Raven at Sandestin Resort: #4
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Rating Index Rating
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4.4
1383 Reviews (1383)
5 Stars
814
4 Stars
444
3 Stars
92
2 Stars
19
1 Stars
14
Conditions
4.3
Value
4.1
Layout
4.6
Friendliness
4.4
Pace
4.2
Amenities
3.9
93.8%
Recommend this course
1301 out of 1383 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.3
82 Reviews (82)
5 Stars
38
4 Stars
35
3 Stars
8
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.1
Value
4.1
Layout
4.5
Pace
4.0
Amenities
3.9
StaffFriendliness
4.3
92.7%
Recommend this course
76 out of 82 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
4.4
192 Reviews (192)
5 Stars
95
4 Stars
77
3 Stars
17
2 Stars
2
1 Stars
1
Conditions
4.2
Value
4.1
Layout
4.6
Pace
4.1
Amenities
3.9
StaffFriendliness
4.4
93.8%
Recommend this course
180 out of 192 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Resort
Par 71
Length 6931 yards
Slope 137
Rating 73.8

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort offers four 18-hole, championship courses designed by three renowned architects. Raven Golf Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., was carefully carved through marshes, native wetlands, and towering pine forests. Jones created a layout that is hailed for being both modern and traditional. It is also notable for how it seamlessly flows into the surrounding nature. The golf course offers plenty of variety both in shot options and visual scenery. The diverse holes are accented by dramatic changes in color and texture throughout the landscape. Water comes into play frequently and there are a number of strategically placed sand traps. Golfers are presented with a myriad of different ways to play each hole, which means thoughtful strategy is a necessity. The golf course's large, undulating greens also make proper club selection essential.

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Sandestin - Raven Golf Club
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Course Details

Year Built 2000
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens Tifeagle
Golf Season Year round
Architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr. (2000)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School Academy Yes - "Sandestin Golf Academy"
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code No Denim, Collared Shirt and Bermuda Shorts Required

Food & Beverage

Snacks

Available Facilities

Banquet Facilities, Spa

Available Sports

Fitness, Tennis

Accolades

  • Golf Advisor: Top Courses in Florida (2018 #29)

Reviews

4.4
1383 Reviews (1383)

What Golfers Are Saying

The 19th Hole is Great For:
Drinks 21
Patio Dining 7
Course Challenges Include:
Bunkers 50
Water Hazards 50
Forced Carries 35
This course/club is great for:
Advanced Golfers 37
Playing Multiple Courses 26
A Weekend Splurge 24
This Course's Location is:
At a Resort 42
Convenient to the City 27
Near Local Attractions 19

Numbers based on reviews tagged with attribute.

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing

Great course fabulous layout horrible staff

Booked this tee time through GolfNow. Got a great rate that was all inclusive (cart fees and range balls). Was greeted by decent young guy at bag drop and that was as good as it was going to get as far as staff.We were told we couldn't go to the range because it was closed and they were going out now to pick it. We then went into pay the remaining balance. The guy at the desk was far from friendly and had attitude from the word GO. He told us as well , that the range was closed. I advised him that my contract through golf now had it pre-paid that we were to receive range balls. I inquired if I could come back at another time to hit balls and practice he stated absolutely not it's against our policy. I then asked him if there's any other things we needed to know that we paid for , that we were not going to receive and I got a sarcastic answer .
He then spoke to me like I played thiscourse 100 times . after I advised him this was our first visit. Little did he know it would also be my last visit. He told me were the first hole was in a brief discussion and when I asked for clarification he said "you'll see it when you get outside ". There were very few signs near the clubhouse to indicate which golf course was located in any specific area. We eventually found the first hole and off we went.
The course is beautiful and very challenging. Long ball off the tee can get you in trouble a lot if the correct tee box isn't chosen. There is water on almost every hole and sand is abundant. The greens are meticulous as are their tee boxes.

We were also told there's no beverage cart attendant after 3 pm.
We never really saw any other players so I can understand the lack of staff for that. We did move through the course in around 3 hrs, so pace if play was phenomenal .
Around the 13 Th hole I saw two players hitting balls on the ALLEGEDLY closed driving range. The same range that was covered in golf range balls!!!!
We finished our round about 15 minutes before sundown. And as I was driving the golf cart back to the clubhouse I saw no signs preventing us from using the parking lot to drop off our equipment. After putting our items in the trunk of our car I returned the golf cart to the cart shack. I then received a lecture from the staff there about how the golf cart have no lights and are not a motor vehicle and do not belong in the parking lot. That staff member was advised that there are no signs preventing such actions , had I seen them I would've not done that. He continued with the lecture about carts in the parking lot and their club policy. He was advised this is my first time (and last time )playing here so I was not aware of what you have for home course policies if it's not posted I was also advised that I used an access road that was only for maintenance. The road was paved with no signs so how are we to know where we were going Not to mention that this access road comes away from the 18th green and heads to the rear of a course structure. Considering we have never been there before I had no idea what building it was . It turns out that is the maintenance area which is directly across the parking lot from the clubhouse. When I say directly across we are talking about 50 yards difference The awesome conditions at this course are ruined by its rude staff. I hope they don't treat all guests and it's members like this! But after reading several reviews on this course, this seems to be the norm. Hopefully management will rectify this problem quickly

Conditions Excellent
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Response from on 05/03/2017:
Hi bykcop, Thank you for the very detailed review on customer service during your visit with us. We can assure you this is not our standard for the staff and will address these concerns moving forward. On the other side, we're very happy to hear you enjoyed the course. We hope you can come back for another round so we can make your next experience an even better one.
Played On
Reviews 2
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 6
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Average
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 6
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart

Control the pace....

