Old Memorial Golf Club

Old Memorial was founded in 1997 in Tampa by Outback Steakhouse partners Chris Sullivan, Bob Basham, and Bob Merritt, who wanted a national-caliber, walking-only club in their hometown. They handed a roughly 300-plus-acre parcel of pure, sandy ground near Tampa International Airport to architect Steve Smyers, a Florida native and member of the University of Florida's 1973 NCAA championship team. Smyers drew heavily on the great Australian Sandbelt courses, citing Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath as inspirations, and built a firm, links-like layout that plays fast and fickle in the coastal wind. The course, named for a nearby road, is defined by alternate routes and classical risk-reward options on nearly every hole. Smyers later returned for a multi-month renovation, sharpening the strategy he first laid into the sand.