Staff members at the Palmetto, Fla. property describe new owner Jacques Panet-Raymond as “attentive and amusing” as he directs the addition of a variety of new activities and events, as well as an upgrade of food-and-beverage and banquet facilities.
After buying the Terra Ceia Bay Country Club in Palmetto, Fla., several months ago, the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune reported, new owner Jacques Panet-Raymond wants to make the club more of a resort.
In pursuit of that objective, the Herald-Tribune reported, Panet-Raymond is envisioning “adding bocce courts, pickleball courts, beach volleyball, a pitching range, shuffleboard, poker, cribbage, cornhole and billiards,” and supplementing those activities with mahjongg and bridge days, as well as bingo and trivia nights.
One of Panet-Raymond’s earliest moves, the Herald-Tribune reported, was setting the sun on the club’s Sunset Grill and reopening the restaurant as the Back Bay Grill. “We feature a casual menu for lunch and dinner with lots of sandwich and deli items,” he said.
Talks have also started with a “fine local chef,” Panet-Raymond said, about adding special dinner menus several times a month. And with the buildout of a tiki bar, the club is equipped to provide banquets for up to 200 guests for a variety of special events, the Herald-Tribune reported.
Panet-Raymond was attracted to Terra Ceia by the scenic, 18-hole golf course, along with a spacious pool and five Har Tru tennis courts, the Herald-Tribune reported. “I felt that this facility was a hidden gem,” he said, “and saw a super staff that can help improve what we can offer.”
In turn, staff members describe Panet-Raymond, a Montreal native who then moved to the Boston area before relocating to Florida, “as attentive and amusing,” the Herald-Tribune reported. After originally entering college to pursue an engineering degree, Panet-Raymond left to pursue his two greatest passions, golf and restaurants. A good enough golfer to play in pro tournaments, he also moved up the management ranks at restaurant chains before acquiring Terra Ceia Bay CC.
While supervising the enhancements of the Back Bay Grill, the Herald-Tribune reported, Panet-Raymond is also overseeing golf clinics and lessons. An ongoing objective is to sustain leagues year-round, for men’s and women’s groups as well as couples.
Asked how long it would take to achieve his goals for the club, Panet-Raymond replied, “Things like beach volleyball and billiards can happen right away. Pickleball and bocce will take a little longer. But I plan to be here for as long as it takes to make Terra Ceia one of Palmetto’s leading attractions.”
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