Saddlebrook at Saddlebrook Resort

Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, north of Tampa, features two eighteen-hole courses designed by Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay in the early 1980s. Dean Refram also contributed to the design work. The resort sits on rolling terrain unusual for west-central Florida, with elevation changes that provide natural movement through corridors of pine, oak, and cypress. The courses were built to serve both resort guests and serious golfers, with enough challenge to host professional and amateur tournaments over the years.

The Palmer Course, the resort's original layout, opened in 1981 and plays through more dramatic topography with several holes routed around lakes and wetlands. The Saddlebrook Course followed shortly after and offers a somewhat different character, with tighter tree-lined fairways and smaller greens that reward accuracy. Both courses feature Bermuda grass fairways and greens typical of Florida golf, with water hazards in play on multiple holes. The bunkering reflects Palmer's design preferences from that era, with greenside sand positioned to challenge approach shots.

Saddlebrook has long been known as a tennis and golf destination, attracting both leisure visitors and athletes for training. The resort has hosted various professional mini-tour events and qualifiers, though it is not a major championship venue. The courses remain accessible to resort guests and members, maintaining their role as solid, playable layouts that take advantage of the property's natural rolling landscape in a region where flat terrain is more common.