Tommy,
That's a very fair statement.
In fact, for someone such as Mike Sweeney, who lives in an area, of multiple classic great courses; by comparison, the course , may in fact disappoint.
For those in the south however, Palmetto stands out -mainly due to the DEARTH of classic courses in the southeast, but also due to the cameraderie, simplicity, and friendliness of the place Tom Moore and the club engender.
As a kid, coming over to play at Tom Moore's invite (he and the club are great supporters of junior and amateur golf) I always loved the golf course, the old clubhouse, pro shop, even though my friends and local afficianados of golf scoffed at the place. (Palmetto had no irrigation until the late 80's).
In the past 20 years it's gone through several renovations, always employing the "preferred architect" of the time. Fortunately the recent preferred consulting architects, Doak, then Hanse, have had an appreciation for Palmetto's roots and have done a wonderful job of restoring and/or enhancing the MacKenzie look.
The rough sandy look and waste areas lost when the irrigation was installed are mostly gone forever, even though Hanse has restored/renovated some of the waste areas, mostly in out of play areas.
A great deal of work has been done in house under the eye of Tom Moore and Superintendant Rhett Baker.
Palmettoo is a throwback in time, although most recently they are spending a lot of time and effort to stay/return to being a throwback in time. Tom Moore assures me I'm going to like the golf course regrassing and clubhouse renovation, but frankly I enjoyed the course the most in the 70's and early 80's when it had a rougher look. I hope to be wrong on my next visit.
The greatest thing about Palmetto is that it tends/tended to disappoint just the right people, which is why they have been able to preserve their unique culture as long as they have.