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With
more than 100 guests on hand, Johnson
graciously took the ceremonial first
shot on the first hole to officially
open the course under sunny blue skies
and temperatures in the low 80s. We
teed it up on the green tees at 6,735-yards
- I had quietly hoped we might tee
it up from the whites at 6,225. When
all was said and done the course proved
to be eminently playable and a fun
design with only two lost balls!
The
Island Course is defined by Lake Innisbrook
on the opening six holes, the middle
holes feature rolling hills accentuated
by towering pine and cypress trees,
while the closing six holes are more
open with the golf community in view,
except for No.18 which plays down
a narrow tree-line fairway and then
a demanding second shot across to
a green surrounded by water. The one
hole I didn't particularly like was
No. 1, a medium-length par-4 that
doglegs severely to the right around
the lake. While some says it's a birdie
hole, it's just not a clearly defined
opening hole for a championship golf
course, but from there on, the course
is intriguing and thoughtfully designed.
There
are four courses at Innisbrook, and
while we didn't have time to play
either the North or the South courses
from what I saw I would return to
play them both.
Copperhead
undoubtedly is the course that most
lovers of golf are familiar with.
After all, we've seen the world's
top players taking on its pine tree-lined
fairways and rolling terrain during
the PGA TOUR's PODS Championship each
March. It's always fun to play where
the pros play, whether it's Glen Abbey
GC near Toronto that has been home
to the Canadian Open so many times
or a venue like TPC Scottsdale in
Arizona, home to the FBR Open. With
its unusual elevation changes, the
natural setting of the Copperhead
course will probably remind you of
a Carolina layout rather than Florida's
West Coast. It's greens are some of
the best in the world. Golf Digest
ranked Copperhead in the Top-100 and
among "America's Top Resort Courses."
Simply put it should be on every golfer's
must play list.
If
you're looking to improve your game,
Innisbrook's academy is rated as one
of the best in the United States.
Founded more than 20 years ago by
host professional and Champions Tour
player, Jay Overton, the Innisbrook
Golf Institute Instructional Program
has become one of the most successful
and highly recognized programs in
the country. It's rated as one of
America's Top 25 Golf Schools by GOLF
Magazine.
Innisbrook
Vice-President and Managing Director,
Chuck Pomerantz says, "The golf
courses are just the beginning of
many enhancements we plan to complete
in the next 24 months. Our guests
will soon be able to enjoy all new
restaurant concepts to include the
first expansion of our Market Salamander
product to include a restaurant and
bar venue; the renovation of all 65,000
square feet of meeting space; newly
renovated tennis and fitness facilities;
and the addition of Innisbrook's first
full-service luxury spa. This is definitely
the beginning of a new era at Innisbrook
that will return this property to
its well-deserved place amongst the
finest resort destinations in the
country."
With
everything that's happening at Innisbrook
this is one resort that should be
on your have-to-play destinations
in the next year or so. For additional
information call 1-800-456-2000 or
visit www.innisbrookgolfresort.com.
Brent Long is a contributing writer
of the Traveling Golfer and owner
of Longshot Communications. He can
be reached at (905)681-1252 or by
email at brentlong@cogeco.ca
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