Super Bowl XLIII: The Big Game meets great golf in Tampa

By Tom Spousta, Contributor

Going to Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII? Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, with its four golf courses, and TPC Tampa Bay are just two of the great golf options you shouldn't miss.

The Super Bowl comes to Tampa for the third time.

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Pop Quiz: There's a reason Super Bowl XLIII was awarded to Tampa, and it has everything to do with ...

A. being a great golf vacation destination; B. weather sunny and warm enough to get a tan in 20 minutes; C. golf; D. hotel rooms with scenic water views of dolphins frolicking in Tampa Bay; E. golf, golf, and enough quality golf courses to find a tee time even if you aren't a VIP.

Oh, sure, there's a big game to be played on Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium between the Pittsburgh Steelers and improbable Arizona Cardinals. But it's not exactly overkill to list golf among the prominent events during the week-long series of bashes leading up to kickoff.

Tampa Bay hotels, resorts and businesses surely had fingers crossed for a Super Bowl pitting the Steelers against the Philadelphia Eagles, an in-state Pennsylvania rivalry that would have added even more economic benefit to the area. But, this is the Super Bowl, and thousands of people without tickets will still descend on the area looking for tee times and a good time.

"There were a lot of calls from people and groups who wanted to stay if their team won on Sunday," said Ramona Hurley, media relations spokeswoman at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. "This is when it will get crazy and you'll see an instant rush to obtain rooms."

Golf and The Game have been intertwined since Super Bow I in Los Angeles, another warm weather city known for instant tans and scenic views. Which leads us to the bonus question.

Forty-two Super Bowls later, how many shotgun starts, celebrity scrambles, charity tournaments, official and unofficial outings now surround the game?

Answer: Eight that we know of, led by the major tournament of Super Week, hosted by Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. (Tickets are still available for most events.)

Golf in Tampa

The Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club will host the 23rd Super Bowl NFL Charities event on Jan. 31, pairing amateurs with current and former NFL stars in a team scramble format. There are four golf courses at Innisbrook resort, so even if you're not in the tournament, you're likely to find a spot on the North, South and Island courses, or the Copperhead, where the PGA Tour stops in March for the Transitions Championship.

Innisbrook also has you covered with probably the area's best Super Bowl package (click here for more info). It's a four-night minimum and includes a suite, seven rounds of golf, meals and transportation to and from the game. If you don't have tickets, they're throwing a Super Bowl party on property. Cost: $1,200 per person.

TPC Tampa Bay is one of the few daily fee golf courses in the Tournament Players Club network, and one of the toughest, too. Located about 20 minutes northwest of Tampa International Airport in Lutz, TPC Tampa Bay hosts the Par & Poker Celebrity Challenge for Charity on Jan. 29 and has more than 30 football Hall of Famers and Hollywood stars participating.

Other Tampa-area golf courses

World Woods Golf Club might be a bit farther up the Veterans Memorial Expressway (about 50 minutes). But it's worth the trip to play two of Tom Fazio's best designs in Florida, Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks, which have been honored on just about every golf course list that exists.

Locals always know the best deals, and two of their most popular layouts aren't far from Innisbrook. Fox Hollow Golf Club, a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design, has garnered numerous state and local awards. Lansbrook Golf Club shows its confidence as a public course with some spiffy pictures on its Web site, along with the slogan, "Plenty of Thrills without Unnecessary Frills."

Westchase Golf Club in Tampa fills a similar role. Close to Raymond James Stadium, it would be the perfect place for a quick game-day loop before heading to that tailgate party.

The University of South Florida Bulls might play in the Big East Conference, but the school's course is good enough to take on all comers. Named for its signature 14th hole, The Claw at USF features narrow fairways and smaller than usual greens that demand accuracy.

In the mood for some old school elegance? The Belleview Biltmore Resort and Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club have been doing it long enough to be listed in the National Registry of Historic Places.

The Belleview Biltmore Golf Club is an authentic Donald Ross layout built in 1925 with a couple scenic holes along Clearwater Bay. Although only about 6,600 yards, the Vinoy's golf course underwent a fine restoration by architect Ron Garl and brings water into play on most holes.

Off-course activities in Tampa

The NFL experience might be the best value at any major sporting event. You can punt, pass, kick and be engrossed by other interactive action all week at the theme park adjacent to Raymond James Stadium. Cost: Kids $12.50, adults $18.50.

Or how about this for back-to-back blockbuster concerts? On Jan. 28 Celine Dion will play the St. Pete Times Forum, followed the next night by the Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden tour.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino wasn't here the last time the Super Bowl came to Tampa. Mike Ditka will make it his base for several of his Gridiron Greats functions.

Aside from some great bars and restaurants at the above resorts, two stops must be made.

The legendary Bern's Steakhouse (www.bernssteakhouse.com) is known for its style and service, not to mention amazing steaks and a dessert room. The Colombia Restaurant (www.columbiarestaurant.com) has been serving its signature paella for over 100 years in nearby Ybor City, where you can stock up on hand-rolled cigars and sample other Latin American cuisine.

Several areas in and around downtown are good hangouts and can cater to most of your entertainment needs. Hyde Park is filled with shops and restaurants; International Plaza is an upscale mall near the airport and stadium; Channelside fronts the water near the heart of downtown and has some great seafood places.

January 19, 2009