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1.8
264 Reviews (264)
5 Stars
18
4 Stars
78
3 Stars
75
2 Stars
45
1 Stars
48
Conditions
1.2
Value
1.9
Layout
4.0
Friendliness
4.0
Pace
4.8
Amenities
3.0
7.2%
Recommend this course
161 out of 264 reviews
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2 Stars
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Conditions
0
Value
0
Layout
0
Friendliness
0
Pace
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Amenities
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0%
Recommend this course
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Average Rating
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2.0
1 Reviews (1)
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0
4 Stars
0
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0
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1
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0
Conditions
1.0
Value
2.0
Layout
4.0
Pace
5.0
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
5.0
0%
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1 reviews
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About

Holes 18
Type Semi-Private
Par 72
Length 6504 yards
Slope 129
Rating 71.3

Named after the creek that borders it, Tarpon Woods Golf Club is home to an abundance of wildlife including deer, alligators, turkeys, coyotes, and otters. The layout is not the Tampa Bay area's most challenging but it is one of the most scenic. Formerly Brooker Creek Golf Club, the club changed management and made several improvements to the bunkers, tee boxes, and greens in 2009. It has been a local favorite for more than 30 years. Overall the golf course is not particularly long but the front nine plays longer than the back. Each nine offers a unique set of challenges. The third hole is the longest and toughest with water that runs down the left side. There is also water on both sides of the approach to the green.

Course Details

Year Built 1971
Fairways 419 Bermuda grass
Greens Tif-Bermuda
Golf Season Year round
Architect Lane Marshall

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Please wear traditional golf attire on our course, including collared shirts. No denim or cut-off shorts are allowed.

Food & Beverage

Bar, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Reviews

1.8
264 Reviews (264)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 37
Dinner 22
Watching the Game 18
Course Challenges Include:
Water Hazards 31
Bunkers 28
Narrow Fairways 22
This course/club is great for:
Wildlife/ Scenic Views 38
Locals 32
Seniors 23
This Course's Location is:
Convenient to the City 28
Worth the Drive 18
In the 'Burbs 17

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

This Is Being Restored To Past Greatness

Come Play Tarpon Woods after Inch of rain the course was very playable Greens were fast and true Matt the Pro was awesome can’t wait to go back !

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a week
2.0
First Time Playing

Yikes

Alright, I'm trying not to be mean but I am very confused. Also, I just saw Jan Stephenson, who I assume is the owner since her name is on it, has breast cancer. So maybe the place is bad because she has bigger things going on.. who knows.

The staff was very nice and I saw on their site that they had "reopened with renovated greens". This honestly was the worst conditions of a golf course I have ever seen. I usually play The Landings in Clearwater which isn't the best course, but this made The Landings look like Augusta.

The areas all around the greens are full of tall grass and weeds everywhere. The "renovated greens" were dead with dirt patches and other types of grass (I think St. Augustine in some cases) growing in. I couldn't tell if my putting was good or not because it felt like I was putting on a fairway.

Sad because the pro shop and grill were pretty nice but completely dead. Maybe the only good thing was that it was only $13 for 9 holes but you can play 18 at the Landings for $28 after noon.

I'll go back if they fix up the course but a lot of better spots for the same price in the area.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
498448d7-ee92-5f8b-86e0-983267af6149
Commented on 09/13/2023

Very disappointed - was hoping the new greens would generate more interest to play here. Such a shame because the layout is wonderful.

Played On
Reviews 32
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Tarpon Woods GC

The worst golf course you have ever seen. A crime that they charge anybody to play this goat track when ALL 18 greens are destroyed. They are fixing them or maybe just let them go. Please save your money and play else where. Nothing good to say about this track.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Excellent
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Fairly Easy
498448d7-ee92-5f8b-86e0-983267af6149
Commented on 08/24/2022

Maybe Jan Stephenson will issue you an apology.

Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

Sorry to see this course in such bad shape.

I've have enjoyed playing this course since 1990, it's had it's share of ups and downs over 30 years but it's reached the end of it's useful life. This is hard to say but this is one course that I'd be willing to let the developers take over for condo's. Money wise it would be in the owners best interests to close the course and sell the property as it cannot continue like it is.
Very sad indeed.

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 13
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Don’t waste your time or money

This is the worse maintained course I have ever played. It’s so bad words cannot describe how bad but I will try. Fairways have weeds all over on some fairways it’s hard to tell fairways from the rough. It’s all rough. Sand traps are like hitting on concrete except for the weeds growing in them. Greens if you want to call them that are scarce at best some greens have sod patches in them. We left after 7 of 18 holes that’s all the misery we could stand. I expressed my concerns to the lady in the golf shop and all she could say is that this is not the worse golf course. If it’s not the worse I hope I never find a course in worse condition with disregard to any kind of maintenance. It’s such a shame because the lay out of the course is nice at least the front nine. Not sure about the back nine. What should have been a clue that something was wrong was when I pulled in the parking lot at 7:30am on Saturday and their was only one other car In the parking lot. Don’t waste your time or money.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Default User Avatar
Commented on 09/03/2023

I just played this course and haven't laughed this hard in a long time because of how accurate this is.