The course model expects a round of golf to be completed in four hours. Our round, played in the afternoon, took 5 hours and 10 minutes. Our big holdup was the foursome in front had two players who, from the looks and sounds, had never played before. That didn't stop them from swinging what appeared to be 10-12 each before giving up on the hole. This was two couples; the guys played from the mid-tees and the girls from the front. It was obviously a very social round for them, but they had absolutely no idea about course etiquette. A course marshal wasn't available during the entire round.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 9
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser

Tale of 2 impressions

Awful first impression… I walked up with my bag and the bag dropped. Personnel, pointed at the cart, too busy on their phones and idle chatter to care saying that that cart was mine. So weird. Never experienced anything like that before. Inside the clubhouse things didn’t get much better. the woman who checked me in, seemed over stressed and uninterested in making any kind of customer experience. Moving to the driving range. Found the driving range roped off with limited space available. Had to wait in a line 3 deep in order to hit balls before my round. The range itself was cluttered with thousands of golf balls. It looked like the picker hadn’t been run since the prior morning. Moving to the starter this is where things changed for the better. The starter is a 20 year veteran of this course and was fantastic. Once we were on our way, the course itself is a fantastic layout with generous Fairways. Course conditions were excellent and pace. The play was fantastic. Could have been a five star review all the way around if only it were not for those horrible first impressions.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Fair
Pace Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

I aarived at the starter 10 minutes before my t time. The 3 others I was paired with were sent off much earlier. On a busy weekend day I was sent off as a single. There were multiple 4somes ahead and behind. After 5 holes I quit after 1 hour 45 min. I was told sorry but we are busy.. a lot of money for 5 holes

Conditions Average
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Poor
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 24
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 3
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 21
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Not bad.

Was not a “cart path only” day but our cart GPS shut us down several times. Had to leave the cart to finish one hole because it was just crawling by itself. Key to on/off didn’t fix it, reverse wouldn’t work either…nothing worked. Plus I couldn’t push it either. GPS brakes I guess. After a few holes it started working like normal. Pace was just a little slow on the back but didn’t bother me as much as the others in our group. I’ve had much better rounds at the Raven.

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 6
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course, but the slow greens were incongruous.

Really enjoyed the layout and conditions with the exception of the green’s speed.
The practice putting green was shockingly slow. The ones on the course were a bit better but still lacking.
I played on a Monday and perhaps the greens weren’t cut the morning after the weekend?
My group was guys in their 50’s, - 70’s and no one was happy with how they rolled.
I have to ask, Is it a turf/traffic thing?

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 15
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Nice experience

The Raven is a challenge and a fair test. For a resort course, always worth playing. .

Conditions Good
Value Excellent
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 57
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Windy weather
Used cart

Great Course

Real good greens, but not so fast today. Course is in good shape.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Played On
Reviews 13
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Feb round

Love the Raven. Course in great shape and greens putted well.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 62
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played

Regatta review

Nice layout and smooth fast greens. Not cheap though, wish they offered a winter package/membership.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 10-14
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 62
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Top 1000 Contributor
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Excellent pace of play

Course very nice ,dormant grass still coming in fairways very thin but playable . Greens in good shape but a little slow . Played early so pace of play was great.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Raven course on Feb 22

This course has several interesting and challenging holes

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 19
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Average
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 4
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

first timer will definitely be back

This is our first time playing this course. My wife and I come down before spring break and usually play three rounds of golf. We are paired with two very nice gentlemen, retired military, very enjoyable round course was in good shape. Had a good time. Will definitely be back.

Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
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Golf Packages

Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort Package

FROM $217 (USD)
MIRAMAR BEACH, FL | Enjoy 4 nights' accommodations at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort and 4 rounds of golf at The Links Golf Club, Baytowne Golf Club, Raven Golf Club, and Burnt Pine Golf Club.

Best of Gulf Shores Golf Package

FROM $367 (USD)
GULF SHORES, AL | Enjoy 4 nights' accommodations at The Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection and 3 rounds of golf at Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club and Craft Farms Golf Resort (Cypress Bend & Cotton Creek Courses).

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – The Grand Stay & Play Package

FROM $337 (USD)
POINT CLEAR, AL | Enjoy 3 nights' accommodations at The Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection and 2 rounds of golf at Lakewood Golf Club - Azalea & Dogwood Courses.

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – Greenville Golf Around Package

FROM $197 (USD)
GREENVILLE, AL | Enjoy 3 nights' accommodations at the Holiday Inn Express - Greenville and 2 rounds of golf at Cambrian Ridge Golf Club.

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – Best of Mobile Package

FROM $237 (USD)
MOBILE, AL | Enjoy 4 nights' accommodations at the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa and 3 rounds of golf at Magnolia Grove Golf Club (Crossings & Falls Courses) and Lakewood Golf Club (Azalea or Dogwood Course).
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