Note: Article links refer to map points.
Spectator sports in St. Pete/Clearwater range from Indy car racing through the streets of St. Pete to speedboats in the Gulf off of Clearwater beach and much more.
PGA Transitions Golf Championship
Every March brings the pros to play in the St. Pete/Clearwater area. The PGA TOUR's Transitions Championship takes place at the renowned Copperhead Course at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor. According to a recent Golf Digest survey, the Copperhead Course was ranked as the highest course in Florida. It's also a chance for golf lovers to play like the pros. The Monday following the tournament you can play the course, complete with Sunday pin placements, lightning fast greens and gallery ropes – just like the last day of the championship.
Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
Speed is celebrated here twice a year: on the streets of St. Petersburg and off the shores of Clearwater Beach. For those into big-time auto racing, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg rates high. The race takes place every spring on a 1.8-mile, 14-turn course through downtown streets. This action-packed, three-day event features the IndyCar Series. www.gpstpete.com
Baseball Fever
Baseball fans have an abundance of options when it comes to catching a home run in the St. Pete/Clearwater area. From mid-February to early April the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays call the area their spring training home. Catch the teams at their outdoor training facilities in Clearwater and Dunedin respectively.
Regular season means Rays baseball. Always a home run for family fun, the Rays play indoors at Tropicana Field. The ‘Trop’, as it is more commonly known, has plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy, including a rays touch tank. Look for the orange lighted dome after every home win.
Super Boat National Championship
In late September, jet speed comes to Clearwater Beach with the Super Boat National Championship. Fifty-foot-long boats with F-16 jet canopies and 4,800-horsepower engines race at speeds up to 140 mph during the free event, which starts at Pier 60. Fans can watch from the shore, hire a sight-seeing boat or see boats up-close the day before the race at Coachman Park. www.superboat.com
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Starting every September, watch the 2003 Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on other NFL teams at Raymond James Stadium. www.buccaneers.com
College Sports
Sports fans have plenty to cheer about as some of the biggest tournaments in college athletics come to the area.
In December, home plate becomes part of the gridiron when football teams from the Big East take over Tropicana Field in the Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl ).
The Big East/Big Ten Baseball Challenge returns to area Major League stadiums in February www.bigeastbigtenchallenge.com
More than two dozen of the top women's Division I fastpitch softball teams compete in the USF/Under Armour Invitational in March www.usfseries.com
Top golfers tee off in the Big East Golf Championships at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club every April.
In May, baseball players return to the area to compete for the conference title in the Big East Baseball Championship www.bigeast.org
Other Area Spectator Sports
Clearwater Threshers
601 N. Old Coachman Rd., Clearwater
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
813-879-2827, 800-795-BUCS, 1 Buccaneer Pl., Tampa
Tampa Bay Downs
813-855-4401, 11225 Racetrack Rd., Tampa
Tampa Bay Lightning
813-301-6500, 401 Channelside Dr., Tampa
Tampa Bay Storm
813-276-7300, 401 Channelside Dr., Tampa
New York Yankees
Steinbrenner Field
813-875-7753, 1 Steinbrenner Dr., Tampa
