Anyone played near Destin lately??

[oneunderbogey]

2 hours ago, bcflyguy1 said:

I live in the 850. What would you like to know?

 

How would you rank Kelly Plantation, Windswept Dunes, Regatta, Raven?  any courses better than those 4?  Anyone punch or in rough shape recently? 

 

Thank!

[bcflyguy1]

Call ahead to anywhere you go as it's prime season for the first aeration cycle.

 

Windswept is great fun if you're willing to make the drive.

Kelly Regatta and Raven are all very similar layouts. Regatta has been having some conditioning issues recently, and not sure if they resolved them.

Rocky Bayou CC recently hosted local US Open qualifying and is in fine shape, but will be doing an aggressive "drill and fill" aeration in the next couple weeks.

 

[Lefty_3Jack]

Headed to Destin in two weeks for a friends bachelor party.  I think he wants to go fishing and that's why he picked the Panhandle.  He's up in the air about playing and said all the courses looked like they were crappy muni's on customer review pics.  I think they all look good in the professional pics, but agree they look a little rough in review pics.  

 

I'd like to play and need to convince these guys that it's worth it to play.  Windswept and Regatta both look nice and they'd be my pick on what I see.  Are there any private clubs I could have our club call and ask about getting on?  

[bcflyguy1]

1 hour ago, Lefty_3Jack said:

Headed to Destin in two weeks for a friends bachelor party.  I think he wants to go fishing and that's why he picked the Panhandle.  He's up in the air about playing and said all the courses looked like they were crappy muni's on customer review pics.  I think they all look good in the professional pics, but agree they look a little rough in review pics.  

 

I'd like to play and need to convince these guys that it's worth it to play.  Windswept and Regatta both look nice and they'd be my pick on what I see.  Are there any private clubs I could have our club call and ask about getting on?  

Rocky Bayou Country Club in Niceville

[vandyfan]

1 hour ago, Lefty_3Jack said:

He's up in the air about playing and said all the courses looked like they were crappy muni's on customer review pics.  I think they all look good in the professional pics, but agree they look a little rough in review pics.  

 

 

I aspire to be so snobby about golf courses that I would see Kelly Plantation or Windswept as a "crappy muni." If you want to see a crappy muni, go check out seascape. 

[Lefty_3Jack]

9 minutes ago, vandyfan said:

 

I aspire to be so snobby about golf courses that I would see Kelly Plantation or Windswept as a "crappy muni." If you want to see a crappy muni, go check out seascape. 

Not my words and it comes from someone who plays public courses.  I tend to agree with you.  To his defense, the professional photos of each course looks great, but some of the review pics look a little rough.  Kelly Plantation nor Windswept does not have any pics online that I'd call bad.  Regatta was one that had a few that looked drastically different than the professional pics. 

 

I think what he's seeing is some of the winter pics or dead of summer.  He's had some experiences playing courses in other parts of the country where they overseed with rye.  If you play one of those courses in November or April, they look MUCH different and nicer than they do when it's bermuda in july/august.  I made up "crappy muni", he said "florida shithole".  I think he's referencing the bermuda potentially being a little rough.  None of us have been to that part of the world and don't know what any of it looks like. 

[sethdavidsdad]

42 minutes ago, Lefty_3Jack said:

Not my words and it comes from someone who plays public courses.  I tend to agree with you.  To his defense, the professional photos of each course looks great, but some of the review pics look a little rough.  Kelly Plantation nor Windswept does not have any pics online that I'd call bad.  Regatta was one that had a few that looked drastically different than the professional pics. 

 

I think what he's seeing is some of the winter pics or dead of summer.  He's had some experiences playing courses in other parts of the country where they overseed with rye.  If you play one of those courses in November or April, they look MUCH different and nicer than they do when it's bermuda in july/august.  I made up "crappy muni", he said "florida shithole".  I think he's referencing the bermuda potentially being a little rough.  None of us have been to that part of the world and don't know what any of it looks like. 

