Thanks for the bump Jeff and wish I could have met up for a round. This is one of my favorite places to play in FL and is the Aiken GC of Florida. However, I enjoy Aiken GC more and think Aiken is far more interesting.
What’s your favorite 3 hole stretch at Palatka? I always look forward to 13-15 the most.
Rees,
yes it was spur of the moment on a trip that included impromptu trips to Great Dunes on Jekyl, Ocala GC en route to the PGA Show and Palatka on the way back.
Much better than flying as I was travelling from Augusta.
I've thought about the comments from others re:Aiken as well.
here it is hole by hole(of course not the most objective way to evaluate as a course's good-great holes can get squashed by another's great, or worse yet waste a great hole to beat a dud.)
1. Tee shot at Palatka is a bite off what you can 322 yard dogleg protected by huge live oaks which turns uphill at the landing area to the green. The green itself is crowned with great interest making even the wedge approach dicey
At Aiken, you have a similar length hole with another green of even greater interest-an undulating double green shared with 17.
The drive however has zero interest other than club choice for drive length and the I-95 cartpath down the left is a blight.
Palatka one up in a close one, mainly because I really liked #1 at Palatka.
2.Palatka #2 is a straightish hole 370 with another well tilted green, this one tilted enough to encourage an approach from the left, as well as a faded second. (the poster child for what I constantly moan about with increased green speed and reduced gradual tilt(as opposed to tiers-ick) on modern courses
However, #2 at AGC is one of my favorite drives AND approaches on the course as the back tee requires a draw/and or a fade to allow a good look at the green tucked into a corner that feels like something out of Swinley Forest. 1-1
3. Palatka's #3 is a strong 180ish par 3 with an interesting green, but Aiken GC's 3rd is a strong par 4 over a meandering creek once again feeling English heathy to me. push 1-1-1
4.Palatka's 4th features a long walk back, but for once, it's worth it. An uphill drive to a hogback fairway that plays far narrower than it appears, with OB being tighter right than it appears due to tilt of fairway. A long second shot to another slightly elevated domed green makes wedge play dicey and or creative
Aiken's 4th is an excellent uphill(which I really like)well bunkered par 3. but Palatka's interest thorughout the hole carries the day
2-1-1
5.Palatka's 5th features an all world seemingly dog leg tee shot to a left to right sloped fairway that while it appears to invite a fade, I would need another play to take it on as I played conservatively up the left side just missing the big kick right a straighter(more aggressive) drive would've gotten. The second shot is then a fade as a bunker about 40 yards short covers the middle to left side of the fairway encouraging the shot around it for a mere mortal using the ground. The hole is a 455 par "5" but par means nothing to me as it is an interesting and engaging tee and second shot played with a long iron for one who did not challenge the tee shot.
Aiken's 5th is a good dogleg left to a long narrow green-the third hole in a row where a very good hole lost to a great hole. Palatka now leading 3-1-1
6.Palatka's 6th is a shorter 145-150 yard par 3 to another tilted green with a runoff left, encouraging one to challenge the right bunker that fronts half the green but seems like more due to tilt of green.
Aiken's is a short 340 yard slight dogleg and is a decent hole to a flattish green, but one of so many similar length at Aiken GC(that at some point wear on me at AGC).
- win for Palatka based on strength of par 3 and many par 4's like this at AGC 4-1-1
7.Palatka's 7th is relatively straight attractive hole with the "aqua range" on the left relatively out of play and out of sight from the tee due to gravity of the slope up to it reducing the chances of reaching it. Pretty straightforward short iron approach to well contoured green with a pronounced higher side on the right front.(I took 4 shots to get it in from 5 yards left of the green after a perfect drive and poor iron shot)
Aiken's 7th is another short par 4 with houses left and right to another flatish green
a battle of a pretty good hole against a mediocre hole at AGC which followed another mediocre hole of similar length to the previous two at AGC. Palatka 5-1-1
8.Palatka's is a slight dogleg right against a slightly reverse cambered fairway with the aqua range on the left close enough to strike fear. Slightly elevated green with a short iton to wedge apprach, depending upon aggressiveness of drive
Aiken Gc' s 8th is a terriffic down hill drive to areally cool green protected by sleeper bunkers-though the 4 the driver wedge hole in a row,this one belongs to Aiken.. 5-2-1
9. Palatka's 9th is decent hole with a live oak right to get a right to left player's attention on the tee shot start line. A good drive leaves to another short iron approach.
Aiken's 9th is an all world uphill par 3 that can play as long as they want it too 180-200-cool elevated green. AGC wins
5-3-1 Palatka leads at the turn.
