3/12/2008 - golf luxe

Unless one is accustomed to traveling in Gulfstream G-500s, being provided with complimentary luxury autos, the best hotel suites and being surrounded by an entourage that includes a swing coach, sports psychologist, personal trainer, nanny and nutritionist… not to mention boxes of free golf balls and gloves every week… the well-coddled life of a golf professional is a far cry from that of most members of Hacker Nation.

Still, one corner of Florida offers at least a fleeting glimpse of the life of luxury for the road-weary golfer. The St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area boasts a collection of upscale golf resorts that not only serve to pamper and spoil travelers with white-glove service, fine dining and luxurious amenities, but also offer some of the best golf in the state.

Start with the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor. No less an authority than Ernie Els, the globe-trotting South African star, called Innisbrook's famous Copperhead Course "the best course we (the PGA Tour) play in Florida." Considering some of the alternatives – Doral's Blue Monster, Arnie's own Bay Hill and Pete Dye's bit of architorture at the Stadium Course of the TPC at Sawgrass – Els' opinion, backed by similar comments from the other Tour players, is high praise indeed