Will be down in Tampa for a few days (Thursday - Monday). What are some good condition, inexpensive courses to play from.

I don't care if the coarses aren't the best designs, but the greens and fairways have to be in very good condition. And by inexpensive, I mean <$35.

Nothing this time of year.

You might find a few miniature golf places at that price.

LOL.

Unfortunately, that's all my budget allows for. In which case I was wondering, are there any truely excellent driving range faclities around that area?

I don't need to play golf. As long as I can hit balls, I'm happy.

Check out Paradiseteetimes.com, or teeofftampabay.com

Before I went private club, that's where I went for all my needs. You should still be able to find a place or two for under 35 bucks no problem.

Good luck! I live in Bradenton (just south of Tampa Bay) and even the munis are around $40. If you're ever here in the summer you can play just about anywhere for $40 and under.

Summerfield would be my pick for that price range-

http://www.summerfieldgc.com/

A bit south of Brandon, but not far. I used to play there a fair amount ~10 years ago, but haven't been in awhile-- but I remember it always being in pretty good condition.

It's been a few years since I moved out of Tampa, but World Woods Pine Barrens is a good bet. They usually have good weekday specials that include lunch... under $50 if I'm not mistaken. It's just a short drive up North.

There's a bunch of decent courses to play in that area. You may have to spend $10. more or so, but they fine facilities.

The best pratice facility is the TAMPA BAY DOWNS Practice facility in Oldsmar, just min's West of Tampa off of Hillsbrough Ave.

Depending on the times you'd like to play I would call West Chase, The Eagles, Cheval and Northdale. They're all reasonable and in good shape right now.

You may want to try Roger's Park in Tampa. It has been awhile since I played there. It is a city course, but it's not bad and I think it is priced pretty in your budget.

Heritage Harbor and Heritage Isles usually offer afternoon twilight rates.

Rogers Park is ok if you can deal with the airport being within a mile or two away from you. Course is normally in ok condition.

Cheval is a private club, you'd have to use a Paradise Tee Time or other website like that to get a time. Plus, AVOID IT. My parents live in cheval right across from the first tee box. They don't take care of the course due to a lawsuit between the course owner and the HomeOwners association. You'll spend the money, then be very pissed off that you spent your money for that.

http://www.paradiseteetimes.com/TeeTimeSea...00-000000000000

Copy that in, you'll find a bunch of courses and times, and I've yet to see something crack 50

Diamond Hill in Brandon/Valrico is $38 before 12. Not sure how much it drops after.

Try the following in the Brandon area but you will have to play in the afternoon to get around $35:

http://apollobeachgolf.com/page/22-518.htm

http://www.bloomingdalegolf.com/page/6-129.htm

http://www.summerfieldgc.com/course.aspx

There also some Muni's through-out the Tampa area that are not great courses but are okay and the prices are usually reasonable:

http://www.tampabaywired.com/lifestyle/gol...mp;Submit=Go%21

http://www.tampabaywired.com/lifestyle/gol...mp;Submit=Go%21

http://www.tampabaywired.com/lifestyle/gol...mp;Submit=Go%21

Hope this helps and have fun...

Babe Zaharias!! Hahaha that course has pretty ok greens, but the fairways were in rough condition a month ago. Could barely find the change from fairway to rough, and in most cases, you had a better lie in the rough than the fairway cause the grass was in better condition.

Lots of houses near the course, and some questionable activities that take place in the surrounding Forest Hills area that will lead to some fun stories when you get back home. Just to give you a sample, the young prostitute who was soliciting while still holding her bottle of malt liquor, complete with brown paper bag.

Yeah but it is cheap and it is the course that Aquaman learned to play on...I have not played there in quite some time is it really that bad?

Whatever you do, don't play Apollo Beach. They don't even have grass on half their fairways. I played there about 6 months ago and I will positively never go back.

Summerfield was also pretty bad the last time I played but it's been a while.

Asking for really good greens and fairways for less than $35 isn't a real possibilty around here right now unless your definition of "really good" is far less than what mine is.

I'll have to agree with the conditions of the course, but the questional activities around the course, I'd have to question. I've played there many times and I've never had any problems, with the exception of the course itself.

It's a quit residential neighborhood.

I played the USF course The Claw last week after 3:00pm for twenty bucks and got 18 in. For <$35.00 on the shoulder season in Florida, even Tampa, you are gonna have gonna have to either adjust your dollar amount or your expectations. This isn't Upstate New York...lol...J

Thanks for posting that...I am an outpatient @ H. Lee Moffitt @ USF,temporarily displaced from South Florida for awhile and was looking for a good practice facility...The Claw is fine for putting/chipping but the range...well...I'll just say I was disapointed...Thanks again...J