With access to more than 60 championship golf courses, Fort Walton Beach golf offers variety, challenge, and some of the most scenic fairways along the Emerald Coast in Florida! Each course offers something unique to golfers who are brave enough to test their mettle on the fairways that meander through the pristine Florida wetlands and marshes. Designed by pros like Robert E. Cupp, Earl Stone, Fred Couples, Gene Bates, among others, Fort Walton Beach golf courses are truly world-class and offer something for every golfer regardless of your skill level.
Below are some of the best rated Fort Walton Beach golf courses and most are conveniently located in the area around the intersection of Miracle Strip and Beal Parkways. Keep in mind that some courses may not be public:
- Five-star rated Emerald Bay Plantation at the Emerald Bay Golf Club is nestled on the shores of Choctawahatchee Bay in Destin and offers challenging fairways with scenic vistas. There's also a clubhouse with restaurant and pro shop to round out the morning.
- Indian Bayou Golf and Country Club, also in Destin, offers a semi-private challenge on three 9-hole courses, two of which are rated four stars, the Seminole and Choctaw, and the Creek, rated 3½ stars. All three will test your skills when water features and doglegs come into play.
- Rated 4½ stars, Kelly Plantation Golf Course offers scenic water and wilderness views along the shores of the Choctawahatchee Bay with bunkered fairways lined with Magnolia and Oak. Note that this too is a semi-private course.
- Regatta Bay Golf and Country Club named by Golf Digest as one of the "top places to play in North America." The course offers the longest tee offs on bunkered greens that wind around the picturesque and unspoiled Florida wilderness.
- Shalimar Pointe Golf and Country Club rated 3½ stars by Golf Digest is again located on the shores of Choctawahatchee Bay, albeit the northern shore of the bay. Designed by William W. Amick, this course offers strategically placed bunkers along its greens guaranteed to challenge all.
This is just a small sample of the world-class experience that Fort Walton Beach golf courses have to offer. Most of the courses listed above allow you to book your tee times directly on their websites.
If you need accommodations to Fort Walton Beach, be sure to check out condo vacation rentals. You'll find that vacation rentals will actually save you money when you compare the nightly rates to that of a standard hotel room. Here are a few recommendations – be sure to review Island Echos Condominiums and the Island Princess because of their proximity to most of the Fort Walton Beach golf courses and because they're extraordinary properties.
If you're heading to the Fort Walton Beach golf courses, you're sure to find challenge and variety among some of the best in the country. Happy putting!
