My Town: Gary Koch's Tampa Bay

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

Gary Koch won six times on the PGA TOUR but is probably more known today for his television work.

A six-time winner on the PGA TOUR and a current member of the Champions TOUR, Gary Koch has been a resident of the Tampa Bay area for more than 40 years. He competed full-time on the Champions TOUR from 2003-05 before shifting his focus to the broadcast booth, where he has been a member of NBC Sports for more than 10 years. He also spent many years working in the booth for ESPN on their coverage of golf. An All-American at the University of Florida, he was a member of their 1973 National Championship team before embarking on his professional career.

WHY LIVE IN THE TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG AREA?

It's been home since 1968. I was fortunate to move there from Sarasota when I was 15. My family and friends are there and the weather, especially in the winter months, tends to be very good. They also have a wonderful airport in Tampa and I can get from there to just about any place I need to go. In the business I'm in, I tend to see the airport a lot.

GOLF COURSES

I have many favorite courses in the area. If you're looking for an upscale, daily-fee type of course, the TPC Tampa Bay, where we play the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am is as good as it gets. It's usually in great condition and it's a wonderful test. It's one of the favorites of the Champions Tour players. Another good, semi-private facility is Bloomingdale out to the east of town in the Brandon area. It's kind of a true golf experience. There are no houses on the course and in Florida nowadays, that's pretty hard to find.

Innisbrook

The Copperhead Course hosted the PGA TOUR in March.

Private-course wise, I'm very proud to be a member of Old Memorial Golf Club. If you know somebody there and get a chance to play the course, it's quite a great experience between the caddie experience, the golf course and the clubhouse. If you're looking for a resort course, it's pretty hard to beat Innisbrook Resort over in Tarpon Springs. They've got 72 holes of golf and the PGA TOUR plays the Transitions Championship at the Copperhead Course. The Island Course is probably just as good. One of the hidden gems in the area is Temple Terrace Golf and Country Club. It was a course I grew up playing. It was built in the 1920s and is very much and old-style golf course. It's not very long, but it's tricky and you need to hit the ball straight. It's a great experience if you have the chance to play there.

OFF THE COURSE

They call it Tampa Bay for a reason. We've got a big bay in the area so any kind of water sports are available. If you're into fishing, boating, there is a lot to be had. One can also enjoying kayaking in the area. There's a little area just on the west side of Tampa Bay called Weedon Island Preserve and it's a natural area where you can rent kayaks and just paddle around and see all kinds of wildlife in a peaceful setting. Of course you have Ybor City, which is very popular. You can learn all about the history of cigar making in the United States, which appeals to many people. And one of the newest things to do is visit the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. It has a very nice tribute to Salvador Dali with many of his works. One can spend a great afternoon there.

MORE SPORTS

We've got sports in the Tampa Bay area. The Tampa Bay Rays, the winners of the American League East last year, play over in St. Petersburg indoors at Tropicana Field. In the middle of summer it's 72 degrees inside. In the fall we've got the Tampa Bay Bucs, who seem to be heading in the right direction under their new coach Raheem Morris, and in the winter we have the Tampa Bay Lightning. They won the Stanley Cup a few years ago and play at the St. Pete Times Forum in the middle of downtown Tampa. We've also got major college sports with the USF Bulls, who seem to get better every year. Skip Holtz has them heading in the right direction.

RESTAURANTS

One of my favorites is right near where I live called Caffé Paradiso. It's run by an Italian gentleman named Paolo Tini. It's a very small place so you might want to call and get some reservations but the food is just good, down home Italian cooking. If you're looking for steaks, Fleming's Steakhouse near the airport is one of the best. My friends from Outback have done a wonderful job of creating what I call a New York steakhouse kind of feel. For seafood you'd be hard pressed not to go to Oystercatcher's in the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Tampa. It's right on the Causeway near the airport and you get some beautiful views of the sunset while dining there as well as some of the best seafood in town.

HOTELS

Loews Hotels

The Don CeSar is an impossible-to-miss St. Pete Beach landmark.

Depending on what location you choose, the Grand Hyatt Hotel which is on the Causeway and very close to the airport is a good choice. It offers great service and great views overlooking the Bay. In downtown Tampa you have the Marriott Waterside which is right on a little finger of the Bay and near the St. Pete Times Forum. If you're looking for a resort and beach, Don CeSar, the big pink building at St. Pete Beach is a very nice resort and offers a little bit of everything.

DAY TRIPS

The nice thing about Tampa is its location. It's only about an hour and 15 minutes from Disney World. It is a very easy commute there to Orlando and we also have Busch Gardens, an amusement park right in Tampa where you can spend a fun day. North of Tampa you'll find some old Civil War sites and to the South you have Sarasota, home of the Ringling Brothers Museum to learn all about the history of the Ringling Brothers Circus. A lot of things close by.