Home of the Valspar Championship; Innisbrook is one of the most popular stops on the PGA Tour
Valspar Championship
It’s that time of year, the PGA Tour is in full swing and every pro is trying to fine tune their game ahead of the Major Championships. As host of the Valspar Championship, Innisbrook Resort’s famed Copperhead casts a large shadow over the resorts three other golf courses. I mean why wouldn’t it, with a name like Copperhead and a reputation that ranks the three finishing holes among the hardest on tour, that’s a lot to boast about.
With the start of the Valspar Championship just a few weeks away (scheduled for March 8th), I wanted to share my recent experience at Innisbrook. As a card-carrying member of the Golf Travel Writers Association, I paid Innisbrook a visit following the PGA Merchandise Show at the end of January. Come the start of every year, preparations for the Valspar Championship are in full swing. With another full month left to prep for Rory McIlroy, the course is sure to be full of venom. Every March, PGA Tour players descend upon Copperhead, one of the more popular destinations on tour. In fact, past champion Jordan Spieth captured the title in 2015 and used it as a springboard to a historic season that saw him capture the 1st two major championships of the year.
Copperhead’s lush green grass and subtle elevation changes make for great television
Copperhead Course
By January 1st, all the over-seed has taken hold resulting in a bright green turf that looks perfect on T.V. Keep in mind, between the start of the year and the championship the golf course is cart path only. If you make a trip to Innisbrook during the run-up to the championship, you will cherish 18-holes on Copperhead. Being able to test yourself on a golf course that the Pros will play in just a few weeks is a special treat that only a handful of courses in the world can offer.
North Course
Up to this point, I probably haven’t told you anything that you didn’t already know. I mean Copperhead’s a well-known course, popular among tour professionals, and well maintained. However, it might not be the hardest course at Innisbrook! That honor could easily belong to the North Course with tight fairways, an abundance of trees, and well-bunkered greens the North Course can have a nastier bite than Copperhead. Talking among locals and club members, they all tend to agree, the North Course is the toughest.
Recent amateur championships at Innisbrook tend to back up claims that Copperhead might not be the hardest course at Innisbrook. During recent events, the average score was 78.07 (+8.07 par) on the Par 70 North Course, while on the Par 71 Copperhead Course the average score was only 75.19 (+4.19 par). That’s a difference of nearly 4 full shots, did I mention that Copperhead is also over a 1,000 yards longer? Just goes to show you, size doesn’t always matter!
Welcome to Innisbrook Resort’s North Course a 6300 yard course that can wear you out
While the 6300 yard North Course can’t be stretched to the length of Copperhead, it doesn’t need to be. Bottom line, the North Course is a shorter golf course that is not to be taken lightly – it looks easy on paper, but is a plotter’s paradise – requiring patience, accuracy, and shot-making abilities to score well. In today’s game where everyone is getting longer off the tee, the most difficulty comes when trying to fit the ball into tight landing spots while avoiding trouble. More than any other course at Innisbrook, the North Course will challenge your shot making skills.
To top things off, the North Course is in better shape than ever. In 2017, the course underwent a five-month renovation. During that renovation, all new green complexes were installed; Innisbrook made the switch from the original common Bermuda and installed brand-new TifEagle Bermuda grass. With the installation of TifEagle Bermuda, the need to overseed for winter play has been eliminated and the greens are more durable and consistent.
A look from the 17th fairway of the North course; where a new green pitched steeply from back to front awaits
Brand new greens and a challenging course layout have proven to bring the biggest hitters to their knees. In fact, because so many holes have tight fairways, you’ll be forced to leave the driver in your bag on a handful of par-4 and par-5 holes. If you tempt fate and go driver, you better not miss the fairway unless you have a chainsaw in your bag. I mentioned the new greens, many of which pitch steeply from back to front. That new TifEagle grass on the greens has allowed the superintendent to maintain greens at faster speeds than ever before, putts from above the hole will have your knees knocking. All this might give you a little insight into the North Course’s nickname, “Little Copperhead.”
I hope that you learned something new about Innisbrook, mainly just because a girl is a supermodel that doesn’t mean her sisters aren’t just as hot! Innisbrook features 72 holes of golf; Copperhead, Island, South, and North (Little Copperhead). The Island Course is top notch, and later this year the South Course is getting a full renovation matching the work done on the North.
Innisbrook Golf Resort
Combine world-class golf, luxury accommodations, and award-winning restaurants and I’m sure it’s easy to see yourself booking a trip to Innisbrook in the very near future. To learn more about Innisbrook please click here.