There are crappy munis like seascape and one of the sandestin courses but there are several good ones. If you can get on Camp Creek it's the best down there IMO. Kelly Planation, Regatta Bay(although they have slow greens most days), and Raven are all good and usually in good shape. 

Edited July 11, 2023 by sethdavidsdad

[amish]

Played sandestin’s Baytowne and Links courses last week. Baytowne is a typical resort course. The Links was more fun and had several holes along the back bay. Slow greens. Something seemed to be wrong with the greens mower at Baytowne as

it was not cutting level across its width. 

[oneunderbogey]

On 7/11/2023 at 2:43 PM, bcflyguy1 said:

Rocky Bayou Country Club in Niceville

 

Is public and not close to the level of windswept.  Camp Creek / Sharks Tooth is worth a call if you belong to good club

Edited July 27, 2023 by oneunderbogey

[bcflyguy1]

6 minutes ago, oneunderbogey said:

 

Is public and not close to the level of windswept.  Camp Creek / Sharks Tooth is worth a call if you belong to good club

Not true. Semi-private; limited number of tee times made available based on volume of member play.

Windswept is a fine choice, but you're going to drive a lot further and pay a lot more to play on lesser turf conditions.

[oneunderbogey]

On 7/27/2023 at 9:35 AM, bcflyguy1 said:

Not true. Semi-private; limited number of tee times made available based on volume of member play.

Windswept is a fine choice, but you're going to drive a lot further and pay a lot more to play on lesser turf conditions.

If anyone can make a tee time any day of the week I hate to burst your bubble but its a public course, with a monthly or annual pass option. When I played in May conditions were comparable at both courses with an edge to windswept if anything.  Windswept is further away but a FAR superior layout.  Not trying to hate on your course, and hope you enjoy it but just giving my opinion. 

[bcflyguy1]

32 minutes ago, oneunderbogey said:

If anyone can make a tee time any day of the week I hate to burst your bubble but its a public course, with a monthly or annual pass option. When I played in May conditions were comparable at both courses with an edge to windswept if anything.  Windswept is further away but a FAR superior layout.  Not trying to hate on your course, and hope you enjoy it but just giving my opinion. 

May had the course going through a period of intensive maintenance to recover after hosting US Open local qualifying so unfortunately what you saw was far from its best or even typical. Pity that your visit lined up with that.

As far as the parsing and semantics of being private, public, or something in between the line in my signature will suffice. Having an opinion is one thing; actually knowing what you're talking about is another.


 

[vandyfan]

Heading down to Destin next week and have played all the publics down there at least once. We stay across the street from Sandestin so those courses are by far the most convenient since I have small kids and can't be gone for 6 hours. I am reading that conditions seem bad (on the greens particularly) at Emerald Bay and Baytowne. Somehow, reviews still seem positive at Links and I may be eating my words from a few years ago but Links is actually kind of fun even though I, personally, cannot really hit my driver on any hole except #4. 

 

Separate note, I was able to play Rocky Bayou last year and I actually really enjoyed it. Unfortunately I think it is a bit too far of a drive at this point. I may try to see if my wife is cool with 30 minutes each way (doubt it). 

[bcflyguy1]

11 minutes ago, vandyfan said:

Heading down to Destin next week and have played all the publics down there at least once. We stay across the street from Sandestin so those courses are by far the most convenient since I have small kids and can't be gone for 6 hours. I am reading that conditions seem bad (on the greens particularly) at Emerald Bay and Baytowne. Somehow, reviews still seem positive at Links and I may be eating my words from a few years ago but Links is actually kind of fun even though I, personally, cannot really hit my driver on any hole except #4. 

 

Separate note, I was able to play Rocky Bayou last year and I actually really enjoyed it. Unfortunately I think it is a bit too far of a drive at this point. I may try to see if my wife is cool with 30 minutes each way (doubt it). 

Enjoy the time with family!

