Palma Ceia by Walker Thomas under IMO

[Ran Morrissett]

Politicians and the English language are not always easy bedfellows. Remember 'unknown unknowns' ? Such a pairing!

As a golfer, you like/need to be aware of the good courses, rather than leave it to serendipity. Happily, Walker Thomas brings us one today, Palma Ceia outside of Tampa Bay. As his In My Opinion piece neatly lays out, this course ticks many important boxes. It has great architectural lineage (Bendelow + Ross) plus it has benefited from a recent restoration (Weed). It is an easy stroll on a compact layout of less than 100 acres. It has a secure place in history with all sorts of famous people having walked its fairways from Babe Ruth to Walter Hagen and Dick Siderowf to several past US Open champs.

Impressively, it played a critical role in the early years of the LPGA with the likes of Zaharias, Suggs, Rawls and Wright routinely competing here. Today, it hosts the Gasparilla Invitational for skilled mid and senior amateurs. I am told that to hit - and hold - its famously small greens is no mean feat!
 
 I had no genuine understanding of its rich heritage nor of its existing vibrant club culture. Thanks to Walker, Palma Ceia is now a 'known known' (!) and it makes me want to learn more about other Florida gems like Timaquana and Sara Bay.

Hope you enjoy -  here is the link: https://golfclubatlas.com/in-my-opinion/thomas-walker-palma-ceia-golf-country-club-1916/

Best,

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

Great job Walker, I remember you talking about your home course the day we played.


In the Tampa area, would Palma Ceia be considered the "old money" club in town?

[Steve_Lovett]

Great job Walker, I remember you talking about your home course the day we played.


In the Tampa area, would Palma Ceia be considered the "old money" club in town?

Yes

[Walker Thomas]

Thanks for posting the write-up, Ran! It's cool to see a Palma Ceia piece on the site. And hopefully people can learn from it being here!

[Sven Nilsen]

The piece notes Palma Ceia was the second longest course in the country at 6,400 yards when built by Bendelow in 1916.  Here is a short list of courses that were longer according to the 1916 Annual Guide:


Los Angeles CC - 6,604
Colorado Springs CC - 6,605
Chicago GC - 6,540
Idlewild CC - 6,500
LaGrange CC - 6,470
Midlothian CC - 6,500
Wheaton GC - 6,422
Audobon GC - 6,500
Belmont Springs CC - 6,426
Chevy Chase Club - 6,485
CC of Detroit - 6,615
Detroit GC South - 6,482
Kent CC - 6,425
Red Run GC - 6,765
Excelsior Springs CC - 6,450
Hillcrest CC - 6,515
Swope Park GC - 6,568
Canoe Brook CC North - 6,600
North Jersey CC - 6,600
Shackamaxon CC - 6,615
Lido Club 6,424
Siwanoy CC - 6,561
Oakwood CC - 6,500
The Country Club (OH) - 6,830
Oakmont CC - 6,536
Shawnee CC - 6,471


In addition, the article notes CC of Orlando was designed by Donald Ross in 1918.  We've been through this before, but the course was extended to 18 holes by Bendelow in 1918, and there is no evidence Ross ever did any work there.

[Walker Thomas]

Great job Walker, I remember you talking about your home course the day we played.


In the Tampa area, would Palma Ceia be considered the "old money" club in town?

Yes

Ryan, I am not sure I would consider PC to be the "old money" club in town. For the reason being there aren't too many private clubs in Tampa to begin with. If people play at a country club in Tampa you'll find a lot of them belong to PC (regardless of old or new money), because that is one of the few available. But that is just my opinion, Steve's opinion above is that it is the "old money" club.

