Staff Report
The families in the Plantation Palms in Land O’Lakes wanted their club back. After the popular golf course and restaurant closed in 2014 and several failed suitors, the community partnered with local Ace Golf owners Bill Place and Su Lee to restore and reopen the public golf course that winds through their community.
The renovation started in May. New greens and manicured fairways are back. The clubhouse has a new coat of paint, but, the club is not the same. To ensure the new club’s success and to make it more available to the general public, Ace Golf added an Irish pub, miniature golf, and a lighted driving range. A new banquet room will be added next year to host weddings and events. The new Mulligans Irish Pub recently opened to the public with sweeping views of the golf club. It is modeled after Ace Golf’s two other pubs in New Tampa and Tarpon Springs. There is now an Irish-themed family pub with high, beamed ceilings, Irish murals, an expanded menu with salads, burgers, sandwiches, dinner items, and pub fare like fish n chips and shepherd’s pie. According to Place, “An Irish Pub is a natural fit for a community golf course and appeals to more than just golfers. We want this to be a neighborhood pub for everyone in the area.”
The real first for Tampa Bay golf courses is the 18-hole miniature golf course that has opened at Plantation Palms. The course was built next to the clubhouse and features tropical landscaping, waterfalls, fountains, trick shots, and is lighted for night play.
“Some golf operators complain that fewer people are playing golf”, said Place, “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.
Place and Lee started the Ace Golf Ranges in Brandon and Riverview over 20 years ago. The company also owns and operates the Pebble Creek Golf Club, Wentworth Golf Club, and Crescent Oaks Country Club. Mulligans Irish Pub and the new Miniature Golf Course at Plantation Palms are at 23253 Plantation Palms Blvd., Land O’Lakes. Hours are Monday to Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11a.m.-10 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. The restaurant and the miniature golf are open to the public. For more info, call 996-4653 or visit plantationpalms.net.
For more info on Ace Golf, visit acegolf.com.
