Walk into the clubhouse at Old Memorial Golf Club and the first thing you notice isn't the trophies. It’s the silence. Or maybe the smell of high-end leather mixed with a bit of locker room humidity. Located on the outskirts of Tampa, Florida, this place doesn't care if you've heard of it. Honestly, they’d probably prefer if you hadn't. It’s a pure "national" club, meaning most of the members don't even live in Florida. They fly in, play 36 holes, eat a world-class steak, and disappear. No pool. No tennis courts. No "social" memberships for people who just want to brunch. It is, and always has been, about the dirt and the grass.
The club was founded back in 1997 by the guys who started the Outback Steakhouse empire—Chris Sullivan and Bob Basham. They wanted a sanctuary. They got Steve Smyers to design the course, and what he built is essentially a psychological experiment disguised as a par 72.
The Layout That Humbles Pros
Most Florida golf is predictable. You've got flat fairways, some palm trees, and a pond on every hole. Old Memorial is different. It’s basically an inland links. Smyers moved a massive amount of earth to create these rolling, sandy ridges that feel more like the Sandbelt in Australia than the Hillsborough County suburbs.
The greens are the real story here. If you aren't dialed in, you're dead. They are firm, fast, and feature these massive undulations that can turn a 10-foot birdie putt into a 40-foot par save if you catch the wrong side of a ridge. It’s a "second shot" golf course. You can spray it a bit off the tee because the corridors are wide, but if you don't have the right angle into the green, you’re basically guessing.
I've talked to guys who play on the PGA Tour—names you'd recognize from Sunday leaderboards—who go to Old Memorial to get their games sharp. Why? Because the course doesn't let you fake it. If your ball-striking is off by even a fraction, the layout exposes it immediately. It’s a brutal, beautiful test of golf that doesn't rely on gimmicks or forced carries over water.
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The Caddie Culture
You aren't taking a cart here. Well, you can, but it’s frowned upon. Old Memorial is a walking club. The caddie program is legendary. These guys aren't just carrying bags; they are part of the fabric of the place. They know every break on those treacherous greens.
One thing people often get wrong is thinking this is just another stuffy, old-money enclave. It’s not. It’s "blue-collar" wealth. It’s loud, it’s fun, and the locker room atmosphere is arguably the best in the country. There's a certain "hang" at Old Memorial that you just don't find at Seminole or Jupiter Hills. It’s more relaxed, yet more focused on the game itself.
What it Really Takes to Get In
Let’s be real: you aren't just calling up the pro shop and booking a tee time for next Tuesday. Old Memorial is one of the most private clubs in the Southeast. To get a membership, you need a sponsor, a seconder, and a whole lot of patience. And money. But even with the cash, if you aren't a "golfer's golfer," the membership committee probably isn't going to look your way.
The club has a reputation for being a haven for professional athletes. It’s not uncommon to see guys like Derek Jeter or various NHL stars from the Tampa Bay Lightning roaming the fairways. They come here because the membership respects their privacy. Nobody is asking for autographs on the practice range. Everyone is there for the same reason: to try and break 80 on a course that really wants you to shoot 95.
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The Facilities and That Famous Milkshake
The clubhouse is massive, sprawling, and feels like a lodge. It’s designed for the "stay and play" crowd. There are on-site cottages where members can stay for the weekend. The food is, as you might expect from the founders of Outback, incredible. But the real legend? The milkshakes.
It sounds silly. You're at one of the top-ranked courses in the world, and people are talking about dairy. But the Old Memorial milkshake is a rite of passage. If you finish your round and don't have one in the locker room, did you even play?
Common Misconceptions About the Course
A lot of people think Old Memorial is a "desert" style course because of the sandy waste areas. That’s a mistake. It’s a sand-based site, but the strategy is much more nuanced. You have to use the slopes. Sometimes the best way to get close to a pin on the left side of the green is to aim ten yards to the right and let the natural contours do the work.
- The Wind: Because the trees are sparse and the land is open, the wind rips through the property. A two-club wind is a "calm day" here.
- The Rough: It’s not usually thick, penalizing grass. It’s more about the sandy lies and the bunkering.
- The Speed: If the greens are rolling at a 12 or 13 on the Stimpmeter, which they often are, some pin positions become nearly impossible.
Why Old Memorial Still Matters in 2026
In a world where golf is becoming increasingly commercialized and every new club is trying to be a "lifestyle brand," Old Memorial is a throwback. It reminds us that at the end of the day, the game is what matters. It hasn't chased trends. It hasn't lengthened the course to 8,000 yards just to say they did. They’ve stuck to the original vision: a hard-as-nails golf course with a world-class locker room.
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The club also hosts significant amateur events and has a deep connection to the local golf community in Tampa, even if the gates stay closed to the general public. It serves as a benchmark for what a private club should be. It’s not about being exclusive for the sake of being "better" than anyone; it’s about creating a specific environment for people who live and breathe the sport.
Actionable Insights for the Aspiring Guest
If you ever get the call to play Old Memorial, don't say no. Even if you have to cancel a wedding. But go prepared.
- Work on your lag putting. Seriously. Spend three days before your round just hitting 40-footers. If you three-putt the first three holes, your mental game will crumble.
- Bring cash for the caddies. They work hard on this terrain, and they deserve to be taken care of.
- Don't over-swing off the tee. The fairways look wide, but the angles are everything. Finding the short grass is more important than an extra 20 yards of distance.
- Stay for the food. Don't rush out. The post-round experience is 50% of the reason people pay the dues here.
- Check your ego. You will probably shoot five to eight strokes higher than your handicap. Accept it early, or it’ll be a long afternoon.
Old Memorial remains a titan of Florida golf. It’s a place where the history is still being written, one bruised ego and one delicious milkshake at a time. If you value the architecture of the game and the camaraderie that comes after a grueling 18 holes, there is nowhere better.