Palmetto Golf Course

I am a Miami Dade resident. I was very happy to play Palmetto for $22 in the high season. The resident cost was $39 so it was a great deal.
I would say that the greens were in acceptable shape. I noticed some thin/brown areas on a few of them. Some of the fairways required attention. Ive played the course many times over the years and would say that they were the most glaring of all the maintenance issues. Tee boxes were generally in good shape.

All staff members were friendly. Was informed by the starter to observe the 90 degree policy on the course. But my twosome was being pushed hard by a threesome that was not observing 90 degrees. Also the group ahead of us did not appear observe the rule. My group was told to " try and speed up the pace" by a ranger by hole #8. We then discontinued observing 90 degrees to keep in pace.

Hope This review helps. Go Hurricanes!

The course is littered with weeds and is extremely poorly groomed. The bunkers were rock hard with little sand and the greens were spotty with many dead spots dotting each. Save your money - dog tracks look better than this place

Fairways have patches of dirt / mud, bunkers are poorly raked and greens have plenty of weeds.

Palmetto G.C. has been around forever and is the closest 18-hole public track to Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay. Winter/Spring rates: $45 with cart; Twilight rate ($25) stars at 2 PM. ,

The conditions are on the lower end, about what you would expect for this price, though the course is fairly challenging. It's good if you don't want to take things serious, maybe have a few beers and be prepared to put up with some hackers. At 2 PM on the weekends, it is mobbed and expect a delay. If you are looking to play fast and avoid the hackers, spend the extra $20 and tee off at 1.

First hole (par 5): Ideal tee shot is about 200 - 225 yards. If you hit too far, you will be in the canal that snakes it way through the course. This hole doglegs to the left, with trees blocking a straight shot to the green, making it difficult to reach in 2, but possible. Ideal second shot is a 180-200 yrds, leaving you a wedge to the green.

Second hole (par 4). Straight and fairly forgiving. Bunkers guard the green. But overall, an easy hole, though surprising is the #3 handicap.

Third (par 4): A very difficult par 4 and ranks as #1 handicap for good reason. Stay left off the tee, otherwise you will behind a giant tree blocking any kind of approach shot. The second shot is typically 170-180 with a good drive and you need to clear the canal to get to the green. Green is surrounded by bunkers and is a bit elevated.

Fourth (par 4): Short hole, with a lake lining the right side. Ideal tee shot is about 180 yards; should leave you a PW on your approach. Bunkers on each side of the green. Anything right and you will be taking a penalty shot.

Fifth (par 3): 163 from the white tees. Bunkers on all sides of the green. An easy par if you can get on the green.

Sixth (par 4): A pretty short par 4 (322 from white). A decent drive should leave you with a short approach. Some bunkers on either side of the fairway make a straight tee shot imperative.

Seventh (par 3): 150 - 160 yrds, depending on tee box placement. Typically hitting into the wind from this angle, so take an extra club, plus you have to clear a lake to make to the green. It's fairly open on either side of the hole, so as long as you avoid the water, you should be ok.

8th (par 4): Big hitters will want to hit a 3-wood or long iron off tee, as the canal comes into play (about 300 yrds from tee box). Trees line the left side so a straight drive is critical. Second shot should be a mid iron. Big green to work with, though lined with bunkers on all sides. Ranks as #5 handicap.

9th (par 5): Tee box is positioned behind a row of trees, setting up for a power fade on your drive. Second shot is tricky. There are bunkers on either side of the fairway at about 100 yards from the green. The green has 4 bunkers on each corner. Slopes downhill towards the fairway.

10th: Tee box is positioned right behind a wall of trees, so you have to play a left tee shot; a fade is ideal. Second shot is usually pretty long (180 - 210) and you have to clear that pesky canal again. A large bunker guards the left front of the green. This hole ranks as #13 handicap, but is more difficult than advertised.

11th: Par 3, that will range from 170 - 190, depending on tee box placement. Bunkers on all sides. Do not slice or your ball will be OB.

12th: Par 5, but reachable in 2. There are bunkers that guard the approach. Easy hole to par if you play it safe.

13th: Par 4 about 360 yards. This is a fun hole. There's bunkers on either side of the fairway, so must have a straight drive. Bunkers line this slightly elevated green.

14th: Dogleg left, with a big tree on left side of fairway that just gobbles up errant drives. Ideal shot is a draw. Second shot is usually a mid-iron. You have to clear the canal and this green is pretty big, with minimal bunkers (one on each side).

15th: Dogleg left, par 4, 400 yards. A good tee shot should leave you with a mid-iron. Green is long and there's 3 bunkers that protect it.

16th: Par 4, 400 yards. Dogleg left, with trees all along the right side. Must stay left here off tee. Mid-iron gets you home. Green is huge, with bunkers on all 4 corners.

17th: Par 3, 150 yards. Very narrow and difficult green, with bunkers everywhere. Better to be long than short here.

18th: Par 4, 420 yards. Tee shot over the canal. Watch out for menacing trees on either side of the fairway. Green has the bunkers on all sides, but is pretty easy to hit. Don't be long here, or you will be OB.

