Tampa, Florida
Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club
Home of the Gasparilla Invitational since 1956.
Every Hole at Palma Ceia
A complete aerial tour of Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club, hole by hole, from above.
Narrated by Gary Koch. Aerial footage by @doggy.drones.
The opening hole looks like a handshake, but out-of-bounds runs the entire length on the left and the green offers an early introduction to what the rest of the round has in store. It consistently plays as one of the hardest holes of the week.
Out-of-bounds down the left is a running theme at Palma Ceia, and it shows up again here. Players can lay back and leave a touchy wedge approach, or attack with driver down a corridor squeezed between the OB left and the trees lining the right.
The only par 5 on the front nine plays as an early scoring chance, though out-of-bounds still runs the length of the left side. The layup looks easy, but leaving the right number is essential — the green is guarded on every side and punishes an imprecise third shot.
The walk from the third green to this tee is one of the best on the property. It isn't long by any standard, but the green punishes any shot not hit with conviction — players joke it's the shortest par 4 on the course with its swirling wind and skinny, undulating green.
Another short, pleasant walk leads to this tee, where the same intimidating left side shows up again. Playing short and right of the fairway bunkers sets up a real scoring opportunity for those willing to leave driver in the bag.
The tee shot plays tight, squeezed between a fairway bunker on the left and a tree line on the right, and proper placement matters more than distance. It sets up a short-to-mid iron into an elevated green ringed by slopes and bunkers that leaves little room for error.
Recently added length has made this hole play noticeably harder. The fairway bunker plays larger than it is because the fairway slopes toward it from every direction, and the approach — usually a mid iron — meets a green with a demanding false front.
A solid, middle-length par 3 where the hole location decides everything: some pins offer a real scoring chance, others simply demand distance control to the center of the green. From here it's a short walk straight to the ninth fairway.
The longest par 4 on the front nine asks for a steady drive threaded between the fairway bunker on the right and the trees down the left. The approach meets a double-tiered green where angle and distance both matter, and a par to close the front nine satisfies just about anyone.
The turn at Palma Ceia is one of the best atmospheres in mid-amateur golf, and this tee shot immediately asks whether you're playing aggressive or conservative. The reward, or the penalty, comes at a diabolical, peanut-shaped green that gives players fits no matter how the drive was played.
A gentle dogleg where finding the correct line off the tee matters — the trees on the right increasingly come into play the more of the corner a player tries to cut. The green's slope is the real defense here and consistently leaves players mumbling to themselves.
The longest par 4 on the course demands both length and accuracy off the tee. The approach plays into a green split by a ridge through its center, with the course's most intimidating pot bunker pulling focus short of the putting surface — a par here is a good result for anyone.
One of the most photographed tee shots on the course, played with the clubhouse rising in the backdrop. It's typically a mid-iron in, but the green offers no relief — run-offs guard it right, left, and long, punishing anything slightly off line.
A straightaway par 4 where the line is the radar tower in the distance. It leaves a short iron into an elevated green, and staying below the hole is the priority for anyone hoping for a makeable putt.
The yardage is short, but that's deceptive — position off the tee is everything here. It leaves an uncomfortable wedge into the most exposed green on the property, one that can turn a routine approach into a difficult par save.
Short, but it sets the tone for the finishing stretch at Gasparilla. Players can attack with driver or lay back to a full wedge, but either way — with out-of-bounds running the length of the hole on the left and water guarding the right — this is a hole where scores swing quickly in both directions.
From the tee players now use, this is the hole that lingers in the back of your mind for eighteen holes. Contending at Gasparilla usually requires a run somewhere on the back nine, but this is a hole where simply making par feels like a win — the back-to-front green makes two-putting anything but automatic, and the shot in can range from a long hybrid to a mid iron depending on the tee.
The second and final par 5 captures everything the Gasparilla is about: fun, risk, strategy, and reward, all in one hole. It's short enough to leave most players a mid iron for their second, but with water right, out-of-bounds left, and a gallery of members watching from the clubhouse, that shot is rarely as comfortable as the number suggests.
Scorecard
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 35 | |||||||||
| Yards | 388 | 323 | 535 | 143 | 327 | 393 | 407 | 167 | 438 | 3121 | |||||||||
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | |||||||||
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 35 | |||||||||
| Yards | 346 | 422 | 441 | 190 | 428 | 343 | 357 | 201 | 483 | 3211 | |||||||||
| Total | Par 70 · 6332 Yards | ||||||||||||||||||