Saddlebrook Resort

My golfing partner and I went to Saddlebrook in 2025 at a discounted price because they were about to renovate. We had some issues on the course so they gave us rainchecks which we just used. Their regular rate for the day and time we played is $150.

There are some very challenging holes on the Pine and Oak nines and the courses LOOK very nice.

But here's the reality:

These have to be the slowest greens in Pasco county - like putting on velcro.

The GPS driving distances have to be grossly inflated to make golfers feel better - I hit one drive 282 yards according to their GPS and was regularly in the 240-260 range. I'm 71 years old and play a lot of golf - no way do I hit it that far anymore.

There were 4 holes - a par 4 and par 5 on the Pine and 2 par 4s on the Oak nines that were cart path only - all 4 holes were dry as a bone with absolutely NO reason to be cart path only.

We teed off at 10AM - there were 2 twosomes ahead of us and we regularly saw golfers on other holes. Yet there were 3 holes where we had to wait for maintenance - one guy with a blower on a fairway, several people working in a bunker, and, on the 9th hole of the Oak course someone cutting the green - at 1:20 in the afternoon. He was oblivious to us - didn't even look for anyone waiting to hit to the green - just took his time with a hand mower going back and forth cutting the green - ridiculous.

First, the driving range and practice area are really good. Wide and long, with lots of targets. Get there early enough to enjoy.

Played the newly redesigned Pine and Oak, from the tips, 7050 yards. The course layout is dynamic and entertaining, while staying challenging yet fairly forgiving. The par fours are on the shorter side with a few longer ones. Lots of 260 two irons, 245 yard hybrids and three woods, followed by scoring wedges. The 5s and 3s on the other hand are LONG! The fairways were pretty wet. 300+ drives on the 5s left 250+ yard second shots. Every par 3 was 200+, with two of them at 240. Fun all the way around. Now, the bummer. While they appeared super healthy, the greens were dreadfully slow, 7.5-8. The breaks on the greens were nearly irrelevant because you had to walk every putt and hope you hit the back of the hole. If the greens were 9.5 - 11, I'd give the track a 5star. But they weren't. Good job on the redesign. Would love to play again when the fairways are a bit firmer and the greens are much faster.

Very nice course, staff was extremely helpful and friendly. But.......playing behind stacked fivesomes. Really? would have been nice to be notified that we have a tee time for you but you will be playing behind an outing/tournament with what appeared to be all fivesomes.

Got a great deal for 9 holes. only $35 on a Saturday afternoon. Course is in very good shape, They were cart path only, which took away from the experience. Course did not seem to need to be cart path only. An upscale experience with Valet parking, Overall a very good experience

I do understand, times change, but you tend to make them for the better. I’m a decent golfer but it was very hard to play a course, when the greens were the slowest I’ve seen in some time. You used to leave the green and the next tee box would be right there. Not anymore, if you are not paying attention, you will get turned around. We played the Pine Course, then the Oak Course. They have two par 5’s that was converted into very very long par 4’s (440 & 435). Now, the practice area is worth it and a very good place to hone your skills before you head out. Lastly, no outside GPS, will work there, so your GPS Watch, GPS Speaker or your Golf GPS on your phone, will not work.

The course was set up to play the Oak nine first followed by the Cypress nine. The Oak nine was in average shape, with a lot of dead grass and hard pan. The Cyprus nine was in much better shape, and truly enjoyable to play. Pace of play was excellent. I was a single, and I followed a twosome around. My round took three hours and 20 minutes. I would definitely play here again.

Played the Pines and Oaks, the layout is unusual with a lot of winding where the cart paths cross over the path of the other course, there are long distance between some holes and it is easy to get lost. The fairways have not been overseeded, so they are brown Bermuda, they are in good condition but brown. The greens are large and pristine. I can't wait to play there in spring when the fairways are green. One downside is that they have not got the updated course updated in Garmin golf so my GPS was useless.

You can see that they put money into PINE & OAK but Cypress was not worth visiting. It was in much worse condition and you can tell what they did not put any money into it. The condition of the course was pretty decent considering it was late January however in Florida it’s still pretty warm so I personally thought it could’ve been a little bit better. But it wasn’t terrible. The price that I paid to play there would’ve gotten me an exceptional course local to my area. So I didn’t think that the value was there.

We played the Cypress and then the Pine. The Cypress was the front nine and was in good condition and we played it in an hour and a half. When we went to the Pine for the back nine the starter didn’t have us in his schedule and was inserting groups playing their front nine in front of the groups that were turning to the back nine. The result was backing up groups on every hole. By the time we finished the 4th hole there were 4 groups waiting to tee off. We gave up and skipped the last 5 holes which were all backed up. The course management was inexcusable.

The layout of this course is actually pretty nice. The Pine scores just opened after a renovation and the layout is good, I’ll be at very confusing. The holes crisscross randomly. Pace of play was not enforced. Several holes were cartpath only, but a greenskeeper came up to me on the second cartpath only. Confusing. Fairways were pretty sandy, but I guess this is to be expected with a new course.

It’s 4.5/5 … it’s not streamsong or Cabot… But you’re gonna have a great time!

Helpful staff at the start, waited for shuttle back to retrieve vehicle after round but they never came…

Conditions were fair on fairways and tee boxes. Greens were good. Cart path only rules enforced by cart gps. Course layout is funky but had ample directional signs which was essential. Drink cart made frequent enough rounds .

Played saddle brook and was happy with the new layout. Course was in pretty good shape but you could tell it was still growing in from the redesign. We got a hot deal for around $70 so I thought it was a good price but probably a little disappointed if I paid the $120 they charge without the hot deal. I’m sure it will be even nicer in a few months.. I did enjoy the new layout and think it’s better than before.

Saddlebrook is currently undergoing a major renovation, not only to the golf course, but the entire property. Overall, the course was in great condition. Pace of play was great. 4 hrs for 2 to play 18 while stopping at the turn.. The practice facilities are wonderful, and range balls are included with your tee time. The staff is friendly and helpful. Mark my words when the renovation is complete this will be a top stay and play in Florida for golf, tennis, or just a vacation get away. Great experience and bang for your buck compared to other “top” courses in Florida. I would highly recommend anyone visiting or living in the Tampa Bay Area to give Saddlebrook a visit.

Marshall’s need to be out keeping up pace of play I’ve been coming here for years this has gotten outrageous