Tampa Bay Golf News

The Edwin Watts Golf in Palm Harbor has received the ultimate recognition as one of the nation’s 100 Best Golf Shops for 2008 as selected by GolfWorld Magazine. Golf Shops are selected in four categories: off-course, private, public and resort. Twenty-five shops are selected from each category. That places Edwin Watts Golf Shop, Palm Harbor in the top 25 of off-course shops nationally. Congratulations to the Edwin Watts staff on this huge achievement. 

Phase I of a two phase renovation project at Tarpon Woods Country Club in Palm Harbor is well underway. Phase I renovations include a total makeover of the clubhouse, new cart paths, new irrigation system, new carts and expanded driving range. When completed the range will be wider and deeper and feature both natural turf and artificial grass hitting areas. Phase II is scheduled to begin later this spring and will include new tees and bunker sand. 

For the last three years the word on the street was that Newland Homes was in the process of buying the Apollo Beach golf course and converting it into a housing project. The golf course ownership had been responding to the wishes of Newland Homes and basically putting themselves out of business. Last fall, because of the downturn in the real estate market, Newland Homes backed out of the deal.

The good news is that now Apollo Beach Golf Club will remain open for the foreseeable future. Tom Doozan, Vice President of the golf club, says that his staff has been working feverishly to maintain the course in good shape and can report that the Paspallum Bermudagrass greens are in excellent condition.

The Eagles Golf Club, under the direction of Golf Professionals Paul Holden and Tom Shea, has launched Tri-County Junior Golf. Tri-County Junior Golf will be available to all junior golfers, ages 7-18, throughout Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas Counties. Tri-County Junior Golf will run a Junior Golf Instructional League and 10 weeks of summer camp programming. The Eagles Golf Club is a 36-hole championship facility, complete with practice areas and clubhouse amenities.

The Instructional League will start with a parent meeting and player evaluation on both Saturday March 8 and Sunday March 9. Three meeting/evaluation times will be available on both days at 12 noon, 2pm and 4pm. 

To address the need for support of junior golf instruction and quality youth development programming in St. Petersburg, The First Tee of St. Petersburg has introduced the Partners Program, an opportunity for you to make a difference in your community by investing in the future of our youth.

Since becoming a chapter of The First Tee youth development initiative in April 2005, The First Tee of St. Petersburg has positively impacted more than 2,500 children with golf instruction, life skills education and character development. Participants learn key characteristics such as honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, and respect, as well as how to get along with others, set goals and maintain a positive attitude as they become skilled at the game of golf. A key component of the Life Skills Education is the 9 Core Values of The First Tee, which instill in participants the characteristics necessary to develop into well-rounded, moral individuals and future leaders of St. Petersburg. 

The chapter got off to a terrific start with our first Pro-Am at the Dunedin CC January 28th. The day was perfect, the course in mint condition with it’s new Mini Verde greens and our valued sponsors came out to meet everyone. It’s great when a plan comes together. Our thanks to AFLAC, MacGregor Golf, Million Dollar Hole-in-One, Golfer’s Guide, Wireless Toyz, Metz Signs and Banners and Tampa Bay Safety Surfacing for sponsoring this event.

The chapter has a dynamic sponsor program available for anyone interested in marketing their product at our chapter events. The schedule is complete and includes a number of championship properties that we feel will give both our professionals and their guests quality events. 

The Florida State Golf Association (FSGA) recently announced its 2008 Championship schedule including 25 State Championships and nine Winter Series events. Entries for all Championships are now open at www.fsga.org. 

As golfers all over the area are gearing up for this summers’ upcoming local and national Amateur Golf Tours, many are looking for a competitive format where they can participate to test their skills, as well as meet new friends. The area now includes many organized groups that host events throughout the Tampa Bay area and golfers of all skill levels are taking notice. Three of the established tours in the area are the USA Golf Tour (usagtour.com), The Tampa Tour (thetampatour.com), and the most widely known The Golf Channel Tour (thegolfchannel.com). All three tours compete using USGA Handicaps, incorporate a pointsbased system, include golfers whose skills range from single digit to 36 handicaps, and have a wide range of demographics. A variety of different formats can be found on each tour, ranging from stroke play to Ryder Cup style Events and Stableford Scoring. 

Finally a set of hybrid wedges that can produce the same kind of shots that traditional wedges can but without the worry of chunking and shanking shots. Blade Runner Golf Company calls them Black Magic Wedges.

Blade Runner Golf, located in Clearwater, spent 2-1/2 years developing a set of wedges that make all short game shots easier. These clubs have been tested extensively by leading teaching professionals along with touring professionals and hundreds of average golfers. The general consensus from their testimonials is that the Black Magic Wedge is the most forgiving wedge from any lie, or from the sand, they have ever used. The design allows the club to glide over turf or sand rather than the digging in that can happen with traditional clubs.

Metz Signs and Awards is proud to announce it has become a sponsor of the West Central Chapter, North Florida PGA. Serving the Tampa Bay area for over 20 years, Metz Signs and Awards has a background in awards, sponsorplaques, and trophies. With new stateof-the-art equipment they have expanded their product line to include full digital coroplast and banner prints. Metz Signs and Awards offers quality, customer service and a quick turn around time.