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MacDill security measures force area squads to play elsewhere

Palma Ceia Country Club and Gandy Driving Range offer assistance to Plant and Robinson.

By MIKE READLING

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 21, 2001

TAMPA -- Wednesday morning Plant and Robinson were two teams without a home. By Wednesday night each had a new address.

The schools had used MacDill Air Force Base as their home course, practicing and hosting tournaments there. But the threat of terrorism led to the closure of the base to anyone without U.S. Department of Defense identification. That meant Plant and Robinson had to find a new practice facility and home course to finish out a season scheduled to end Oct. 16.

Palma Ceia Country Club head professional Gil Gonsalves said he received permission from club president Greg Jones to allow Plant to play their three remaining home matches at the exclusive south Tampa course. Because Palma Ceia doesn't have a driving range, the Panthers will have to use another facility for practice.

The Panthers' next home match is a girls match Oct. 2 against Hillsborough and Wharton.

"It worked out great," Plant girls coach Art Psillis said. "It's so close. We're going to give the kids a big lecture on filling their divots and raking the traps and then we're going to make sure they do."

Gonsalves said the decision was an easy one and didn't expect to receive any negative feedback from the club's members.

"Under the circumstances, we were looking to help them out," Gonsalves said. "We're sympathetic to what's going on in the world today and they are neighbors and members of the golf community."

Robinson coach Mark Peterson, whose team doesn't have any remaining home matches, said he was contacted by Jeff Gibson, the director of the PGA Tour's Swing Into Schools Program in Hillsborough County, and told the Knights would be able to practice at the Gandy Driving Range in St. Petersburg. Donations would be used to pay for the Robinson players to hit a bucket of balls and chip and putt at the range three times a week. Any remaining costs would be picked up by the PGA Tour, Gibson said.

Though the range is in Pinellas County, Gibson said it is the closest practice facility to the school.

"We heard Palma Ceia was helping Plant but Robinson was left high and dry," Gibson said. "So we made arrangements and got in over there. Basically everybody stepped up to the plate and took care of them."

So both teams were without a practice facility for about a day.

"In this world, the way things are today, deeds like this are few and far between," Peterson said.

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