Was great to meet you (and pick up the check). Looking forward to playing a round or two in the future.
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Absolutely not worth your time to play the base.
I think this is a pretty harsh assessment without some additional context. I havenāt played the course in a year or two but historically the south course has been more than adequate. Has varied length par 3ās, some risk-reward tee shots, and conditioning in line with the price. A few holes with views of the bay and a great view of the bay from the range arenāt bad either. Also the range has lights and a self-serve ball dispenser so itās technically open 24 hours in order to accommodate the shifts of soldiers.
I would play and practice at the course much more frequently if not for the three business day notice for access. Apparently you can get a 60-day pass, which I need to do.
If you live near South Tampa I think itās a great option. If youāre 45 minutes away, then itās worth checking out once in a while in my opinion.
Bring bug spray. The mosquitoes can be miserable certain times of year.
So for likely playing one day and itās an hour away probably not worth it though?
@Shankcity just curious as to why to avoid Cove Cay? Poor management? Boring? Both? The aerials donāt make it look that bad to me?
Yes, there are other places ahead of it for sure if youāre a visitor. Couldnāt remember your specific situation and didnāt check upthread.
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Went ahead and booked Dunedin next Thursday at 10:18. Looking forward to it!
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Please report back as I will be interested in hearing the conditioning and whether I should book for mid-February.
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Iāve played it twice in the last couple of months. Overall in nice shape and a really fun course. There were a couple of holes they had some areas under repair but that seems pretty common in the area right now.
I played Cove Cay once and didnāt really enjoy it. Granted I was spraying the ball a bit on the day I played, but I remember it being narrow, with some unusual holes. Thereās a lot of buildings around and it seemed like they tried to jam a golf course in between.
Iāve been walking it every weekend, itās in great shape for the price and the play it gets in my opinion. Much better than any of the 3 Tampa municipals, Rocky Point two weeks ago was in awful shape.
You basically have to book a weekend tee time the moment they open that day up. On Sunday I was looking at next Saturday and the earliest time was 2:30
Thanks for the heads up. Will definitely look into it then. Iām sure itās way better in February than in middle of July.
Apologies for not getting back sooner. Never liked Cove Cay because of the layout, which has been mentioned. I never enjoyed it and have not played it in a long time. It also seems to be way overpriced.
I will say that I do really like the owners. Bill and Pat Shriver now run the course, they used to run the old Belleview Biltmore(which is now the infamous Pelican Golf Club, if you listen to the Shotgun Start). Pat and Bill are great people, just think they charge a little too much for what Cove Cay is. Just my opinion.
I think its #9 is literally a 90 degree turn in the fairway around a condo building.
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Hey Tampa refugees. New to the nest and wanted to say hey. Fairly new golfer, mostly play courses on the north side of Tampa.
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A few of the greens had some rough patches and the rough was a little dodgy, but otherwise it was in what I would call fairly decent shape. My game on the other hand was complete dog shitā¦ couldnāt find the club face and could definitely tell I havenāt swung a club in a few months.
Hey DrJ. Welcome! Iām over in St. Pete and always looking for a new game.
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Yeah, Cove Cay can turn into total target golf. Doesnāt really have any length, even from the tips. Conditioning is pretty good and it can still be a good time, but a few bad holes out there.
9 is an abomination of a hole that Iāve considered putting into the worst holes thread here multiple times. Depending on which tees you play, the tee shot is somewhere between 230-270 to run out of fairway. Inside the dogleg is a 6 or 7 story condo building that you aināt clearing. Best case scenario you hit a hard cut (slice) around the corner somehow, and you get rewarded with a 240 yard shot in still. Takes driver out of your hands, but still rewards length a lot if you can hit a target off the tee. Immensely frustrating.
Also, after a great run of holes along the mangroves and Old Tampa Bay, you get a manufactured par 3 finisher that just feels half-assed. Kinda leaves you hanging and doesnāt really do anything to help an overall meh round of golf.
During the summer months it can be quite cheap and itās right next to my work so I probably play there more than Iād like. Itās not the worst, but as @Shankcity said, exhaust other options before looking there.
Thanks for the info. I ended up playing Dunedin(more like attempted to play with how my game was. Stopped keeping score after 4 holes) but we are headed back down there in March for Spring break with the kids so I will be looking for somewhere else to play and appreciate the ones to avoid more than the recs of courses to actually play so I know what is an absolute no go.
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Cool, love Dunedin. Feel free to shoot me a message when you end up back in town. I should be recovered from surgery by then and might can get you out to a few of the private places around. Would be happy to host you for a round.
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What were your thoughts on Dunedin? I took my niece there for a golf lesson on Saturday morning and it looked like it was in great shape.
It was pretty good. Considering what happens to the price of golf in Florida in the winter couldnāt have really asked for more though for what I paid. There were a few dead patches on some of the greens was my main issue. My poor game didnāt let me really appreciate the course as I was trying to figure out how to hit a freaking golf ball though.