Recommendations for golf in destin?

[idochog]

Gonna be there in June. Gonna try & get in a couple of rounds.

[roundball]

Regatta Bay and Hombre. Both courses are nice and challenging. They're actually in between destin and panama.

[95_alum]

Recommend that you squeeze in some offshore fishing as well. Pics

[H&D]

Kelly Plantation
http://www.kellyplantation.com/

Fort Walton Beach City Course (actually a nice club).  The Pines is a challenging course, The Oaks is wide open and fun.
http://fwb.org/golf/

Go to a bar in Fort Walton, get to know someone in the Air Force and get them to get you on the Eglin Course and play the Falcon.  Or get them to get you on at Gator Lakes inside of Hurlburt Field, a really nice course.

[userpick]

Camp Creek

Indian Bayou

[Boarcephus]

Indian Bayou

This is about the best bang for the buck I've found. 

Sandestin courses are nice but pricy.  Will run you in the vicinity of $125 a round.

[kingofdequeen]

From everyone i know that goes down there:

Camp Creek

Kelly Plantation

[rcopela]

Emerald Bay isn't bad and affordable..

[tweet pilot]

Kelly Plantation is a Freddie Couples designed course.  One of my favorites anywhere.  Each hole has a description of how Freddie played the hole and what club he used.  As it turns out, he's better than me.

Hombre is a 27 hole course that is in good shape and modestly priced, even cheap for a resort area course.  However, it's in Panama City Beach, not Destin.

Both facilities have an unlimited driving range.  Kelly has a great place to practice bunker play.  You really could spend all day there practicing and playing and have a great time.  Not terribly expensive either.  If I was in Destin, I certainly would not drive past Kelly to play Hombre although Hombre is a nice course.

[Rendezvous Cook]

Used to work at Raven.  Sandestin is nice but pricey.  Regatta Bay is a must.  The best bang for your buck is about a 30 min drive.  Shalimar Pointe.   

Call and make sure they're not aerifying the greens!!!  June is a popular time for that down there.   

[urkillnmesmalls]

Used to work at Raven.  Sandestin is nice but pricey.  Regatta Bay is a must.  The best bang for your buck is about a 30 min drive.  Shalimar Pointe.   

Call and make sure they're not aerifying the greens!!!  June is a popular time for that down there.

Not sure of your schedule, but if you have a chance, catch the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Mobile on the way down.  IMO, you won't play a course in the Destin area, outside of the pricey options at Sand Destin, that are going to impress you more than the Falls and the Crossings.  It's worth altering your trip if you can get away with it.   

I agree that Shalimar Pointe is a hidden gem, although it was years ago when I played it and can't vouch for the current condition.  It was nice when I played it.  Still say Emerald Bay and Regatta Bay are good courses, but in general...I'm just not a big fan of flat Florida panhandle golf.   

I can't imagine someone preferring the Hombre over almost anything else in that area.  I thought it was lame...flat, boring, and while I typically remember at least a few key holes, I can't remember a single hole from that course.  Left NO impression, other than I had to wait out two thunderstorms, and it was wet and long from the back tee.  I would hit a local muny before I played there again.

I just checked online, and you can hit Shalimar Pointe for $39 twilight, and IMO that course is about as good as any course under $40 that I've played.  BEWARE though, I do remember that when you get that extra little bit inland...it feels about 20 degrees hotter.        

[panhandlepig]

 Just to give y'all an up-date on Shalimar Pointe. The corp who owned it was in negotiations to sell the course and clubhouse to a developer who planned to close the course and build 190 new homes.

  Over 100 residents and members got together and raised the money and bought it for around 1 million. From what I understand, they are doing good things with the course. And fwiw Shalimar Pointe is on Choctawhatchee Bay, just like Kelly Plantation so there shouldn't be any difference in temperature.

[urkillnmesmalls]

Just to give y'all an up-date on Shalimar Pointe. The corp who owned it was in negotiations to sell the course and clubhouse to a developer who planned to close the course and build 190 new homes.

