University of South Florida Golf Course - The Claw
About
Editor's Note: Course closed for business in 10/2023.
The newly renovated Claw at USF, named thus for its many doglegged fairways, offers a distinct layout that seamlessly winds through moss draped oaks and towering pines on pristine Florida preservation land. You will enjoy the fact that there are no houses crowding the fairways. Located at the University of South Florida, this manicured course is home to alligators, deer, turkeys and many other rare inhabitants. You will feel like you are playing in the heart of a nature preserve. "The Claw" is also home to the nationally ranked men's and women's USF Golf Teams. Elevated greens and new Tif-Dwarf putting surface, will test your finesse and shot making ability.
Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dark Green | 71 | 6863 yards | 73.6 | 135 |
Gold | 71 | 6288 yards | 71.0 | 126 |
Light Green | 71 | 5939 yards | 69.5 | 122 |
Light Green (W) | 71 | 5939 yards | 73.9 | 126 |
Yellow | 71 | 5353 yards | 70.9 | 115 |
Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dark Green M: 73.4/128 | 405 | 401 | 524 | 406 | 156 | 494 | 469 | 199 | 426 | 3480 | 399 | 422 | 165 | 418 | 531 | 391 | 186 | 377 | 369 | 3258 | 6738 |
Gold M: 70.4/127 | 386 | 343 | 496 | 363 | 138 | 450 | 408 | 184 | 398 | 3166 | 373 | 378 | 145 | 391 | 506 | 363 | 168 | 326 | 361 | 3011 | 6177 |
Light Green M: 69.1/125 W: 74.9/135 | 371 | 315 | 480 | 343 | 137 | 438 | 391 | 166 | 371 | 3012 | 364 | 368 | 127 | 371 | 487 | 344 | 149 | 314 | 352 | 2876 | 5888 |
Yellow M: 65.6/118 W: 70.7/124 | 348 | 275 | 412 | 319 | 115 | 402 | 357 | 123 | 313 | 2664 | 347 | 313 | 81 | 307 | 469 | 277 | 121 | 252 | 297 | 2464 | 5128 |
Handicap | 5 | 15 | 1 | 11 | 17 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 14 | |||
Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 71 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
GrillAvailable Facilities
ClubhouseReviews
Reviewer Photos
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Photo submitted by Oogachakaa on 07/25/2023
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Photo submitted by jdrouin11 on 07/14/2023
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Photo submitted by jdrouin11 on 07/14/2023
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This is an actual green Photo submitted by u061505298 on 06/21/2023
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Photo submitted by u681216328 on 04/24/2023
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Photo submitted by u681216328 on 04/24/2023
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Nice Gator only got to see this one. Photo submitted by WqrpupTfsWwPURqauqdk on 03/14/2023
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Photo submitted by WqrpupTfsWwPURqauqdk on 03/14/2023
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Photo submitted by u8394278 on 02/26/2023
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Photo submitted by u8394278 on 02/26/2023
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Photo submitted by 52374404700000001984 on 02/05/2023
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Photo submitted by u00000207768 on 02/17/2022
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That’s a green in the middle of a fairwayzzz Photo submitted by David5385837 on 07/10/2021
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What a beautiful day. Photo submitted by KingOsi on 03/15/2021
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Practice Green Photo submitted by mideastsoldier2003 on 07/03/2020
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Chipping area Photo submitted by mideastsoldier2003 on 07/03/2020
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Clubhouse Photo submitted by mideastsoldier2003 on 07/03/2020
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Clubhouse Photo submitted by mideastsoldier2003 on 07/03/2020
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Fun day with the fellows. We may be back. Photo submitted by KingOsi on 02/12/2020
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Photo submitted by u301479712 on 12/27/2019
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Photo submitted by u301479712 on 12/27/2019
Bunkers on the greens…
As you can tell with the title, the greens are not maintained. Not even trying. Tee boxes are basically sand. The conditions are so bad, I would never want my worst enemy go to this place. The course is a harder one with the raised greens, but what’s the point if the greens are non puttable.
DONT PLAY HERE!!
This course is in the worst shape I’ve ever seen a place asking $48 bucks to play. Most tee boxes are like hitting out of a sandbox. Greens are terrible, weeds, patchy with some having less than 40% grass on them. Seems like they have just let this course go to complete trash. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND DONT PLAY HERE.
Cow Pasture
Horrible condition! Worst Course i have played in a long time.
Cow Pasture
Worst course I ever played. No water on course. Not much grass anywhere, even tee boxes. HORRIBLE!
Horrible
I have played about 15 different golf courses in the area this past winter and this one is by far the worst maintained course.total waste of time and money
Very Disappointing
First the staff was very friendly! They were the highlight of the course. I feel bad for proshop worker. He was stuck in an overly packed trailer behind merchandise. There was only one exit. This is a safety hazard and code violation. The reason for the tailor is that the proshop, restaurant, and cart shack were condemned. Now for the course. USF has not put a dime into this course in a long time. Most tee boxes had no grass. Most greens were in poor condition. Most had 20% to 50% fungus on them. One green had chemical burns. I could continue to ramble on how poor the conditions were but it seems to me that USF is looking to close the course. That would be a shame since it’s got one of the best layouts in the area. Needless to say we won’t be back Y time soon unless news of revitalization is completed.
Crappy condition
Although this is a tough course it is in by far in very poor condition. The greens are fast however, they are in terrible shape. The tee boxes are like teeing off in the bunker.
