Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 18
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Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 18
The par-4 18th hole is a difficult dogleg right on the Saddlebrook Course at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. Brandon Tucker/TravelGolf
Saddlebrook Resort - Palmer Course - hole 16
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Saddlebrook Resort - Palmer Course - hole 16
Compared to the more traditional Saddlebrook Course, the Palmer Course has far more difficult green complexes. Brandon Tucker/TravelGolf
Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 6
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Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 6
The par-4 sixth hole on the Saddlebrook Course is a short, tight dogleg left. Brandon Tucker/TravelGolf
Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 8
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Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 8
The par-3 eighth hole on the Saddlebrook Course plays 211 yards from the back tees. Brandon Tucker/TravelGolf
Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 9
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Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 9
The par-4 ninth hole on the Saddlebrook Course plays 406 yards and requires an approach shot over water. Brandon Tucker/TravelGolf
Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 10
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Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 10
The 10th green on the Saddlebrook Course is surrounded by bunkers. Brandon Tucker/TravelGolf
Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 12
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Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course - hole 12
The 12th hole on the Saddlebrook Course is a 145-yard par 3. Brandon Tucker/TravelGolf
Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook Course
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Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook Course
The Saddlebrook Course is a par 70 that plays 6,564 yards from the championship tees. Brandon Tucker/TravelGolf
Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course
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Saddlebrook Resort - Saddlebrook golf course
Beside the 18th hole of the Saddlebrook Course is a pond with a wooden bridge walking path for guests to explore. Brandon Tucker/TravelGolf
Saddlebrook Resort
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Saddlebrook Resort
Saddlebrook Resort has a world-renowned prep school for both tennis and golf. Brandon Tucker/TravelGolf
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Original Saddlebrook golf course at Saddlebrook Resort is a classic Tampa-area play

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. -- Saddlebrook Resort, set on a scenic 480 acres just north of Tampa in Wesley Chapel, is home to two 18-hole golf courses.

The original Saddlebrook Course, once 27 holes until nine were used to help build the newer 18-hole Palmer Course, opened in 1976. The Dean Refram design is a par 70 that plays 6,664 yards from the back set of four tee boxes.

While playing almost identical in yardage, the two designs are quite different. The Saddlebrook Course features gentler, flatter land compared to the more sculpted Palmer Course, and the result is a more traditional, old-Florida feel with cypress and oak trees draped with Spanish moss. Wetlands come into play often and the course is also home to birds, alligators and turtles.

The 18th, which finishes beside the resort community's restaurants, villas and shops, is the most exciting and scenic of the holes. It's a narrow 425-yard par 4 that doglegs right off the tee. The approach shot must carry water and the green is large but well-protected by sand and water.

In addition to 36 holes, Saddlebrook recently introduced the BannLynch teaching academy and is unveiling a new practice center. Guests who stay in one of the resort's spacious, on-site villa accommodations can receive preferred package rates to the golf courses as well as enjoy the spa, tennis facilities and large pool area.

Brandon Tucker is the Sr. Managing Editor for GolfPass and was the founding editor of Golf Advisor in 2014, he was the managing editor for Golf Channel Digital's Courses & Travel. To date, his golf travels have taken him to over two dozen countries and nearly 600 golf courses worldwide. While he's played some of the most prestigious courses in the world, Tucker's favorite way to play the game is on a great muni in under three hours. Follow Brandon on Twitter at @BrandonTucker and on Instagram at @btuck34.
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Original Saddlebrook golf course at Saddlebrook Resort is a classic Tampa-area play