Fox Hollow Golf Club is one of the premier golf courses in the state and was recently rated 57th by Golf Digest’s Top 75 Courses Accessible to the Public in Florida. Purchased by the Creighton family in 2013, one of their goals was to take the course to a higher level by upgrading course conditions and constantly making improvements.
Dave Creighton Sr. owned and operated several courses in Florida starting with Northdale Golf Club from 1980 to 2000. Other courses include Rosemont, Kissimmee, Celebration, Countryway, Lexington Oaks and now Fox Hollow.
Dave Sr. had a 21-year professional hockey career including 11 seasons in the NHL with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers. Son Adam followed his dad’s path into professional hockey with a 14-year NHL career, including two years with the Tampa Bay Lightning (1992/93 and (1993/94).
Dave’s other son Dave Jr. is an accomplished PGA golf professional. He has spent his career managing the family’s golf course properties.
When the Creighton’s purchased Fox Hollow in August of 2013 they immediately started upgrading the facility. New machinery was purchased for golf course maintenance and different maintenance practices were followed to ensure that the golf course is always in great condition. The restaurant and banquet room also went through a facelift and were upgraded with new furniture and décor in 2014.
Opening in 1994, the Fox Hollow golf course has the distinction of being one of the last courses designed and built by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., one of the most prolific and innovative golf course designers of all time. In his design of Fox Hollow, the legendary Jones created a layout as picturesque as it is playable. Quite simply, Fox Hollow offers a good, fair test of golf.
The par-71 championship layout features five sets of tees and offers new challenges every time it’s played, mixing native trees and vegetation, sparkling lakes, sand bunkers and a variety of wildlife. Fox Hollow’s rolling fairways are a delightful departure from the pancake-flat layouts found elsewhere in Florida.
The putting surfaces at Fox Hollow feature SeaDwarf Paspalum, a hearty turfgrass that can be irrigated with effluent, reclaimed, or even seawater. This grass also has the ability to deliver fast green speeds (9+ on the Stimpmeter) and requires less fertilizer, pesticide, weed control and irrigation. Arguably, Fox Hollow possesses some of the finest quality, most environmentally friendly green complexes in the Tampa Bay area.
Convenience and an emphasis on friendly, unobtrusive service also contribute to the Fox Hollow experience. From the time you drop off your clubs until you reach the first tee, everything you need is readily accessible. The 15,000 square foot clubhouse is the focal point, featuring a fully stocked pro shop, locker rooms, private meeting rooms and an upscale dining room to serve as an alternative to the more relaxed atmosphere of the “Grille at Fox Hollow Golf Club.” Both share spectacular views of the 10th and 18th holes of the golf course.
If awards are what you’re looking for, the Tampa Tribune has placed Fox Hollow on its list of top three public-access courses in all of west central Florida; and Central Florida Magazine says the 18th hole, with its forced carry off the tee and water running the entire length of the hole on both sides of the fairway, is simply the “Best Par 4 in Florida”. Water comes into play on 11 holes and Jones’ other signature feature – plentiful, profound and penal bunker complexes – abounds.
Fox Hollow has hosted local qualifying for the U.S. Open as well as qualifiers for the Valspar Championship, the PGA Tour event held annually at Innisbrook Golf Resort.