[Walker Thomas]

The piece notes Palma Ceia was the second longest course in the country at 6,400 yards when built by Bendelow in 1916.  Here is a short list of courses that were longer according to the 1916 Annual Guide:


Los Angeles CC - 6,604
Colorado Springs CC - 6,605
Chicago GC - 6,540
Idlewild CC - 6,500
LaGrange CC - 6,470
Midlothian CC - 6,500
Wheaton GC - 6,422
Audobon GC - 6,500
Belmont Springs CC - 6,426
Chevy Chase Club - 6,485
CC of Detroit - 6,615
Detroit GC South - 6,482
Kent CC - 6,425
Red Run GC - 6,765
Excelsior Springs CC - 6,450
Hillcrest CC - 6,515
Swope Park GC - 6,568
Canoe Brook CC North - 6,600
North Jersey CC - 6,600
Shackamaxon CC - 6,615
Lido Club 6,424
Siwanoy CC - 6,561
Oakwood CC - 6,500
The Country Club (OH) - 6,830
Oakmont CC - 6,536
Shawnee CC - 6,471


In addition, the article notes CC of Orlando was designed by Donald Ross in 1918.  We've been through this before, but the course was extended to 18 holes by Bendelow in 1918, and there is no evidence Ross ever did any work there.

Sven,

Thanks for pointing that out. The distance quote was one of the parts I paraphrased from our Centennial Book written in 2016. I will have to go back in the book and see where that was originally taken from, as I would not make that claim myself. I can see by what you provided that it was NOT the second longest course. I apologize if that threw anyone off! I got the CC of Orlando information from The Donald Ross Society where it claims that there are 18 original Ross holes built in 1918. If there was a thread correcting this fact as well then I must have missed that as I have only been contributing to GCA for a few weeks!

[Mike Sweeney]

Walker,


That was a fabulous effort. I played Temple Terrace back in the Disney/Mountain Lake days and I had no idea that Palma Ceia had this history. Very interesting and genuine thanks.

[Steve_Lovett]

Great job Walker, I remember you talking about your home course the day we played.


In the Tampa area, would Palma Ceia be considered the "old money" club in town?

Yes

Ryan, I am not sure I would consider PC to be the "old money" club in town. For the reason being there aren't too many private clubs in Tampa to begin with. If people play at a country club in Tampa you'll find a lot of them belong to PC (regardless of old or new money), because that is one of the few available. But that is just my opinion, Steve's opinion above is that it is the "old money" club.

I don't like the term "old money" to begin with, but if pressed I don't think there is another club that could fit into that category. Palma Ceia is well-established, in the heart of the city, and has a long history. I've played and visited several times and love the place.

[Walker Thomas]

Great job Walker, I remember you talking about your home course the day we played.


In the Tampa area, would Palma Ceia be considered the "old money" club in town?

Yes

Ryan, I am not sure I would consider PC to be the "old money" club in town. For the reason being there aren't too many private clubs in Tampa to begin with. If people play at a country club in Tampa you'll find a lot of them belong to PC (regardless of old or new money), because that is one of the few available. But that is just my opinion, Steve's opinion above is that it is the "old money" club.

I don't like the term "old money" to begin with, but if pressed I don't think there is another club that could fit into that category. Palma Ceia is well-established, in the heart of the city, and has a long history. I've played and visited several times and love the place.

I agree with you on that as there isn't a big country club scene in Tampa, so naturally it could be labeled as such. Sometimes the term "old money" can carry a pretentious connotation that I don't feel Palma Ceia holds.

[Stewart Abramson]

Walker - Thanks for the article. I knew only a small portion of the club history. I had the pleasure of visiting Palma Ceia in 2017> Here's a link to photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/albums/72157680569760344 (Palma Ceia May 2017)

[Walker Thomas]

Walker - Thanks for the article. I knew only a small portion of the club history. I had the pleasure of visiting Palma Ceia in 2017> Here's a link to photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/albums/72157680569760344 (Palma Ceia May 2017)

Stewart, thanks for attaching those photos to the thread, they look great. I hope you enjoyed your time at Palma Ceia!

[Stewart Abramson]

Walker - Thanks for the article. I knew only a small portion of the club history. I had the pleasure of visiting Palma Ceia in 2017> Here's a link to photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/golfcoursepix/albums/72157680569760344 (Palma Ceia May 2017)

Stewart, thanks for attaching those photos to the thread, they look great. I hope you enjoyed your time at Palma Ceia!

It was a lovely day and a fun round with great hosts (with a connection to your article). I sent you a PM

[Steve_Lovett]

Great job Walker, I remember you talking about your home course the day we played.


