On Course: Pure test

by Dave Shedloski
PGA TOUR Contributor

The first time architect Bobby Weed surveyed the property at the Tournament Players Club of Tampa Bay in Lutz, Fla., he chose a horse to be his all-terrain vehicle. The decision was quite appropriate. The landscape was racetrack flat and open, not exactly the elements that lend themselves to creating an intriguing or challenging test of golf.

It would seem that Weed, with assistance from player consultant Chi Chi Rodriguez, must have turned the property upside-down and inside out to create something that would make an impression on players not easily impressed. On the contrary, Weed applied simple horse sense.

He took an already open piece of property and made it more open, removing 50 percent of the trees. The fairways have subtle movement rather than dramatic mounds and weave through lakes and natural wetlands - 19 in all - and around strategic bunkers that number 81. The greens are large (averaging 6,400 square feet) and undulating, and most are open in the front, offering golfers the option of hitting run-up approach shots.

Combine the water with the well-placed bunkers and the golf course offers plenty of risk-and-reward options without many forced carries.

The TPC of Tampa Bay is a pure test of golf for the low handicapper and yet offers enough room for players of lesser skill to navigate. It asks a player to formulate a strategy and then carry it out with sound and accurate ball striking.

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