Tampa Bay's sports teams -- the NFL's Buccaneers, the NHL's Lightning and MLB's Rays -- aren't always worth cheering for, but Tampa's golf scene is a proven winner with its 100-plus courses. The nearby Gulf of Mexico provides a haven for fishermen, boaters and beachgoers. All the best golf lies north of the Latin-inspired Ybor City, a downtown tourist hotspot.

Many PGA Tour pros believe the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook, a Salamander Golf & Spa Resort, in Palm Harbor, remains among the fairest tests of golf on the schedule. Three other layouts and a nine-hole walking course call this family-friendly resort home. The excellent TPC Tampa Bay, a Bobby Weed and Chi Chi Rodriguez collaboration in Lutz, used to host the Champions Tour. Kurt Sandness designed the 36-hole Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club in Dade City (Tom Lehman gave an assist on the more heralded South Course).

Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel ranks among the nation's best tennis-and-golf resorts, thanks to its teaching academies in both sports and two Arnold Palmer designs. The feather in Tampa's cap comes courtesy of Tom Fazio, who created two Top-100 courses, Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks, at World Woods Golf Club in remote Brooksville.