On the day we played the course was backed up because they allow walkers on this course. It was a Saturday and during the Xmas holidays it took 5 hours to play. This course is very challenging with super fast greens and although the course and greens do require some attention I would still recommend it.....just don't expect it to be pristine. I rate course this as a fair/average deal.

The staff was receptive, polite and kind. I will golf there again if I get another miami package.

Good for your money, good pace of play, some greens need to be taking care of

While this isn't an awe inspiring course, it has everything you want from a pure golf experience. Friendly staff, challenging course, fair playing conditions and a layout that is there for the taking.

Great price for this time of year. If I lived closer I would play it again aand again. As it is becasue of the travel distance, probably not.
Nice to see coconut palm trees lining many of the fareways around the course. Sand traps come into play quite a bit both around the greens and fareways, which makes it interesting.
One objection is that the greens are not consistant with the practice green or from green to green.

One of the good conditions is easy to find the ball unless ti is in the water.

Picked this course up on Golf Now for £18 each including buggy!!!

Really friend staff and fellow golfers - made to feel at home.

Course in good condition - greens clearly had been top dressed a few weeks earlier but still rolled out well.

Would recommend this course as being great value for money.

This course has its ups and downs. It was in great condition a few weeks ago, but yesterday, November 10, it was in bad condition lots of weeds and dry greens. I would still play there because of convenience of the location, if the price was around $20 to $24 due to its condition. The staff there are awesome friendly people.

I love Palmetto; it's less than two miles from my house. I just love the layout of the course and I think it's beautiful. There's nothing like being on a couse like Palmetto on a beautiful, sunny day. They have a very nice practice range, putting green and chipping area. The staff there are very nice and friendly.

I think for the money and being the only Public course in South Miami, it is well worth the price and lately, the new improvements to the fairways, greens and ruff have made the course one of the best in the city.

There appeared to be a relaxed attitude from the staff with respect to directing customer to starter. I was allowed to start 30 minutes before my 1:00pm te time. Single players were allowed to golf alone creating play through requests throughout the round. A twosome behind us drove into us twice before we let them through. They could have simply asked to play through. Another hit into us while on a green and another while we were on a tee box. It was like a firing range for the blind out there.
On a scale of 1-10 the greens were a 7, not what I expected for such a popular course. All in all, perhaps I should not complain since I got a great deal through GolfNow.com. Still, this is not one of those situations where you get what you pay for. It should not be that way with golf.

This course is challenging but the best part of this course is the customer service from all the employees.

Greens: 7
Fairways: 7
Bunkers: 6
Layout: 6
Difficulty: 6
Driving Range: Yes - mats only
Practice green: Yes - best practice green in Miami-Dade

The greens and fairways are in good condition and they have redone a few of their tee box's that needed attention, so those are now of respectable quality. There are still a couple holes where a portion of the green is burnt, roughly a square yard in size but in general they are very playable. They have made considerable efforts to increase the condition as of late, so perhaps in the near future I could rate the greens and fairways an 8.

As far as difficulty goes, most of the holes are pretty straight forward. If you go by the card the course runs 6206 from the whites and 6711 from the blues (there are no championship tees). Since a canal snakes throughout the course you will find it cutting through 9 holes, with 3 of them having it just infront of the teebox. There are non-canal water hazards on 2 other holes.

This is a par 70 course. The greens look ok because they keep them long and slow but putts are bumpy. This could be a challenging beautiful public course with a little effort. Sadly Dade County puts its money on Key Biscayne and CC of Miami rather than this course. New management is trying to make improvements and seems to be doing so but they are slow to come and long over due. The course has so much potential that isn't being met. It really needs a total makeover. Esthetically it is ugly. The holes themselves are challenging. A number of par 4's are tough to reach in two for the average golfer and the par 5's can't be reached in two because of trap placement. Many traps around the course, some in odd locations, but generally they don't maintain them or the landscaping well. Fallen palm fronds are everywhere. Yard markings on the course are not well maintained either. On weekends, the restaurant doesn't open before 10am so forget a coffee or breakfast before your round and no beverage cart on the course. Occasional water fountains but no water coolers on the course. Hole #9 has palm trees along the tee box to keep you from hitting it straight down the fairway and forces you to the left ruff or into the 8th fairway which slows things down on the course and is a potential hazard. The 10th tee has some strange and largely ineffective screen to keep a person from hitting it into the road next to the course but forces you to hit the ball into the left rough. Careful if you hit it right of the green on #7, you might get hit by a tee shot from the 8th tee box. The par threes are long and challenging. The layout is challenging, the maintenance leaves a lot to be desired. There is water, mostly canals running horizontal on most holes, but it is more a nuisance than esthetically placed near greens etc. The course designer obviously didn't use the water in any effective way in the design of the course. Regrettably if you are in South Dade there aren't many other better options and the price is reasonable.

This course could be terrific,but it is poorly maintained. The sand traps are not edged and they need attention. Most fairways are ok and most of the greens are ok. The rough is terrible as tree leaves and branches are left to rot on many holes. This course needs a couple of workers who are not afraid to work and clean it up.