Saddlebrook is a golf and tennis resort in Wesley Chapel, about half an hour north of Tampa International Airport, one mile east of I-75. As part of a US$92 million resort renovation, Rees Jones and his associate Bryce Swanson turned its two 18-hole courses into 27 holes: three nines named Oak, Pine and Cypress, played in any pairing. A new 13-acre range opened first, in December 2024. For a visiting golfer that means rebuilt greens, white-sand bunkers and a choice of three 18-hole pairings.
Saddlebrook Resort green fees and tee times.
Saddlebrook runs its tee sheet online: the resort’s golf page links to a TeeItUp booking engine, and the main resort line is 813.973.1111. The resort does not state in writing whether non-guests may book, and it publishes no daily green fee, so the price only appears at the booking step. For a stay, there are two golf packages. The Stay & Play Golf Getaway includes 18 holes per night, with cart and green fees, plus a grab-and-go breakfast at the BREW café, and it books online. The Preferred Golf Getaway adds a full daily breakfast and nightly club cleaning, and it is booked by phone on 813.907.4464. Package prices are not listed on the website; for a custom trip the resort points you to its Director of Golf.
The courses at Saddlebrook Resort.
Oak nine
Rebuilt by Jones and Swanson. Its eighth, a right-hand dogleg guarded by bunkers in the angle, was singled out by GolfPass as one of the best holes of the redesign, and the ninth swings right to an approach across water.
Pine nine
Starts with a forced carry to the first green, so warm up on the new range. The sixth, at 390 yards, rises to a ridge before dropping to a pond-side green.
Cypress nine
Drawn from the old Palmer Course. The early-2026 GolfPass review said Cypress still needed work and that its renovation was probably a year or more away, while the resort now lists all 27 holes as open.
The round, in perspective.
The two original courses were the Saddlebrook Course, designed by Dean Refram in 1976, and the Palmer Course, which Arnold Palmer designed in 1982. Jones kept a number of holes in their old corridors but rebuilt greens to USGA specification, levelled tees, refilled bunkers with white sand and replaced the irrigation. Water runs through much of the property. GolfPass’s review picks out several holes: the first on Pine opens with a forced carry to the green, the 390-yard sixth on Pine climbs to a fairway ridge with a pond by the green, the eighth on Oak bends hard right round bunkers at the corner, and the ninth on Oak finishes with an approach over water. The resort now says the transformation is complete, with Pine and Oak open and all 27 holes in play.
Know before you go.
Tee times
Online via TeeItUp; resort line 813.973.1111
Preferred package line
813.907.4464
Layout
Three nines, played in any pairing
Range
13-acre range, opened December 2024
2027 aerification
Each nine closes for set weeks, June to August
Make the trip work.
Check the resort’s published course schedule before fixing summer dates. In 2027 each nine closes twice between June and August for aerification, so a July visit may leave only two nines open. In the main season the three-nine setup is flexible: play Oak and Pine on the first day, then pair Cypress with either for the second. GolfPass found Cypress, the old Palmer nine, the least polished of the three in early 2026, so if you only have one day, Oak and Pine are the safer pairing.
Tampa International (TPA) is the airport. The resort puts the drive at about 30 minutes, north on I-275 and I-75, and the entrance is roughly a mile from the I-75 and State Road 54 interchange. A car is useful, since the other Tampa Bay courses are 20 to 40 miles away.
The resort has 451 rooms and suites in separate low-rise buildings around the pool and the golf. It is a sporting campus as much as a hotel: 41 tennis courts, eight pickleball courts and the revived Hopman tennis programme share the site, which suits a group where not everyone plays golf. RARE 1981 is the steakhouse. The resort’s transportation concierge can arrange airport shuttles, so a car is optional if you plan to stay put.
Make a trip of it.
Innisbrook is about 35 miles west in Palm Harbor, and its Copperhead Course hosts the Valspar Championship. TPC Tampa Bay in Lutz is closer still. For something different, Cabot Citrus Farms is roughly 45 miles north and Streamsong about 71 miles south-east, both long but realistic day trips. Away from golf, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and the Tampa Riverwalk are both in Tampa itself, within an easy drive south.
Find your season.
November to April brings the dry, mild weather most visitors want. Summers are hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms, and that is also when the resort aerifies; in 2027 the three nines close in turn from early June to late August.
The resort books tee times through an online TeeItUp engine and by phone on 813.973.1111, and the engine is reached straight from the public golf page. The resort does not set out its non-guest policy in writing, so confirm when you book.
How far is Saddlebrook from Tampa airport?
About 30 minutes by road, according to the resort, which is roughly a mile from the I-75 and State Road 54 interchange (exit 279). The resort’s concierge runs shared shuttles between 6am and 11pm.
When are the Saddlebrook courses closed for maintenance?
The 2027 aerification schedule closes Cypress on 7 to 11 June and 19 to 23 July, Pine on 28 to 30 June and 2 to 6 August, and Oak on 5 to 9 July and 16 to 20 August.
Last checked 11 November 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