It’s a good thing you can get a deal for around $20 on golf now because it’s not worth much more than that. The pace is terrible and had to wait an hour past my tee time just to get a cart because they obviously don’t have enough of them. And as bad as it is I will play it again someday. I just hope they spend a little money and improve this place because it could be a really nice place to play.
Need better course management
Arrived a few minutes early for our noon t time to be told me had “a 45 min wait at the least”. The course ran out of carts and we’re waiting for people to finish the course with their carts to give them to a line of people waiting at the 18th hole. We tried to get our money back but we’re told we couldn’t. The pro shop said this wait is typical for Saturday’s. Even with this wait the guy in front of us was asking to play another round and they said sure, it’ll be 20 min or so. So he got on before us ? Having a tee time and being a walk on. I’ve never heard of having to wait 45 min after a t time…. Our cart was in poor condition and made very strange noises. There was no starter at the first tee because they were managing the carts off the 18th. It was a free for all. We waited after our cart wait behind 4 groups to tee off. As you can imagine, pace of play was horrible. we didn’t finish the 18 because we were tired of the waiting around between each shot. I understand it’s season and some wait is typical but this situation was completely unheard of. Will not return. A majority of the tee boxes are also just sand.
Bad conditions - golf elsewhere
Bad conditions - golf elsewhere. I wish the clubhouse were open too.
TERRIBLE CONDITION
You would think that these college students would learn some skillls off and on this course.. I guess theyre waiting on Jimmy Carter to fix up the clubhouse and restaraunt. Even the starter dont want to work. SO SAD.
Just awful
The course is in some of the worst condition I’ve ever seen. Tee boxes are mostly dirt. Greens have dirt craters on them. One green even had golf cart tire tracks burned across it. This place was a dump about 10 years ago when I first played and it’s still a dump now.
Should turn it under and start from scratch.
To say the course was in awful condition would be an understatement. Greens for the most part all had damage. Tee boxes might have well have been sand traps and for the time of the year we are in now, I would expect the fairways to at least have some grass. I last played this course over 20 years ago and I don't recall it ever being in this condition. Will never play here again.
Course should be closed permanently
This was the first and last time I will every play this course. I wouldn't tell my worst enemy to play here. If I was aware of this ahead of time, I would have not shown up. First there is no club house, just a sea can, that is the pro shop. You can't get into it, for the junk they have for sale. You have to go and find your own golf cart, which hasn't been cleaned this year. No one tells you where the driving range is, except for someone walking by who explained you drive down the first hole and turn left. The tee blocks at the range are nothing but sand and weeds. When our tee time came up, there were 5 twosomes teeing off and no one to check if anyone paid or were playing as a foursome. When our turn came up to tee off, a twosome of locals joined up with us. If it wasn't for them, this would have been a lot worse. I don't know how but it would have been. They agreed, they have never seen it this bad. Being optimistic, there is possibly 50% of the grass on the fairways, and 25% in the rough, the rest is sand and dirt. This course is so tired and run down, a goat would die of starvation from lack of food or water. There is no drinking water on the course so if your foolish enough to waste your time and money on playing this course, bring everything you want to drink or eat. 35% of the greens aren't playable, and are the remainder are junk. I should have walked off the course when I found out that the university team doesn't even play here. This is a blatant case of the university stealing money from the public to pad their own pockets. If you've every played golf before, even once, don't play here. Take your cash and light it on fire for far better value.
0 Stars
Worse course EVER. Should not even be open as a golf course.
Round started by showing up and paying a gentlemen in a porta potty, they don't even have a Club house/pro shop. had to walk .5 mile to another gentlemen to get a golf cart that looks like it hasn't been washed in years. The Driving range has no signs on how to get there once finding my way to the range I was basically having to hit out of a sand bunker little to no grass. When my round was about to start I headed to the tee blocks there was a group of 5 pairing of 2 players and no Marshall to start the group pairs or send 4some off. When it was my turn to tee off, a pairing of locals asked if they could join me (if it wasn't for the locals I'd be lost). As the round was underway discovered the most the the tee. block, were dead to no grass to hit from, fairways were in average some burnt spots but vary unplayable spots. greens were horrible more then half the greens should not be even played. There is No Drinking water anywhere on the course, No bathrooms anywhere.
This so called Course should be shut down or removed from the site.
(Locals stated that the University Teams Don't even play there)
The Claw
Layout and elevated greens could provide for a great golf course.
The terribly maintained course and greens make it unplayable. Not really even worth the $20 discounted greens fee.
Cheap for college student, waste for golfer
It’s Great for a college student who barely plays golf. Cheap and close by. But if you’re any kind of golfer who understands you’re giving up four hours at least to play around of golf, please don’t waste your money. Diamond hill and Heritage Isles both charge $15-$20 more and yet or far more worth the 5 hours spent.
The claw is ana amazing layout, TERRIBLE MAINTENANCE, tee boxes have more dirt then grass, 7 green looks like the moon. FOR GODS SAKE THE PRO SHOP IS A SHIPPING CONTAINER WHILE THE OLD PRO SHOP IS NOW ONE WITH NATURE.
Tees in terrible shape, fairways are weeds, not grass
This is the worst shape I have seen for this course.
Most of the tees, especially on the front 9, are nothing but sand.
Many fairways have nothing but weeds, not a blade of grass in sight, but lots of sandy areas where there should be grass (does ANY Florida course buy and plant grass seed ?).
The back 9 was better than the front, but still subpar.
Most greens were in OK shape, some not.
Doesn't USF have a golf superintendent curriculum ? Why not have the students maintain the course for course credit ?