 

Full disclosure: Currently playing conditions at Rocky are good for the most part, but we have a nematode issue in 15 and 16 green (perhaps other spots as well). Not great, obviously, particularly with growing season rapidly closing. They've likely been there for months and not been properly diagnosed.

[vandyfan]

Played Links at Sandestin this past saturday and conditions were fairly good outside of a few tee boxes and some nut's edge creep on a few of the greens. Can confirm from speaking to several people down there that the greens at Baytowne are in terrible shape at the moment and should not be charging anywhere near full price for those conditions. 

 

Overall had a great day at Links and it is probably not a coincidence that I didn't even take my driver down to florida. All Driving iron or 5 iron off the tees (even the par 5s) and still shot 73. I might actually like this course now. Haven't played Burnt Pine but would rank the Sandestin courses like this

 

Fun/Enjoyment Factor

1. Links at Sandestin (not the kind of golf I want to play all the time but it is somehow fun target golf and has some great views)
2. Baytowne (pretty open layout and you can actually hit driver on most holes here)

3. Raven (has by far the best conditions and is a true "test" as it is very challenging off the tee but it is a tad stressful, to me, for resort golf)

 

Course Layout/Conditions
1. Raven (this is a real tournament, execution test layout)
2. Links (quirky layout but conditions are fairly steady)
3. Baytowne (choppy layout with varying conditions and a lot of really ugly sitelines, if you care about that)

[vandyfan]

Making my way down to Destin again for my semi-annual visit. Will be playing Baytowne (Sandestin) and Regatta Bay. Will report back on conditions when I return. In the meantime, has anyone played either of those courses recently and have any feedback? I have played them both a few times but it has been a year or two. 

[Bogeyman_MD]

18 minutes ago, vandyfan said:

Making my way down to Destin again for my semi-annual visit. Will be playing Baytowne (Sandestin) and Regatta Bay. Will report back on conditions when I return. In the meantime, has anyone played either of those courses recently and have any feedback? I have played them both a few times but it has been a year or two. 

Which do you prefer between Regatta & Kelly. Last spring we enjoyed Kelly a little more. I would like to try something different this trip but not sure where, it would need to be close to town (Henderson State Park area).

[bcflyguy1]

2 minutes ago, Mike412 said:

Which do you prefer between Regatta & Kelly. Last spring we enjoyed Kelly a little more. I would like to try something different this trip but not sure where, it would need to be close to town (Henderson State Park area).

Turf conditions at Indian Bayou are consistently very good.

[byoshio82]

Haven’t played Destin but I have used Desatin before for real bag chaffing!lol!

[vandyfan]

3 minutes ago, Mike412 said:

Which do you prefer between Regatta & Kelly. Last spring we enjoyed Kelly a little more. I would like to try something different this trip but not sure where, it would need to be close to town (Henderson State Park area).

 

Kelly is a "nicer" golf course and conditions have always been better there, for me. Also, you don't have all the obtrusive housing/housing construction that Regatta has. That being said, I think Regatta is "more fun." Regatta is a little more open and that is preferable to me as I like to be able to let my driver out a bit. Kelly has 2-3 holes that are really difficult tee shots that I don't really enjoy as much for my "vacation" rounds. Kelly is more of a "test" golf course and Regatta is more of a "fun and non-stressful" outing. If I was really playing well, I would probably prefer playing Kelly but most of the time (especially on vacation with my kids) I am working off of about 4 hours of sleep and steering it a bit out there. 

 

In summary:
Kelly Plantation - better conditions, better test, more "attractive" surrounds, can be a bit stressful to play
Regatta - more fun, more/better scoring chances, the "environment" is not as attractive

[Bogeyman_MD]

2 minutes ago, vandyfan said:

 

Kelly is a "nicer" golf course and conditions have always been better there, for me. Also, you don't have all the obtrusive housing/housing construction that Regatta has. That being said, I think Regatta is "more fun." Regatta is a little more open and that is preferable to me as I like to be able to let my driver out a bit. Kelly has 2-3 holes that are really difficult tee shots that I don't really enjoy as much for my "vacation" rounds. Kelly is more of a "test" golf course and Regatta is more of a "fun and non-stressful" outing. If I was really playing well, I would probably prefer playing Kelly but most of the time (especially on vacation with my kids) I am working off of about 4 hours of sleep and steering it a bit out there. 

