The Valspar Championship at Innisbrook

Not your typical Florida course

Most Florida golf is flat, water-heavy, and built around residential development. The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor is none of those things. Built by Larry Packard in 1972 on genuinely rolling terrain, lined with mature pines and oaks, and routed through elevation changes that Florida is not supposed to have, Copperhead feels more like North Carolina than Tampa Bay.

The Valspar Championship has been held here since 2000. It sits in March on the Tour schedule, in the crowded Florida Swing between the API and The Players.

The Snake Pit

Holes 16, 17, and 18 are known collectively as the Snake Pit — one of the most demanding closing stretches on the PGA Tour.

• 16th — 475-yard par 4, uphill, into prevailing wind. Statistically among the hardest holes on Tour year after year.
• 17th — 215-yard par 3 to a green guarded by bunkers and a false front.
• 18th — 445-yard par 4, dogleg right, with water and bunkering that punishes anything short of a precise approach.

Players who arrive at 16 with a one-shot lead frequently do not leave 18 with it. The stretch has produced multiple playoffs and more than a few collapses.

Attending

When: March, annually. Typically the week before or after the API depending on the year's schedule.

Tickets: Available through the Valspar Championship official site. This is one of the more accessible Tour events on the Florida Swing — crowds are large but manageable compared to The Players.

Where to stay: Innisbrook Resort is on-site with four courses, multiple restaurants, and a spa. Palm Harbor, Clearwater, and Tarpon Springs are all within 20 minutes. Tampa is 35 minutes.

Getting there: Tampa International (TPA) is 30 minutes. St. Pete–Clearwater International (PIE) is 20 minutes and often cheaper.

Best viewing: The Snake Pit. The natural elevation around 16 and 18 creates genuine amphitheater viewing that most Florida courses cannot offer.

Playing Copperhead

Innisbrook is a resort — the Copperhead Course is open to resort guests and public play year-round except during tournament week and setup.

Staying at Innisbrook is the best value proposition in Florida resort golf. Four courses (Copperhead, Island, North, Hawk's Run), packages that bundle rounds with lodging, and pricing that runs meaningfully below comparable Palm Beach or Naples properties.

Copperhead — the championship track. 7,340 yards, par 71. Island Course — the second-best course on property, water-heavy, a genuine test. North and Hawk's Run — shorter, more forgiving, good for mixed-ability groups.

Best time to play: October through May. Summer is playable with early tee times.

Why the Valspar is underrated

The Florida Swing is crowded. The API has Palmer's legacy, The Players has the island green and the biggest purse in golf, and the Cognizant Classic has the Bear Trap. The Valspar has a genuinely excellent golf course and comparatively little fanfare.

For spectators, that is the appeal: real Tour golf, a course that rewards watching, and crowds that let you actually see shots.