Palm Harbor may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of top golf destinations in Florida, but less than an hour from Tampa you’ll discover a notable golf enclave.
Since 2000, the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort has hosted the Valspar Championship. PGA Tour players frequently call it one of the more challenging and rewarding tests on the tour. It’s unusual for a course that carries “resort” in its name to present such a stern but fair examination for professionals, yet Copperhead does just that. With five sets of tees, the layout satisfies elite players while still providing an enjoyable — and demanding — experience for weekend golfers. Undulating terrain uncommon in much of Florida, fast, pure greens, and the presence of five par 3s combine to make this course a memorable stop.
Designed by Larry Packard in the 1970s, the par-71 Copperhead gained its name from a curious discovery: construction crews found numerous copper pennies while building the course. To this day, no one knows why so many coins appeared in that area.
While Copperhead appears on many top-100 lists, a dramatic piece of the resort’s past receives less attention. Reporting at the time described a major international criminal sting in 1988 that involved a wide-reaching network of suspects. A long-term undercover U.S. Customs Service operation culminated in a staged “wedding” at Innisbrook Resort, where agents assembled many targets in one place. The operation produced about 100 indictments, more than $600 million in fines and forfeitures, and contributed to the collapse of what was then the seventh-largest privately held bank in the world. These events later inspired part of the plot in the film The Infiltrator.
© Innisbruck Resort
Staying on property lets you maximize your golf time. Innisbrook offers three additional courses — including a nine-hole track — and a large, 100-percent grass tee practice area. Resort amenities extend beyond golf and include multiple restaurants, a full-service spa, six pools, and tennis and pickleball courts.
HOLE 1
560 yards, par 5
The round opens with a downhill par 5, an unexpected feature in Florida. A dogleg right demands accuracy off the tee; stray shots quickly find the course’s penal rough, giving newcomers a brisk introduction to Copperhead’s reputation.
HOLE 3
442 yards, par 4
Water flanks both sides of this fairway while the short grass winds from left to right. Known as “Narrow Neck,” it’s the No. 1 handicap hole from the front tees. Heavy bunkering nearly surrounds the green, creating a visual and strategic challenge for approach shots.
HOLE 5
607 yards, par 5
From the tee you’ll enjoy a picturesque vista, but the hole climbs uphill, making this par 5 feel longer than the yardage suggests. The second shot is often blind before the fairway shifts right to left into a Christmas-stocking-shaped green.
HOLE 12
373 yards, par 4
Named for the distinctive hedging that frames the tee, this par 4 offers multiple ways to play and ranks among players’ favorites. An aggressive drive flirting with the fairway-crossing water can leave a short shot into a bunker-guarded green; a more conservative tee shot yields a longer approach. A rustic stone bridge leads you toward the green, and sightings of local wildlife are common along the walk.
Hole 18 © Innisbruck Resort
HOLE 14
590 yards, par 5
This double dogleg demands strategic restraint. Many players treat it as a three-shot par 5. Water guards the right side, bunkers protect the green, and the property’s longest rough awaits missed shots. A few well-placed trees make comfortable angles difficult to find.
HOLE 16
458 yards, par 4
The fairway curves right with water defining the entire right side. Aggressive play is rewarded, but the approach requires careful navigation of trees and water that form a near-zigzag route to the green.
HOLE 17
206 yards, par 3
An uphill par 3 to an oval-shaped green, this hole is guarded by bunkers left and right — and hazards if you come up short.
HOLE 18
443 yards, par 4
The finishing hole climbs toward the clubhouse. Ten strategically placed bunkers force precision from the tee through the approach. A green that slopes from back to front ensures a demanding finish and makes any closing birdie a well-earned reward.
COPPERHEAD COURSE
Innisbrook Resort
36750 U.S. Highway 19 N.
Palm Harbor, FL 34684
tel 727 942 2000