Palm Cove Golf
Palm Cove Golf has undergone numerous transformations since superintendent Jim Kilgore joined the staff in 2024. Those transformations on the Florida course are taking a dying property and reviving it with a reimagined golf experience.
Originally designed by Gary Player and later redesigned by Chi Chi Rodriguez, the course had just changed ownership when Kilgore stepped in to lead the restoration effort. Sinkholes laid in the fairways, bridges had collapsed and equipment sat unusable. The irrigation system had failed, no chemicals had been used in nearly a decade and fairways couldn’t be made out from overgrowth.
“When I first walked the property, the course felt abandoned. It had lost its identity — overgrown, [unkempt] and underperforming,” Kilgore says. “Now, it has a heartbeat again.”
Restorations on the facility began in September 2024. Kilgore and his team have taken the turf and the course from surviving to thriving. To do that, all tee boxes and fairways were completely redone using Celebration Hybrid Bermuda and TifEagle. All bulkheads on the course were replaced, repairing eight failed structures found throughout the layout.
“These new systems now stabilize key edges, prevent erosion, and reinforce the course’s layout and playability,” Kilgore says. “They also support proper drainage and water control, which is crucial during Florida’s rainy seasons.”
The bulkheads also assist in environmental protection, managing runoff and sediment on the property. “It’s a serious investment — one that protects both the course’s integrity and the surrounding ecosystem, while also reducing future maintenance,” the superintendent adds.
The facility is working with Sanford Ferris Golf Design to install a new irrigation system. The system offers a full digital map of water infrastructure, allowing users to control every sprinkler head, rotor valve and other key locations.
In the future, they plan to implement Mach 1 Bermuda on greens and more native grasses in out-of-play areas. “It helps visually frame the course and supports our sustainability goals,” Kilgore says.
Other major enhancements led by Sanford Ferris Golf Design include:
- Expanding the driving range area by more than 100 yards
- Lengthening and widening fairways
- Repositioning and enlarging tee boxes
- Reshaping numerous greens
“Their goal was to refine, not erase, and they did it masterfully,” Kilgore says.
The 18-hole course has also transitioned from public to private. The change allows Kilgore and his team to focus on consistency and planning. “Going private means planning every detail in advance: traffic patterns, aerification schedules, bunker rotation, play speed and even shade patterns on greens,” he says.
Kilgore says it’s also a change in mindset — curating an experience, building a culture and providing a consistent environment.
The maintenance team has helped rebuild a failing property. Due to time and effort, their work has brought energy back to the facility.
“This place has required more of me and my team — more of our time, more of our energy, more heart — than anywhere I’ve ever been,” Kilgore says. “We come back every day because we believe in where this is going.
“This wasn’t just a restoration. It was a rescue. And to be part of the team that brought it back — that gave it life again — that’s something I’ll carry with me for a long time.”
Kelsie Horner is Golf Course Industry’s digital editor.
