From a community that was considered to be on the northern outskirts of Tampa, Fla. in 1987, the ClubCorp property has become a central landmark in the “New Tampa” region that has seen its population swell and has emerged as a new retailing center and resort destination.
Kevin Kenny can easily recall the first days of Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club in Tampa, Fla., the Tampa Bay Times reported.
“I have been around the Tampa area since 1987,” Kenny, who has served as the club’s PGA head professional since 2004, told the Times. “When I was a student at the University of South Florida [I] actually played here regularly and [also] caddied in the Senior Tour event [the GTE Classic] here.”
As Kenny has matured, so too has Tampa Palms G&CC, the Times reported. Once located in a community considered to be on the northern outskirts of Tampa, the club has served as a central landmark in Tampa Palms, as growth has come to the “New Tampa” region.
Now, as the ClubCorp property celebrates its 30th anniversary, it is still relevant in a community that has boomed with houses and retail, the Times reported.
The club enjoyed early attention when it hosted the area’s first PGA Senior Tour event in 1988, the Times reported. Nearly 60,000 people attended the five days of the GTE Classic to watch greats like Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. While the tournament relocated in 1992, Tampa Bay G&CC’s Arthur Hills-designed course remains a popular destination, the Times reported, drawing both new and seasoned golfers alike.
And despite the passage of years and changes in the nature of the business, the country club remains similar to how it was in 1987, Kenny told the Times.
“The club hasn’t changed all that much, other than the gentrification of the original members and a younger generation taking their place,” he said. “[The golf course] is by far the most unique layout in the Tampa Bay area, and also one of the most challenging.”
ClubCorp did invest $2 million in facility upgrades for the club a few years ago, as reported by C&RB (http://clubandresortbusiness.com/2013/10/tampa-fla-palms-gcc-completes-2m-renovation/).
The growth of the University of South Florida (USF) over the years has also been a boon for the club, Kenny told the Times. “I love [the club’s] proximity to USF and the relationship I have worked to foster between our club and the university as a whole, but more importantly its golf teams,” he said.
Over the last 30 years, the golf course and country club have drawn members both from within the Tampa Palms community and elsewhere, the Times reported. And in addition to the golf course, the private, members-only club also has the unique attraction of 25 luxury resort rooms.
While those features have helped the club to become a destination for out-of-towners on business and vacation, Tampa Palms G&CC also remains a favorite, the Times reported, for neighborhood residents such as Maggie Wilson, who moved to Tampa Palms in 1989 and has seen her once far-flung neighborhood become one of the city’s most popular communities.
Since the club opened in 1987, the Times reported, the population of “New Tampa” has swelled since the City of Tampa first annexed the community in 1988. In 2010, the United States Census Bureau reported more than 13,000 people lived in Tampa Palms. The community now consists of 2,400 single-family homes and 1,100 apartment homes.
With that growth, Wilson said, has come a welcomed mix of people. “Tampa Palms is diverse,” she told the Times. “We’ve got folks from all over the country and all over the world.”
Tell Us What You Think!
You must be logged in to post a comment.