Played On
Reviews 136
Handicap 5-9
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Top 100 Contributor
Florida Advisor
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

A good course gone bad

This has all the potential to be a good course, nothing special but an engaging layout. The course was in pretty rough shape. The greens were like carpet and hard to get a feel for. The owner is very full of herself, its evident by the pro shop with pictures of herself lining the walls and a risque glamour shot hanging in the bathroom.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 17
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
3.0
First Time Playing

Disappointed

Course was not in good shape at all, greens were terrible.

Conditions Fair
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Played On
Reviews 5
Handicap 25+
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Previously Played

Greens are ROUGH

8 of us played this morning.and were surprised how poor the greens were.. Love the layout but the course overall has declined.. All over the Bay area, greens are in great shape, even at muni's. Also, there was no beverage cart service and the inside restaurant was understaffed. Doubtful I will book this facility again.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

A course in bad condition and whit bad management

If I was named Jan Stephenson I would be ashamed to say that I am involved in this course. We have been playing here for many years and think the course is nice but today was probably the last time for a long time.

Since the course have been bad we asked how the course was and got an answer that it was in perfect condition. We paid 33 usd each which many courses take around but then they are in good condition.

In recent years the course has not improved, rather retained its poor class year in and year out. The Tee are bad, the greens are distressed, that they are slow is one thing but they are also uneven, lot of weeds in them, damaged surfaces that are improved with sand. That can certainly work, but when you see that the same dead surfaces remain year in and year out you could wondering if this is the right way. No sand in the bunkers. The fact that a minor tip of broken things back of the clubhouse remains there year in and year out is also surprising. The scorecard show the wrong information and have done that for many years.

When we were very disappointed we decided to complain about the round. We got to talk to the manager and expected him to appreciate our views and maybe think a bit. But judge our surprise when we met an arrogant man who defends the course's condition and thinks it is fantastic. He absolutely could not agree with us and thought we were wrong. With such Management this course will go under which would be a shame.
Jan Stephenson's Crossroads Foundation should think about future of this course and even think about if that is the right people running it. I can promise that Jan would not like to play there.
It will take a long time until we play here again - if ever again but we hope it will be better.
Tips read other reviews so can you see this is not something new.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Poor
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Bad experience

It will take a long time until we play here again - if ever again.
We come to Florida 3 - 4 times per year and have been doing that for more than 20 years. In the last 10 years we have played the course both spring and autumn. We started before the big renovation of the course so we have seen both sides. But the last years we have noticed that nothing is happening. The same problems are still there year after year.
The greens are slow, lot of grass on it, lot of dead spots which they try to fix with sand. The tees are in terrible shape.
We asked before we played how the course were and was told it was in excellent shape so we decided to try it once more. It’s was a bad decision. The course was in really bad shape.
When we finished we decided to go in and friendly tell them that we was really disapointed of the condition. We met the Boss who said it was depending on the cold weather, the warm weather, the rain and so on. He defended the course and sad it was in good shape.

Other courses in the same area are in very good condition. If they have had problems during the years, they have fixed it.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 44
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
Incentivized Review
1.0
First Time Playing
Windy weather
Used cart

not even worth the 25 $

Course was in deploreable shape. No wonder no one else was playing. Went with a group of High school buddies for our 50th reunion. Had rained some a couple days ago but course was extremely muddy, approaches to green were terrible, we lost balls all over course due to plugged lies even in fairways. Greens themselves were some of worst I've ever played. The SLOWEST I have ever played, by end of round was using hybrid to try and reach hole on longer putts. Lay out was kind of interesting, lots of doglegs with Oak trees etc blocking shots if you hit to the wrong side.Only saving grace was 19th hole bar grill. Food good, nice selection of draft beer, service kind of slow.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Fair
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Previously Played

On the way back

Friday 8am only 1 car in lot. 2.5 hrs to get around. Course getting in shape again. Most greens in very good shape with only a few having some sand spots. Fairways very good as they can now cut them after all the rain. Only downside is bunkers. Grass growing only dirt no sand. They need major upgrade there.due to rsons csnt cut rough low enough so its tall and thick. Give it a shot again!

Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Greens are gone

More than half of the greens have large areas that are dirt or sand and one was almost totally dead. When we complained that $49 was to much for a course with dead greens we were basically ignored. Go elsewhere. Don't believe rebuttal that only 2 greens have an issue.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 10
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

happy it's coming back

Our first time playing again since Jan Stephenson took over. I was dismayed by the recent negative reviews. I think one needs to know what winter Florida golf conditions are like. The course was indeed in disrepair before 2009. This past Sunday we played in under 4 hours albeit a foggy start to the day and they didn't seem very busy. Staff very friendly and being a Navy vet I was made to feel very appreciated. Fairways were better than some local courses. One must realize that this time of the year Bermuda grass is dormant. Instead of having to use ones putter from everywhere off the green, chipping was very possible using other clubs. Yes the greens were top-dressed to stimulate lusher growth but they were smooth, rolled true, and were of decent speed. The layout is very enjoyable, variable, and memorable. Overall a very enjoyable round and we were glad to have returned after many years away. My wife would appreciate more forward red tees!

Conditions Average
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 0-4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
1.0
First Time Playing
Wet weather
Used cart

Cow track

the reviews said updated course well not so much fairway horrible greens had grass missing bring lots of balls because where you think your ball landed it its not you wont find your ball $12 for a cold hot dog and a coke staff is very rude I told them about the conditions they said no one twisted my arm to play there never again if you like geriatric players this is your place if you care about your golf game find another

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Default User Avatar
Commented on 02/21/2019

I'm sorry that you had a bad day at the course. Only 2 greens had an area on them, but they were still playable and rolled good. The restaurant and the golf course are separate businesses, if you were unhappy with the food or service, please let the owner know.

Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Extremly slow play.

If you don't mind 1) mowers on the greens while trying to play; plus the greens were more sand than grass. I understading arriating,is a must, but usually the sand is washed down afaterwards; 2) average age of player must be 90, so that equals extremely slow play; 3) 5+ hours for a game of golf and 4) starters rushing you thru when there no where to go.. Apparently to just screw you game up. Then this is the course for you. I will NEVER play this course again.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Default User Avatar
Commented on 02/21/2019

I'm sorry that you did not have a good experience. By county code, we cannot start mowing until 6:45am, we have golfers of ALL ages that play here, Hopefully you will try us again.

Played On
Reviews 41
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
1.0
Previously Played
Cold weather
Used cart

Bad Greens - Yellow Grass Everywhere

Greens on every hole exhibit patches of problem areas - surrounding areas are either sand or yellowed grass. Fairways are good and so are the tee boxes. Layout is great - shame that it is not kept up. Also very unfriendly when you book online.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Fair
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Default User Avatar
Commented on 02/21/2019

Mr. Hoszko, you book through Paradise Golf, so I would suggest contacting them for your "unfriendly online booking". You live on the course but you continue to put down the course on every site you find. The course is in good condition, with only 2 greens that had areas, but still playable and rolled good.

Played On
Reviews 11
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
1.0
Previously Played

A Goat Ranch

This is a great course layout, but it is now a “Goat Ranch.” Jan Stephenson bought it Andy said she was going to bring to back to its “glory days.”
Well don’t waste your time suing here. The greens are terrible. Fairways have weeds every where. How long does it take, Jan?

Conditions Poor
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Fair
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Default User Avatar
Commented on 02/21/2019

Turning around a golf course that has had no attention, no water, no fertilizer, etc for more than 10 years, does not happen over night. The course was under Jan's control for only 4 months when you played. Hopefully you will give it another try.

Played On
Reviews 8
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Previously Played
Hot weather
Used cart

loopsided

The course is coming back, sort of... There are quite a few holes that are in great shape, but then there are others that are just unplayable. A few of the greens are just a disaster. I would say most of the fairways and tee boxes are in fair shape, not great, borderline good, but fair... and the sand traps dont drain. The staff was friendly and for weekend morning there was nobody else on the course. Overall it was an enjoyable round, just wish the course was in better shape.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 16
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Previously Played

Be coming a worthwhile course to consider to play again

Been years since I even considered playing here. Went from bad to disaster a number of years ago. New ownership seems to be making a different. Fairways are OK. greens for the most part are playable, even the brown areas are smooth and grassy. Still has a way to go but you should consider booking a tee time here and see for yourself.....

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played

Nothing short of a miracle

My buddies and I used to joke that this course was built on Indian burial ground numerous owners and yet this beautiful classic course was beyond playable. I saw some good reviews recently and decided to give it another shot and was absolutely blown away ! Ive never seen the greens as good as they are right now. The rest of the course was very good as well and will improve I’m sure being the new owners have only been there barely a year. Definitely worth playing great value . A job well done to Jan Stephenson for bringing this course back .

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
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