 

In summary:
Kelly Plantation - better conditions, better test, more "attractive" surrounds, can be a bit stressful to play
Regatta - more fun, more/better scoring chances, the "environment" is not as attractive

Agree on all accounts. Any recommendations on other good courses in the immediate area?

[bcflyguy1]

Course is open at Kelly, but they are progressively renovating all the bunkers and tee boxes. Not a huge factor, but still worth consideration.

[vandyfan]

Good is a relative term. Windswept Dunes out in Freeport (at least 30 minutes from Miramar Beach) is probably my favorite but too far to go on one of these trips with the family. If I were to rank a few around Sandestin (where I stay), I guess I would go like this:

 

Raven - A championship golf course and a step above the other *public* Sandestin courses. I don't really play it because, again, it is stressful to play but conditions are good and I think most would agree it is the best "big boy" golf course in the area that isn't private. Not as secluded as Kelly Plantation. 

 

Kelly Plantation - for the reasons mentioned above. Again, I don't really have fun out here. Too many OB or lost ball opportunities.

 

Regatta Bay - now we are getting in my wheelhouse. 

 

Emerald Bay - this is a fun course but can be a tad overpriced. Fairly open. 
 

Rocky Bayou (Niceville) - I enjoyed this golf course and found it to be pretty fun. 

 

Links at Sandestin - controversial pick here but has some great views. Has a lot of water and I generally only hit driver on like 3 holes out here. 

 

Baytowne - kind of a mess of a golf course. Smack in the middle of a million houses and condos. Has some holes that are like a 3 minute cart ride away from the rest of the course. Really some ugly sightlines on the course but the conditions are generally decent and you can hit driver a bit out here. 

 

Avoid at all costs: Seascape (do not play do not play). Ft Walton Beach Golf Club (bad conditions last time I was out there). 

 

Never played indian bayou. 
 

 

[Sleeky_D]

Don’t mean to derail the thread, but my family and I are visiting the area during the first week of June. I’m planning to play 1 round of golf (yet to be decided where), but I’m also interested in doing a club fitting for driver and irons while I’m there. Does anyone know if there is anywhere in the area that does outdoor fittings? Sorry if this isn’t the correct place to post this! 

[vandyfan]

Update on Baytowne (Sandestin) and Regatta Bay

 

Baytowne - Good deal on the Sandestin courses in the afternoons, I played Baytowne for $65 which felt about right. Conditions are fine but I must highlight that the greens are VERY SLOW. I think this is by design. They don't get marked up by ballmarks and overall looked pretty good which I think is a result of how long the grass was. They roll fairly true (keeping in mind there is grain) but again, slow. I am not a stimp guy but I would guess somewhere like 6-7 on the stimp. Fairways looked fine and the bunker that I was in had plenty of sand and was fairly soft. Pace of play was ok, it has been much worse. 

 

Regatta Bay - Not a great deal here, paid $140 and that felt like $50 too much. As per usual, there is a TON of construction going on with houses all over that golf course. Conditions were good, greens rolled a decent speed and the bunkers were very soft and fluffy. I still find this to be a fun golf course that can jump up and bite you in a few places. Pace of play was quite good. Again, I would just say that I will not pay this much money to play RB again. The Sandestin courses offer way more value at the moment, particularly in the afternoons. Also, you can't chip on their putting green which is always absurd to me. 