In the Tampa area, would Palma Ceia be considered the "old money" club in town?

Yes

Ryan, I am not sure I would consider PC to be the "old money" club in town. For the reason being there aren't too many private clubs in Tampa to begin with. If people play at a country club in Tampa you'll find a lot of them belong to PC (regardless of old or new money), because that is one of the few available. But that is just my opinion, Steve's opinion above is that it is the "old money" club.

I don't like the term "old money" to begin with, but if pressed I don't think there is another club that could fit into that category. Palma Ceia is well-established, in the heart of the city, and has a long history. I've played and visited several times and love the place.

I agree with you on that as there isn't a big country club scene in Tampa, so naturally it could be labeled as such. Sometimes the term "old money" can carry a pretentious connotation that I don't feel Palma Ceia holds.

I agree. Anyone who has the chance to visit, should.

[Ryan Hillenbrand]

Great job Walker, I remember you talking about your home course the day we played.


In the Tampa area, would Palma Ceia be considered the "old money" club in town?

Yes

Ryan, I am not sure I would consider PC to be the "old money" club in town. For the reason being there aren't too many private clubs in Tampa to begin with. If people play at a country club in Tampa you'll find a lot of them belong to PC (regardless of old or new money), because that is one of the few available. But that is just my opinion, Steve's opinion above is that it is the "old money" club.

I don't like the term "old money" to begin with, but if pressed I don't think there is another club that could fit into that category. Palma Ceia is well-established, in the heart of the city, and has a long history. I've played and visited several times and love the place.

I agree with you on that as there isn't a big country club scene in Tampa, so naturally it could be labeled as such. Sometimes the term "old money" can carry a pretentious connotation that I don't feel Palma Ceia holds.

In most cities there is usually a club that brought the game of golf to that particular city, and started by what you might call the founding fathers of that town. Sometimes its also the best course because it was built or re-built by a golden age designer, other times not, but still highly sought after to play or join. As a lover of golf history those have the best stories and your club seems to check the boxes. But the term "old money" was a poor choice of words and an insensitive way to frame my question - I apologize Walker

[Walker Thomas]

Great job Walker, I remember you talking about your home course the day we played.


In the Tampa area, would Palma Ceia be considered the "old money" club in town?

Yes

Ryan, I am not sure I would consider PC to be the "old money" club in town. For the reason being there aren't too many private clubs in Tampa to begin with. If people play at a country club in Tampa you'll find a lot of them belong to PC (regardless of old or new money), because that is one of the few available. But that is just my opinion, Steve's opinion above is that it is the "old money" club.

I don't like the term "old money" to begin with, but if pressed I don't think there is another club that could fit into that category. Palma Ceia is well-established, in the heart of the city, and has a long history. I've played and visited several times and love the place.

I agree with you on that as there isn't a big country club scene in Tampa, so naturally it could be labeled as such. Sometimes the term "old money" can carry a pretentious connotation that I don't feel Palma Ceia holds.

In most cities there is usually a club that brought the game of golf to that particular city, and started by what you might call the founding fathers of that town. Sometimes its also the best course because it was built or re-built by a golden age designer, other times not, but still highly sought after to play or join. As a lover of golf history those have the best stories and your club seems to check the boxes. But the term "old money" was a poor choice of words and an insensitive way to frame my question - I apologize Walker

No need to apologize, Ryan! I understand what you were going for now, I didn't at the moment.
Yes, I think Palma Ceia does check those boxes you mentioned, you can trace the founders of the club to other major projects in the Tampa area of that time, such as The Tampa Yacht & CC, Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, Tampa Bay Hotel (now the University of Tampa) and other social organizations. Some of the last names mentioned in the article are still influential Tampa families today with nearby streets named after them too! The founding and growth of Palma Ceia closely follows to the growth of Tampa itself.

[Brian Finn]

Walker,

I really enjoyed reading your piece on Palma Ceia.  Glad to have you contributing to this site, which will only get better by bringing the next generation into the fold.

Looking forward to meeting you this summer in Charlotte. 

[PCCraig]

Nice job, Walker. Looks like a cool golf course and a nice vibe. Love the Gasparilla Invitational logo!