10. 10 at Palatka requires,for one playing the back tees, a sharp dogleg left that requires an aggressively well shaped right to left tee shot for a look at the green in two. Otherwise, less than driver is the play. I like quirk, and I like occasionally needing to AC
TUALLY curve the ball.
Aiken's 10th is a really good hole with a downhill tee shot and a green tucked away behind tall pines when the pin is right.
Layup has to be left unless challenging green with shaped second.
Controversial push due to quirk and shotmaking in this case matching a really good big hole on a small scale course. Push 5-3-2
11.Palatka's 11th appears to dog leg left as the live oaks get your attention and create the appearance of a dogleg left off the tee, but the hole turns right on the second shot. Palatka's weakness seems to be an overly steady diet of short irons(not wedges) after a well placed or worked tee shot, but Aiken GC has so many wedges after drives that weren't really all that demanding or creative in some cases.
Aiken has a strong long par 3 to an interesting green. Push 5-3-3
12. Palatka's weakest par 3, and ordinary 165ish yard par 3
Aiken's par 4 12th is a pretty cool drive from what is a mix of more English Heathland and a Taco Bell lingering(not visible but you know it's there) just over the fence and a short iron/wedge to an elevated green not close-Aiken wins 5-4-3
13.Palatka's is a truly short par 4 299 up and over and a slight fade can reach the green as the tee shot is downhill the last 150 yards and the green is open in front. I really liked this hole, especially in the context of it beig Palatka's first short par since #1. I'm a big fan of the occasional short par 4 where sheer execution is the skill required and rewarded, not some over thought risk reward/penal greensite where layup is usually the best option. 
AGC's 13th is a downhill tee shot to an uphill green which is full of interest-simlar in many ways to 5 at Palatka in that it is short but requires a good drive and a good long-mid iron. Something very different for Aiken GC other than on a par 3's
a tough call as I love both holes. Push 5-4-4
14.Palatka's first or second best par 3,an uphiller mid-long iron to a classic elevated green.
AGC's is a cool short par 4 to an interesting green, but by now the abundance of AGC's short par 4's have worn on me collectively so I'm probably being unfair as it is a good hole. Push 5-4-5
15. Palatka's relatively tightish drive gives way to an ordinary looking green which is fact sloped mightily against the player, leaving one to wonder why he had 115 in and is now putting from the back fringe...Shades of 15 at Palmetto but more of a wolf in sheep's clothing
AGC counters with ANOTHER short par 4, but this one is all world.
Tough one, and upon reflection I'm leaning towards 15 at AGC and I originally called it a push but now I'm going AGC 5-5-5
16. Palatka's is a decent mid length par 3 to a well bunkered and contoured green, but there already was one of these length and a live oak encroaches on a fader who doesn't have to height to launch it over (from all tees)
Aiken GC has a wonderful drop par 3 that brings us back to Royal Ashdown Forest-great hole 5-6-5 Aiken now leads for the first time, despite Palatka's solid back nine.
17. Both Palatka and AGC feature slight dogleg right tee shots and elevated greens. AGC's green has more interest but Palatka's tee shot is slightly more compelling, and the green has good interest of its own. Another hole that originally I had as a push but now I am leaning slightly more towards AGC as 17 is a cool hole sharing the wild green with #1. Push 5-6-6
18. Palatka's 18th tee box is pushed way back into 17 fairway and is played uphill from below and over the white tee-which is fine by me but they have planted a stupid young pine on the left by the white tee creating a narrow chute (presumably for safety)
Nonetheless, it is a fine piece of ground, an up and over dogleg right tee shot where the further right you go along the right treeline, the shorter the hole gets, which you need on a 461 yard par 4 finisher. Absent the skinny chute tree on the left(which needs to go), it is a fine hole with TONS of room on the left for the safer the shot leading to a poorer angled longer second shot.18 at AGC is another good par 3 in a really good set of 5, but 18 at Palatka challenges the player to demonstrate power and shotmaking for a shot at glory. Palatka wins hole 6-6-6
While I think in a couple cases Aiken actually might win a hole or two I had as a push, I do penalize it for sooo many driver wedge holes-each a good hole, but collectively too much repetition for me. Palatka does a bit of this with short irons, but at least the drives on those holes have far more interest to me, and the angle and short iron are well earned.
Like both courses a lot, Aiken seems smaller to me.I think it used a lot of its yardage on its longer par 3's.
Palatka was 6041 on the scorecard.
Palatka could use another real short par 4 and 1 more longer 400 plus par 4 rather than a couple too many doses of 380. Aiken could use 2-3 less short par 4's-wedge to nearly all, and often not a PW but rather a SW(and I love drive and pitch par 4's.Having Par 3 as the only iron tests using tees are not the same as striking non wedges from interesting fairway terrain.