When you start thinking about a golf getaway, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort on Florida’s Emerald Coast should be right at the very top of the list. Four fantastic eighteen-hole championship courses, a variety of accommodations including high-rise beachfront condominiums overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, Cottages and Villas along Choctawhatchee Bay, the opulence of Hotel Effie, as well as a wide range of dining options, make Sandestin a golfers paradise.
Courses
Year after year, Burnt Pine is ranked by Golf Digest among the best public courses in Florida, and by Golfweek as one of the best resort courses in the country. A Rees Jones masterpiece, Burnt Pine, provides a stiff test with a USGA course rating of 74.4 and a Slope of 148.
Raven, a Robert Trent Jones II original, is a bit more forgiving than Burnt Pine with large receptive greens, but you will still need your “A” game to go low on this visually stunning layout, having previously hosted the Boeing Championship on the PGA Champions Tour.
When you picture links golf, wind and water come immediately to mind, and master architect Tom Jackson designed The Links using the shoreline of Choctawhatchee Bay as his canvas. While a course rating of 72.6 is relatively modest, when the wind kicks up you will need precision to avoid some big numbers (and thus a slope of 140).
The only course on the Emerald Coast that extends from the Gulf beach to Choctawhatchee Bay, Baytowne is another Tom Jackson original with multiple tee boxes to provide plenty of challenge for scratch players, while remaining very playable for the novice golfer. Close proximity to Baytowne Wharf offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy waterfront dining after a day on the links.
Accommodations and Amenities
The Sandestin Resort property covers more than 2,400 acres between the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay, and includes a range of accommodation options from high-rise condominiums overlooking the gulf to Villas and Townhomes nestled among the greens and fairways.
In addition to fantastic golf, there are 4 pools including the Phil Hummel Aquatic Center, tennis and pickleball, Fitness center, a marina on the bay and powdery white beaches on the gulf.
And after your round and a dip in the pool, Sandestin offers an array of dining options from the elegance of Ovide at Hotel Effie to casual fare at the Marina Grill on Baytowne Wharf.
