Parks and greenspaces have always been vital to the health and wellness of the communities they serve. These last two years have revealed even more the essential nature of local, state, and national parks and recreation facilities. National Parks have seen near unmanageable increases in visitation this summer – according to the National Park Service, Yellowstone saw a nearly 11% increase while Grand Teton saw a whopping 30% increase in visits from 2019. Take a look at the social media pages of some of the Florida State Parks system most popular parks on any given weekend. It will reveal they are having to close their gates as early as 11am because they have reached capacity already. Closer to home, the parks and recreation amenities overseen by Palm Coast Parks & Recreation are buzzing as well.
One of the most popular amenities has been the Palm Harbor Golf Club. At 160 acres, Palm Harbor allows for plenty of space to stretch your legs, practice your putting, and play a leisurely 18-holes all while enjoying the palms, ancient oaks, ospreys, and even American bald eagles that call the course home. And since summer 2020, it has been humming with activity.
“We were set to break records in 2020. When we reopened participation numbers shot up even more,” says Lauren Johnston, Chief of Staff Citizen Engagement. 2021 was an even better year, with Palm Harbor already turning a profit entering the fourth quarter. “It’s amazing. Between league play, our range punch card, and the residents coming out and enjoying the course, this year has been extremely successful and record breaking.”
With this increased usage, maintenance has become more of a pressing priority. “We have to do a lot of work to keep our limited golf cart fleet up and running,” according to Golf Supervisor Mitch Lehman. “We store and maintain them in our cart barn, so that space sees a lot of action. It’s also very visible, so keeping it neat, tidy, and in good repair is key. Conditions are one of the key things players look for when assessing the value of play. Here at Palm Harbor, we consistently receive feedback that our playing conditions are top notch.”
Parks and Recreation worked closely with Storm Water & Engineering and Public Works to map out and complete the maintenance on the cart barn, which included a new roof and fresh paint. With the assistance of Code Enforcement, Parks was also able to put in additional greenery to add privacy for both the course and its neighbors, as well as increase the natural aesthetic of the course.
The Palm Harbor Golf Club, located at 20 Palm Harbor Drive, offers a full service practice facility with a driving range, putting green, and chipping green. It also features a full restaurant on site, The Green Lion. Tee times can be reserved by visiting palmharborgolfclub.com.
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cgm says
Conditions are “top notch” maybe for most golfers but for the top 5% conditions are only fair, the greens are unbearable slow running at best a 6 or 7 on the meter and are always bumpy. I would rather spend a few extra bucks and play at LPGA where the greens run at 10 or 11 and are almost always smooth.
RAW says
Then why don’t play there and stop bitching about it. Ya think?
shy guy says
I pay tribute to the manager Mitch and the greens keeper.
Brian Riehle says
Re-opening the Palm Harbor Golf Course after Centex bailed out was one of best things the City has done in recent years. Kudos to those in Parks & Rec. and the City Council who made it happen in the face of broad opposition.
Brian Riehle
Celia M Pugliese says
Since Laureen Johnston was appointed chief of Parks and Recreations the Golf Course was obviously improved. She excels at her management and also pays attention to the adjacent neighbors when we bring to her issues with lack of proper golf course maintenance that we witness around. We all love our golf course whether players or us the adjacent neighbors that fought so hard to reopened after Centex try to shut it down for good. I was pleasantly surprise to see the neat, repaired painted job done to the golf carts storage building. Nice the idea to plant greenery to make also a more eye pleasant view to our valued neighbors adjacent to it in Covington Park the Oaks, etc. The proper maintenance of the court will also reassure this profitable use to be preserved and maybe Mitch as mentioned here has to be given credit as well. A successful PHGC is the #1 staple amenity in the heart of Palm Coast the also preserves the value of the hundreds of our homes adjacent to it. I always knew that with the city managing our PHGC was supposed to be a winning course! No more ph or G5 cell towers (thank you to neighbors like Lou Vitale and others) no more multi-families villas/town houses on it, just GOLF! Thank you all in our city administration doing great work so far.
Tony Mack says
Would be nice if they offered a military and veterans discount considering all the vets living in the area. Many courses I play at, even those using by Big Summer Golf Card, offer such.
Laila says
Who knew that a pandemic would have such a positive effect on outdoor recreation here? Good to see! I love this place.