[Bogeyman_MD]

On 3/18/2024 at 10:41 AM, vandyfan said:

Update on Baytowne (Sandestin) and Regatta Bay

 

Baytowne - Good deal on the Sandestin courses in the afternoons, I played Baytowne for $65 which felt about right. Conditions are fine but I must highlight that the greens are VERY SLOW. I think this is by design. They don't get marked up by ballmarks and overall looked pretty good which I think is a result of how long the grass was. They roll fairly true (keeping in mind there is grain) but again, slow. I am not a stimp guy but I would guess somewhere like 6-7 on the stimp. Fairways looked fine and the bunker that I was in had plenty of sand and was fairly soft. Pace of play was ok, it has been much worse. 

 

Regatta Bay - Not a great deal here, paid $140 and that felt like $50 too much. As per usual, there is a TON of construction going on with houses all over that golf course. Conditions were good, greens rolled a decent speed and the bunkers were very soft and fluffy. I still find this to be a fun golf course that can jump up and bite you in a few places. Pace of play was quite good. Again, I would just say that I will not pay this much money to play RB again. The Sandestin courses offer way more value at the moment, particularly in the afternoons. Also, you can't chip on their putting green which is always absurd to me. 

We weren’t impressed with Regatta Bay when we were there last spring either. I wouldn’t go back for the price.

[sethdavidsdad]

On 3/18/2024 at 10:41 AM, vandyfan said:

Update on Baytowne (Sandestin) and Regatta Bay

 

Baytowne - Good deal on the Sandestin courses in the afternoons, I played Baytowne for $65 which felt about right. Conditions are fine but I must highlight that the greens are VERY SLOW. I think this is by design. They don't get marked up by ballmarks and overall looked pretty good which I think is a result of how long the grass was. They roll fairly true (keeping in mind there is grain) but again, slow. I am not a stimp guy but I would guess somewhere like 6-7 on the stimp. Fairways looked fine and the bunker that I was in had plenty of sand and was fairly soft. Pace of play was ok, it has been much worse. 

 

Regatta Bay - Not a great deal here, paid $140 and that felt like $50 too much. As per usual, there is a TON of construction going on with houses all over that golf course. Conditions were good, greens rolled a decent speed and the bunkers were very soft and fluffy. I still find this to be a fun golf course that can jump up and bite you in a few places. Pace of play was quite good. Again, I would just say that I will not pay this much money to play RB again. The Sandestin courses offer way more value at the moment, particularly in the afternoons. Also, you can't chip on their putting green which is always absurd to me. 

 

7 minutes ago, Mike412 said:

We weren’t impressed with Regatta Bay when we were there last spring either. I wouldn’t go back for the price.

I was told last week that Regatta Bay has a new Greens Keeper starting soon. Hopefully the greens will improve, they have always been slow and grass too long when I have played the last few years. We redid our greens same time and same grass as they have and our greens are always so much better than theirs. 

[MAROON79]

played back to back days at Santa Rosa Beach Club. It's private - but you might be able to get your pro to get you on.  We played with a member.  Loved the course except for a couple of quirky holes on the back nine.  

 

We were staying in Grayton so it was just so much easier to play there than anything in Destin.

[OK_Golf]

Hello all,

Headed down to 30A / Blue Mountain Beach and would love updates on course conditions and recommendations.  I've bee to the area several times before and am considering

• Windswept Dunes (a favorite, but I wanted to check any updated course coadditions)
• Burnt Pine (my pro was able to get me on last time I was in town ... again, any views on conditions, course was in great shape the last time I played)
•  Santa Rosa (proximity is great; would love to try this one so I've ask the pro for help there, but not sure if it will work) 
• Shark's Tooth (working a potential connection here, but timing and location are causing some logistical hurdles that I may not be able to get over; would love to hear review of this one, as I've never played it)

Likely staying away from anything further west in Destin, but if someone thinks one of those is a top notch play and I should consider, let me know.

 

Thanks WRXers!

[vandyfan]

@OK_Golf Solid plan there. Let us know what you end up doing and how it shakes out.