November 20-22, 2009, and feature a $300,000 purse.

The announcement came at a press conference at Innisbrook that featured Legends Tour CEO Jane Blalock, LPGA Acting Commissioner Marty Evans, Innisbrook Owner Sheila C. Johnson and several of the Legends Tour players, including past champion Rosie Jones, Dale Eggeling, Colleen Walker, Renée Powell and Pat Bradley. The Tour has more than 100 members, including nine LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame members, and its players have accumulated more than 600 LPGA Tour victories and 55 major championships.