PALM HARBOR, Florida – The iconic Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor is headed for new ownership after nearly two decades of ownership under Salamander Collection, a luxury hospitality and resort management company founded by billionaire and former BET co-founder Sheila Johnson.
According to a statement from Concert Golf Partners – based in Lake Mary, Florida, that describes itself as a “boutique club hospitality company” that owns 40 private golf properties in 20 states – an agreement between the two parties has been signed. Concert Golf Partners will pay $19.8 million in cash plus assumed liabilities to acquire the property before the end of 2026 with Salamander retaining approximately 34 acres for future development.
Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course has hosted the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship since 2000, with an agreement keeping the tournament at the resort through 2030. The event is scheduled to return in May 6-9, 2027.
Concert Golf Partners owns and operates private golf and country clubs, including Carrollwood Country Club in Tampa as well as eight other private courses in Florida. Spanning 600 acres, the Innisbrook transaction would add 63 holes of golf, restaurants, a spa and more than 65,000 square feet of meeting space. The resort employed 474 people at the end of 2025, although plans for staffing, investment and future management have not been disclosed.
Salamander previously sold approximately 54 acres at Innisbrook to Toll Brothers in 2023, generating $12.5 million in net proceeds. Toll Brothers plans to build 122 single-family homes and 52 townhouses.
Salamander acquired Innisbrook in 2007. The resort generated $46.5 million in revenue in 2025, down 1.6% from the previous year, and reported a $2.15 million net loss following a $2.01 million loss in 2024. Room revenue fell 10.6%, with management attributing much of the decline to reduced lodging and food-and-beverage business following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Also as part of the deal, Concert Golf Partners will acquire the resort’s hospitality operations. Innisbrook is home to four courses, including the Island Course, the oldest of the four, which opened in 1970 and has previously hosted U.S. Open qualifiers and NCAA championships. The Copperhead Course is the resort’s flagship layout and best-known venue, serving as the annual host of the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship.
“Concert Golf Partners and Salamander Collection have entered into a Purchase and Sale Agreement under which Innisbrook Resort would join the Concert Golf Partners portfolio,” the statement said. “The transaction is expected to close in the coming months, subject to customary closing conditions.
“Innisbrook is expected to continue operating during the transition, and no immediate operational changes are planned at this time. Concert Golf Partners, which maintains a portfolio of private golf and country clubs nationwide, currently intends to retain Innisbrook’s team and build on the foundation established by Sheila Johnson and Salamander Collection.
“Salamander Collection will remain involved in a consulting capacity following closing. Additional information will be shared as appropriate.”
INNISBROOK HISTORY & VALSPAR’S FUTURE
The Valspar Championship began in 2000 as the Tampa Bay Classic on the PGA Tour, with Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course serving as its host venue. However, the resort’s association with professional golf dates back even further, having hosted the JCPenney Classic for a decade, from 1990 to 1999.
With the sale, the tournament’s future at Innisbrook appears secure, thanks to an agreement between the event and the property that runs through 2030. Beyond Innisbrook, Salamander Collection also owns PGA National Resort in South Florida, along with several other luxury destinations stretching from Colorado to Jamaica.
https://www.salamanderhotels.com/
https://www.innisbrookgolfresort.com/
https://concertgolfpartners.com/
https://valsparchampionship.com/
