Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club (Tampa, Fla.) has completed the Phase II modernization of its historic golf course, 14 years after the initial restoration of the original Tom Bendelow and Donald Ross design was completed. The project continues the club’s commitment to preserving its championship heritage while enhancing playability, aesthetics, and infrastructure for today’s members and future generations.
Working in partnership with Bobby Weed Golf Design, the club advanced a comprehensive scope of improvements designed to elevate consistency, course conditions, and the overall playing experience. Weed’s extensive experience as a Ross historian and restorer, combined with his deep familiarity with Palma Ceia, allowed the team to execute the plan efficiently and with respect for the course’s storied character. The highly anticipated reopening took place on October 31.
A Modernized Classic
Phase II builds upon Palma Ceia’s long-term Master Plan, originally developed after the club and Bobby Weed Golf Design collaborated on the 2011–2012 restoration. The latest phase focused on refining infrastructure, improving drainage, and restoring key design elements while maintaining the timeless feel members expect.
Among the most notable enhancements are substantial updates to holes 4 and 18. The 18th green was lowered 2.5 feet and shifted to the right to create a more strategic and visually dynamic finishing hole with greater separation from the clubhouse.
Scope of Improvements
The modernization encompassed a full re-grassing of the property, green restorations, tee enlargements, bunker reconstruction, drainage and irrigation updates, tree management, bulkhead replacements, and cart path improvements.
Highlights include:
- Re-grassing wall-to-wall with TifGrand bermudagrass (tees, collars, approaches) and TifEagle ultradwarf bermudagrass (greens)
- Excavation and reconstruction of all bunkers with new drainage, liner, and sand
- Enlarged par 3 and select tees, including new forward tees and improved tee walls and steps
- Updated bulkheads course-wide and removal of four to six feet of muck from all lagoons
- Enhanced landscaping and tree management, including the addition of Podocarpus hedges for screening
- Course-wide cart path reconstruction with select widening and new curbing
Continuing a Legacy of Excellence
Since its founding in 1916, Palma Ceia has been an integral part of South Tampa and holds a proud place in golf history as the founding club of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), a former host of the PGA TOUR’s largest event purse, and the longtime host of the Gasparilla Invitational—one of the most prestigious amateur tournaments in the country.
“Led by renovation chairmen Phil Carrol and Dan Fields, along with superintendent Carson Kamps, Palma Ceia has entrusted our firm to guide the continued evolution of Tampa’s oldest private golf course,” said golf course architect and longtime ASGCA member Bobby Weed. “Our latest scope provides a more consistent, drier, and faster playing experience that will be well received by Palma Ceia’s membership.”
Weed added, “To lay out a phased Master Plan that encompassed over a decade proves that proper planning and budgeting to fit the club’s other capital improvements is a testament to Palma Ceia’s goal of raising the bar for all amenities at the club.”
The completion of this phase marks another milestone in Palma Ceia’s long-term vision to integrate history, strategy, and sustainability across its golf course and amenities, ensuring that Tampa’s oldest private club continues to set the standard for the next century.
