The Best Indoor Golf Deal in DuPage County, the Links & Tee’s Golf Dome 880 West Lake Street in Addison. Friday nights are country nights, wear in your cowboy hat and get a deal on range balls. See the professional staff for your spring tuneup lesson, as the outdoor golf season is coming. Call (630)-233-7275 Ext. 4, or see Addisonparks.org.

The Gog Blog, by Rory Spears Editor & Director of Content. Follow Rory on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter @GogBlogGuy.

The Salamander Hotels and Resorts have announced upgrades to the famed Copperhead Golf Course at Innisbrook Resort just north of Tampa.

Copperhead is the host of this weeks Valspar Championship on the PGA Tour. The course was originally designed by Larry Packard.

Back in January of this year the resort brought in the new white “tour sand” to enhance the golf course. The new look is coming across this week during the TV broadcasts. But starting in May the improvement list to the golf course will grow.

The new sand was dropped in Copperhead’s bunkers early this year.

It’s a six-month restoration project that will start in May, and continue through October.

The project will include the replacing of all fairways and rough, rebuilding each green on the golf course, and then reshaping bunkers while having them stay true to the original Packard design.

The announcement was made this week at the Valspar Championship, a favorite stop by many of the professionals on the PGA Tour.

The Snake Pit makes up holes 16-17-18 on Copperhead.

One of the area’s that will be interesting to see the improvements will be the area known as the “Snake Pit.” The Snake Pit is made up of the last three holes, and can give the golfers fits, as they make their way around the three holes.

“Our vision is to respect and protect the vision of Larry Packard and his signature design, and continue to elevate the golf experience for our guests, members, partners and playing professionals,” said Sheila C. Johnson, Founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts, and owner of Innisbrook. “Our exciting restoration will accomplished this goal in an environmentally sensitive fashion and help maintain Innisbrook’s reputation as one of America’s top golf destinations for years to come.”

Copperhead’s bunkers with the new sand in place.

Copperhead has hosted a professional golf championship for the past 25 years. It is one of the four courses at the resort that was designed by Packard who lived at the resort for some 40 years. Packard passed away at the age of 101 in 2014.

During his career, Packard designed some 600 golf courses.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing Copperhead,” says former World No.1 player Luke Donald, who won the Valspar Championship in 2012. “It is one of my favorite weeks of the year. I’m very glad to hear that Innisbrook is doing so much to make sure it remains a great test of golf for years to come.”

Wadsworth Golf Construction that was the original builder, will handle the work during the restoration. The greens will be rebuilt to USGA Standards with TiFEagle Bermuda grass, with some greens being restored to original size to add additional pin placements.

The fairways will be replaced with Celebration Bermuda grass and some areas around the greens will be expanded for better viewing area’s. The tee boxes will be leveled, and the front tee’s shortened to make the course more enjoyable for juniors, seniors, women and beginners. The overall length will remain at 7,340 yards. The PGA Tour will consult on the improvement project.

Innisbrook is located north of Tampa Florida near the gulf, and north of Palm Harbor and just South of Tarpon Springs on Highway US-19 North. For more information please see innisbrookgolfresort.com or call (727)-942-2000.