The Valspar Championship: inside the Copperhead Course, Florida’s toughest PGA Tour track
This week sees the final stop on the PGA Tour’s Floridian road trip – The Valspar Championship at the Copperhead Course.
It’s now well under a month until the World’s best meet at Augusta National for the first Major of the 2025 season, The Masters.
From now until then, every event will offer the field an opportunity to find form to allow them to push for the coveted Green Jacket at Augusta.
Rory McIlroy’s dream start to the 2025 season continued with a playoff victory over J.J. Spaun to win The Players Championship on Monday, meaning he has a 100% win rate this season with TaylorMade’s Qi10 driver and woods in his bag.
Despite the stretch of four tournaments in the Sunshine State featuring iconic courses such as TPC Sawgrass and Bay Hill, it was this week’s venue, the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort, that ranked the toughest in relation to par last season.
The final stop in Palm Harbour is notorious for spawning unlikely winners with American Peter Malnati beating a field including double Major champion Xander Schauffelle in last year’s event.
Let’s look at five things you may not have known about one of the PGA Tour’s most daunting golf courses…
‘The Snake Pit’ and one of the PGA Tour’s trickiest tracks
The ‘Snake Pit’ is a daunting closing run through holes 16, 17 and 18, and ranks among the hardest finishing stretches in professional golf.
Its tight fairways, elevation changes and testing rough contribute to its immense difficulty.
The testing elevation is atypical for Floridian venues
Unlike most Florida golf courses including TPC Sawgrass and Bay Hill, the Copperhead Course is hilly with varied elevation throughout.
Its rolling terrain and elevation shifts make it feel more like a Georgia or Carolina course and the unique challenge means players will face uphill approaches and uneven lies.
A career catalyst for some of the Tour’s future stars
The Valspar Championship has been a breakthrough event for several PGA Tour stars and provides the perfect opportunity to kickstart a successful career on the biggest stage.
The event was Paul Casey’s, Jordan Spieth’s, Gary Woodland’s and Kevin Streelman’s first taste of victory on the PGA Tour.
Smart, calculated and steady golf will lead to success on the challenging course – often allowing the less decorated players to rise to the top!
Thriving wildlife habitats
Innisbrook Resort isn’t just renowned for its golf…
The resort that is home to the Copperhead Course is a certified audubon cooperative sanctuary meaning it provides wildlife conservation and environmental sustainability.
It’s home to bald eagles, ospreys, alligators and often bobcats and is one of the most scenic stops on the circuit.
An extra par three
Most PGA golf courses consist of four par 3s – but Copperhead has five!
The unusual layout forces players to be pinpoint with their irons and adds a greater level of difficulty for those who rely on big hitting.
The 230-yard 13th hole is especially brutal with the par 3 often playing into the wind with a small green surrounded by bunkers.
READ MORE: What would a 10-handicapper shoot at Sawgrass from The Players Championship tees?