Palatka Golf Club

Palatka Golf Club occupies a historic site in northeastern Florida, designed by Donald Ross during the prolific period of his career in the 1920s. The course sits in a region where Ross completed several Florida commissions, taking advantage of the state's sandy soils and natural terrain variations. The layout reflects Ross's characteristic approach to design in Florida: strategic bunkering, crowned greens with subtle contours, and routing that works with rather than against the existing landscape. The course plays through rolling terrain unusual for much of Florida, with elevation changes that provide natural drainage and varied shot values. Mature trees frame many holes, and the property's age means the landscape has developed a settled, traditional character. Ross's green complexes remain central to the design, requiring precise approach play and thoughtful short game execution around their edges. Palatka Golf Club serves as a community course in a small city along the St. Johns River, maintaining its role as a local recreational and social hub. The club reflects the character of many Ross designs built for regional communities during the early twentieth century—unpretentious, walkable, and focused on straightforward golf rather than resort amenities. The course has undergone periodic updates over the decades to address maintenance practices and playing standards, though the fundamental routing and green sites preserve Ross's original design intent. It represents an example of Ross's work in a part of Florida where golf development predated the state's later boom periods.