Golf is teeing off again at Plantation Palms Golf Club.
After two years of uncertainty over the fate of the golf course and adjoining restaurant, owners of Ace Golf are ready to reopen the four-star Golf Digest golf course to club members on Nov. 30, and to the public on Dec. 5.
(Photos courtesy of Ace Golf)
The on-site restaurant, Mulligans Irish Pub, opened to the public in October, according to a news release from Ace Golf.
It is similar to two other pubs operated by Ace Golf at golf courses in New Tampa and Tarpon Springs.
The interior is Irish-themed with beamed ceilings and murals. The menu includes salads, burgers, sandwiches and dinner entrees, as well as pub fare such as fish n’ chips and Shepherd’s pie.
Plantation Palms Golf Club is located at 23253 Plantation Palms Blvd., off Collier Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes.
Golf operators also are adding a couple of firsts with an 18-hole miniature golf course and a lighted driving range.
The miniature golf course – designed by Miniature Golf Solutions – is next to the clubhouse and features tropical landscaping, waterfalls, fountains, trick shots and special lighting for night play, according to a press release from Ace Golf.
It opened to the public the second week in November. The lighted driving range will open on Nov. 30.
The miniature golf course is family friendly, but owners also hope it will boost play on the renovated Plantation Palms golf course.
“Some golf operators complain that fewer people are playing golf,” Ace Golf co-owner Bill Place said, in a written statement. “But, this does something about it. Lots of kids and families will come out to play miniature golf, see the big golf course and maybe work their way up to it.”
Renovations at the course began in May. Work included new greens, restored fairways, a repainted clubhouse and renovations to create Mulligans Irish Pub.
A new banquet room will open in 2017 to host weddings and events.
While the golf course is playable, it will take time for the course to be at peak condition, according to General Manager Kevin Dietsch.
But, in a written statement he said, “The layout remains one of the more challenging and well-loved with rolling hills, ponds, and sculpted terrain.”
Plantation Palms closed in 2014 as MJS Golf Group – the previous owner – struggled to survive recurring financial losses and debts. The company bought the course in 2011.
In the past two years, a “Bring Back Our Course” campaign, led by Homeowners Association President Jim Hammond, sought to save the course, but struggled to find a potential buyer with a viable financial plan.
Place, and his wife Su Lee, bought the course in May 2016 in a short sale approved by the federal government.
They opened Ace Golf Ranges more than 20 years ago in Brandon and Riverview. The couple also own Pebble Creek Golf Club, Wentworth Golf Club and Crescent Oaks Country Club.
Hours for the pub and miniature golf course are Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
For information, call (813) 996-4653.
Published November 16, 2016