  Over 100 residents and members got together and raised the money and bought it for around 1 million. From what I understand, they are doing good things with the course. And fwiw Shalimar Pointe is on Choctawhatchee Bay, just like Kelly Plantation so there shouldn't be any difference in temperature.

Thanks for the update.  +1  No offense man, but I don't care much for Florida golf.  While I LOVE the white sand beaches, restaurants, and total atmosphere in that area, there are many other places I would rather go if I'm just going to play golf.  It looks like you are from that area, and obviously you enjoy it there, so I genuinely hope I'm not offending you.  I would hit the muni's just to get some golf in if I was headed there on vacation this year.   

For the golf combined with heat, AZ is a better option IMO.  You can play courses that are nicer than any in Fla. during the summer for barely more than 1/2 the cost.  Grayhawk's courses are at least on par with the top courses at Sand Destin.  Starting on June 4th running through mid September, you can play 36 out there for $95.00, inclusive.      It may be 115 degrees, but it won't feel any hotter than Fla. that time of year. 

Sorry man...just calling it like I see it.    

[userpick]

In my opinion, Sand Destin has the most ridiculous/overpriced/overrated courses in the area. It's been a couple years since I played there, but the courses were not in great shape at that time. I'm loyal to Indian Bayou and Camp Creek

[panhandlepig]

  Hey Smalls, you didn't offend me at all. I havent played golf in over 20 years. I got to the  point where I wasn't going to get any better without a bigger time and financial investment and it just wasn't worth it. I still like the game, just not enough to do it anymore.
  It was just interesting to see how the Shalimar Pointe thing played out. The same thing is happening at BlueWater Bay. They want to sell off part of the course for development.

[urkillnmesmalls]

In my opinion, Sand Destin has the most ridiculous/overpriced/overrated courses in the area. It's been a couple years since I played there, but the courses were not in great shape at that time. I'm loyal to Indian Bayou and Camp Creek

Hmm...interesting view.  I thought the Sand Destin courses were in great shape when I played there.  That being said, there are better layouts all around the area, and there was nothing about Sand Destin that made me think, "That was worth the premium."  By comparison, when they are in good shape, I can think of several public tracks in AR that I would rather play than those in the Panhandle area, much less the private courses.   

[urkillnmesmalls]

  Hey Smalls, you didn't offend me at all. I havent played golf in over 20 years. I got to the  point where I wasn't going to get any better without a bigger time and financial investment and it just wasn't worth it. I still like the game, just not enough to do it anymore.
  It was just interesting to see how the Shalimar Pointe thing played out. The same thing is happening at BlueWater Bay. They want to sell off part of the course for development.

Interesting...I just jumped over to their website to see if I had played there, because I honestly can't remember if I did or not.  There are so many courses around there with "Bay" in it, that I lose track.  They actually have some back and forth on there regarding shutting down 9 holes of their facility back about this time last year.  It's common everywhere as the economy impacts golf. 

Locally, the best example I can think of was Greystone in Cabot.  The back course was all but grown up before the home owners got together and purchased it, and the front course had closed, but was still being maintained by the bank for a period of time.  Then the Coopers from around Melbourne and some other investors bought it.  At last check, the front course was in probably the best shape it ever has been, and both courses were doing OK.   

[urkillnmesmalls]

Just to give y'all an up-date on Shalimar Pointe. The corp who owned it was in negotiations to sell the course and clubhouse to a developer who planned to close the course and build 190 new homes.

  Over 100 residents and members got together and raised the money and bought it for around 1 million. From what I understand, they are doing good things with the course. And fwiw Shalimar Pointe is on Choctawhatchee Bay, just like Kelly Plantation so there shouldn't be any difference in temperature.

I haven't played Kelly Plantation, but other than hitting a local muny, I would probably hit Kelly Plantation on my next trip down just to see what the fuss is about.  It's getting the highest rating by most online outfits, and some posters here too. 

[Rendezvous Cook]

Kelly and Regatta are the best two courses down there conditionwise