Great Places In The Game Files: Palatka Golf Club

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Longtime readers know my definition of great has little to do with Slope, course rating, clubhouse grandeur or exclusivity. "Great" places in the game serve their community, offer affordable golf and just enough character in the design. The kind of golf courses which, if every city had one, would have the game in a healthier place.

Palatka Golf Club in Palatka, Florida checks off all the boxes. This 1925 Donald Ross course has been on my radar for some time thanks to Chris Tuten, a local in Ponte Vedra who keeps the Titleist guys on tour playing their best. Somewhere along the drive between Orlando and Ponte Vedra southwest of St. Augustine, you head into this rural town only to come upon what looks like uninspired ground dotted with some nice trees and circular bunkers.

Once you get out on the ground and experience what looks like an untouched set of small, clever and crowned Ross greens, it's impossible not to be charmed by the place. I can only imagine it gets more charming as you go around Palatka, the ultimate compliment to an architect.

Throw in its annual hosting of the Florida Azalea Amateur, a refreshed operation thanks to architect Bobby Weed taking over from the city a few years ago, head pro Paul Trettner's welcoming operation and Dana Anderson's maintenance, and Palatka is a reassuring story of how satisfying minimalist golf can be.

Did I mention it's $25, $17 after 2 pm (with or without cart) and $12 with a cart after 4 pm? And annual memberships with unlimited golf are $2400?

I caught the course transitioning from overseeded rye to bermuda along with a few warm days of no irrigation. It still played just fine. Besides, the difficulty of Ross's tiny, crowned greens ensures players of all ability will never get bored. The most fascinating element of this set of greens is just how normal sized they appear from the fairway only to come upon 2000 square feet. You'll see this at Ross's home and inspiration, Royal Dornoch, but to pull off such a look and sensibility takes the touch of an artist.

Below are some cell phone photos, with apologies for not having better visuals to reflect the character of Palatka. However, I shot it as I played in the mid-afternoon and many of the clever subtlties will not show up (there are nicer shots on the course website). So if you're headed to the Fountain of Youth, the World Golf Hall of Fame or merely passing through northern Florida, Palatka is a must anyone who loves fun Donald Ross golf at a bargain price.