Donald Ross reportedly called it his Florida 'masterpiece'; the PGA of America was headquartered here from 1945-1962 (as PGA National Golf Club) and it hosted 18 Senior PGA Championships, helping launch senior professional golf. City-owned since 1939, with a ~$6M Kris Spence restoration completed in 2024 returning greens and bunkers closer to Ross's originals.
"The most accessible genuine Ross experience in Tampa Bay — semi-private but open to the public, walkable, freshly restored. Peak-season rate runs ~$140 with cart, dropping to $55-85 in summer; an easy, honest recommendation for members wanting a historic outdoor round."
Donald Ross reportedly called this 1927 design his masterpiece, thanks to rolling ground rare in Florida. It became PGA National when the PGA of America moved its headquarters here in 1944, hosting 18 straight Senior PGA Championships and the very first PGA Merchandise Show in 1954. Decades of renovations shrank Ross's greens by up to half — until a $6 million restoration by Kris Spence (2024, reopened February 2025) literally excavated the original putting surfaces found intact beneath later rebuilds. A genuine piece of American golf history, 30 minutes from our door.
Every Tampa Bay golfer, honestly: architecture nerds, Ross completists, and anyone who wants championship pedigree at municipal prices without crossing a bridge toll.
The greens are the signature more than any single hole: crowned, rolling Ross complexes restored to original size, some literally the 1927 surfaces dug out from under decades of topdressing. Approach play and short-siding decide every score here.
Friendly bones — modest length, wide corridors, no brutal forced carries — but the restored Ross greens repel timid approaches and punish above-the-hole putts. A wonderful place to learn what green complexes mean.
This is our backyard gem — about 40 minutes from Wesley Chapel. Freshly restored, publicly owned, and steeped in PGA of America history. If a member plays one real course from this library this year, make it this one.
No confirmed GSPro recreation yet — newly restored munis take time to get built. For your Ross fix on our bays, Pinehurst No. 2 in GSPro teaches the same crowned-green lessons. Better yet: play Dunedin for real, then come practice the shots you missed.
City-owned and open to the public — book through the club's website. Post-restoration demand is real, so reserve ahead; rates remain reasonable for what is now one of Florida's best public rounds.
Source: web verified · high confidence
