Palma Ceia wraps up Phase II renovation with Weed

Bobby Weed Golf Design finished the phase II modernization of Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club in Tampa, Florida, 14 years after the firm’s initial phase I restoration of the Tom Bendelow and Donald Ross original design. Bobby Weed’s extensive experience as a Ross historian and restorer, along with his deep knowledge of Palma Ceia, allowed his team to efficiently improve the golf course design, infrastructure and playing experience. The course reopened Oct. 31.

As the founding club of the LPGA, the former host of the largest event purse on the PGA Tour and the annual host of the Gasparilla Invitational, among the more prestigious national amateur golf tournaments in the United States, Palma Ceia’s championship roots run deep.

A conceptual plan of hole 18 shows how shifting the green to the right creates a more dynamic finishing hole with improved strategy, shot options, additional separation from the clubhouse and overall aesthetics.

For well over a decade, Bobby Weed Golf Design has provided services focused on short- and long-term improvements and master plans for the club. Following their “2012 Renovation of the Year, Private Course” award at Palma Ceia, the firm’s third in eight years, Weed’s team was tasked with updating these elements for 2025:

Most notable improvements

• Re-grassing the entire property
• De-mucking all lagoons
• Replacing all bulkheads
• Overlaying and widening numerous cart paths
• Substantial enhancements to holes 4 and 18
• Enlarging all par 3 tees and adding additional tees

Updated Holes

• Hole 4 tee, lake, bulkhead and green
• Hole 5 tee length and expansion
• Hole 7 fairway bunkers
• Hole 10 fairway bunkers
• Hole 12 fairway bunkers
• Hole 13 tee, bulkhead and cart path
• Hole 15 green and bulkhead
• Hole 18 tee, landscaping, fairway bunker, lake, bulkhead and green

A conceptual plan of hole 4 shows necessary updates to the tee boxes, retention pond, retaining walls and green complex.

Grassing

The entire property was re-grassed — tees with TifGrand bermudagrass; collars and approaches with TifGrand; and greens with TifEagle ultradwarf bermudagrass. Fraze mowing de-thatched the top inch of turf, accompanying the spray out program to comprehensively eradicate all prior turf.

Pictured is one of Palma Ceia's renovated bunkers, which were excavated, re-shaped and re-constructed with new drainage, liner and sand.

Greens

All greens were fully stripped and restored. Notably, the green on hole 18 was lowered 2½ feet and repositioned farther right against the new bulkhead.

Tees

Enlarged select holes and all par 3 tees. Forward tees were also implemented. Adding to the clean aesthetic are new tee walls and concrete steps overlaid with brick pavers.

Bunkers

Excavated, re-shaped and re-constructed with new drainage, liner and sand. More tight shortcut is featured around greenside bunkers, which effectively makes them play larger.

Drainage

Supplemental work was performed around the renovated areas.

Irrigation

Updates were performed on the pump station, with additional heads in select areas.

Landscaping

A detailed tree management program included tree removals and new plantings. Podocarpus hedges were added for screening and aesthetics.

Lagoons

Four to six feet of muck and spoil materials were removed from all lagoons.

Bulkheads

Reconstructed course-wide with select modifications.

Cart paths

Comprehensive, course-wide sub-base and asphalt cart paths, with select widening and concrete curbs.

Bunkers at Palma Ceia were excavated, re-shaped and re-constructed with new drainage, liners and sand.

“Led by renovation chairmen Phil Carrol and Dan Fields, along with superintendent Carson Kamps, Palma Ceia has entrusted our firm to guide the continued evolution of Tampa’s oldest private golf course,” Weed said. “Our latest scope provides a more consistent, drier and faster playing experience that will be well received by Palma Ceia’s membership.”

Weed associate Joey Graziani added that, “To lay out a phased master plan that was encompassed over a decade proves that proper planning and budgeting to fit the club’s other capital improvements is a testament to Palma Ceia’s goal of raising the bar for all amenities at the club.”