Westchase Golf Club

Westchase Golf Club in Tampa, designed by nationally-known architect Lloyd Clifton and opened in 1992, is one of the best-conditioned and most accessible public courses in the Tampa Bay area, just 10 minutes from Tampa International Airport. The par-72 6,699-yard layout winds through acres of lakes, conservation areas, and dense cypress forest, with the front nine meandering through a pine-forest environment before the back nine opens up to water, wetlands, and exposed cypress hammocks. The signature hole is the par-3 3rd, a 212-yard all-carry shot over water from the back tees that typically plays as the most memorable of the round. The full-service clubhouse overlooks the 9th and 18th greens and hosts a breakfast-through-dinner restaurant that's become a local amenity in its own right. Westchase remains one of the most booked daily-fee properties in Hillsborough County and is a sensible pick for Tampa-airport trip layovers looking to fit in a round before heading to accommodations.