I'm going to Destin Fla...
E.Hale Burnside II
will be traveling to Destin Fla for a long weekend..I have
played Blue water Bay there..but has anyone a favorite course
there that is a must play that I ought to know about.
After 3 or 4 very mild winters this cold/rainy weather is
staring to get to me...I can putt on my carpet only so
long...I've got to get out..I've only played Golf twice
in Dec...Thank Goodness for the Golf Channel
E Hale Burnside II MD
Calhoun Georgia USA
Kevin
>Indian Bayou is in Destin off of Airport Road and has 27 holes and
>is worth your time.
This is a musr play! Excellant bermuda greens! Most courses in this
area have wonderful bermuda fairways, imo what makes a course stand out
down there is their greens, Indian Bayou is awesome!
> Destin has Brunt Pines, Links, Harbor (9 holes), and Troon (9 holes).
The only one of these I've played is the Links. It was realatively new
when I played it, probably 3 yrs old around 6 or 7 years ago. It is
a challenging course especially from the blues. I was really on my
game back then and shot at or near 80. I remember it was a hard day.
They have some great seaside holes. One in particular I remember is
a long par 4 headed directly toward the beach. The green is probably
50 yds from the shore (if this hole still exists after Opal!).
>Emerald Bay is new and I have not been able to play there yet...
Same here.
>I really do not know much about Seascape either, but it has been around
>about 20 years in Destin. From what I have seen of it from the road,
>Indian Bayou and Sandestin look better.
Definitely agreed. Don't waste your time...
>- Tiger Point Country Club has two 18 hole courses in Gulf Breeze
> which is on the Destin side of Pensacola on US 98.
I've seen Tiger Point but haven't played it. Looks top notch though.
>...
> Shalimar Point Country Club is about 10/15 minutes outside of
> Fort Walton Beach....
Interesting course. Very affordable and they have all day green fees.
I would suggest it just for the price. I looks similar to a Pete Dye
design. You should play it, it is very much worth the money. Get good
directions to it though. It is is the very back of a residential community
and difficult to find.
My ranking would be:
1) Indian Bayou
2) Sandestin
3) Tiger Point
4) Shalimar
Oh yea, if you go down the beach far enough to reach Tiger Point be sure
to play Perdido Bay, this is where they used to play the Pensicola Open.
When I was last there, about 5 years ago it was great. I heard they have
had some problems though. Check it out. It's on 98 about 4 miles outside
of Pensicola. The Alabama side of Pensicola.
Let me know what you think about the courses and inform us about the
weather damage. I hope to go there in a couple of months.
Hit'em straight,
Kevin....
Mike Marler
> The middle of Feb...I along with a few of my Golfing buddys
>will be traveling to Destin Fla for a long weekend..I have
>played Blue water Bay there..but has anyone a favorite course
>there that is a must play that I ought to know about.
If you have Web access, then check http://www.gdol.com/course/fl/,
but I will tell you my favorites and others which "locals" have
told me about while playing. Let me know if you do not have
Web access and I can get you a list of courses with phone numbers,
costs, addresses, etc.
Indian Bayou is in Destin off of Airport Road and has 27 holes and
is worth your time. The course was originally 18 holes, and the side
with the most narrow holes is the new 9 (each side has an Indian
tribe name and I cannot remember which is which). Nice big rolling
greens. Although I have never played the longer tees, I have not
had to do so to have a challenging round. State level golf tourneys
have been played here in the past.
Sandestin has Brunt Pines, Links, Harbor (9 holes), and Troon (9 holes).
Most of the time that I go to Fort Walton or Destin, I am visiting
family or on a short fishing trip where I try to fit in some rounds
and I have not taken the time to play these courses (plus they are
not cheap to play). I believe that Harbor and Troon are the newer
courses. As with Indian Bayou, state level golf tourneys have been
played on either one or both of the 18 hole courses. I have heard
many good things about these courses, but also that they just slightly
easier than Blue Water. You might not have any problem getting tee
times for these resort courses when you planning your trip. Be sure
to ask about any damage from Opal, because the most of the gulf side
condos and motels got some serious sand from the tide swell.
Emerald Bay is new and I have not been able to play there yet, but
it has 135 slope and 73.1 rating. It is on Emerald Coast Parkway
outside of Destin. If you try it out let me know what you think.
I really do not know much about Seascape either, but it has been around
about 20 years in Destin. From what I have seen of it from the road,
Indian Bayou and Sandestin look better.
So much for Destin, and here are some others that are not "too far"
a drive from Destin:
- You know about Blue Water Bay and they have added some sides
recently (this is in my top two places to go check and soon).
- Tiger Point Country Club has two 18 hole courses in Gulf Breeze
which is on the Destin side of Pensacola on US 98. The East
course is rated at 73.9 with slope of 145 and supposed to be well
worth the money. The West course is supposedly a "boring yawner"
compared to the East course. Could always try it out in the morining
if you were driving home that day.
- Heard good things about Moors Golf Club in Milton, and I believe
that the Senior Tour played there this year.
- Although not at the level of the others listed (except Seascape),
Shalimar Point Country Club is about 10/15 minutes outside of
Fort Walton Beach and is an older country club that a developer
bought about 6-8 years ago and did about $2 million in improvements
and is interesting although some of the holes look "tricked up".
In summary in order I would rate from playing or "hearing/reading
about", Blue Water, Indian Bayou/Sandestin, Sandestin again,
Tiger Point East, and maybe Emerald Bay.
> After 3 or 4 very mild winters this cold/rainy weather is
>staring to get to me...I can putt on my carpet only so
>long...I've got to get out..I've only played Golf twice
>in Dec...Thank Goodness for the Golf Channel
I know how you feel. I went for 3 days of 36 holes a day at Lakeland,
Florida last week and I thought I might be making a little progress on
my game for a change. Then I hear this weekend's weather for Atlanta
on the radio this morning. Better go buy some "whiffle golf balls"
for myself.
Cheers, Mike
--
Mike Marler Information Technology, Georgia Tech
mike....@oit.gatech.edu Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0715
(I got grey hair when I joined the ACC and saw Michael Jordan. - Bobby Cremins)
blair touchard
>
> The middle of Feb...I along with a few of my Golfing buddys
>will be traveling to Destin Fla for a long weekend..I have
>played Blue water Bay there..but has anyone a favorite course
>there that is a must play that I ought to know about.
>
>staring to get to me...I can putt on my carpet only so
>long...I've got to get out..I've only played Golf twice
>in Dec...Thank Goodness for the Golf Channel
>
>Calhoun Georgia USA
>
I run a service on the net called GolfSouth and I have played at many of
the courses in the Destin area. My favorite is Sandestin which is the
Hilton's retreat. 45 holes of great golf! You can call Pam at
904-267-8000. Tell her you heard about it on the Internet!
Also, check out Seascape Resort. Mike Wine is the head pro and he can be
reached at 800-874-9106 also tell him I sent you.
Other courses of interest are : Indian Bayou, Hidden Creek and Tiger
Point East/West which both are in and around Gulf Breeze.(30-40 minutes
from Destin)
My golf page is at http://www.golfsouth.com
Have a great trip!
Blair Touchard
brandon sheley
remember which) located in Navarre Beach. It is hard to find, but
worth the effort.
Russell Didlake
Terry Bernstein
RJ Stayton
is no comparison.