theFikester

We have not played for a long while, but after hearing about the big improvements, we gave Blue Water Bay another look. We had a wonderful 9 holes (Marsh Course), which has done a 180 from over a year ago. Our spouses enjoyed it and my brother and I, who are avid golfers on the panhandle, had a blast playing, because of the good conditions. Bunkers were groomed, the rough was thin, but the tree lined fairways helped with that, no breaks:-) Fairways could not be blamed for bad shot, for the most part were ok. The greens were the most improved and rolled very nicely! $30 for nine holes is definitely worth the time and effort to drive to Blue Water Bay. Did not play the Bay 9 holes, so I will not comment until we do! Nice carts and friendly staff! No driving range but very nice practice green in front of the club house. Carry drinks and snacks with you from the clubhouse before you play!

Shalimar Pointe Golf Club has re-opened to the public after extensive renovations, is in spectacular condition and a delight to play. Greens and aprons are without flaw; tee boxes flat and perfect; fairways are great and well maintained. The gentleman in the pro shop was helpful and there was friendly assistance at the bag drop area before and after our round.
Hot deal is running $50 to $60 + taxes/fees and is a fair price for this track.

We played on Friday, July 7th and it did not look all that busy but steady. No on course beverage service so stock up before heading out! Water coolers had cold fresh water on the course. You do make the turn at the club house and drink prices are fair with friendly service.

If you’ve played Shalimar before the renovation, you will notice only a few changes in the course, other than improved turf in the fairways/tee boxes, and of course the new greens. A couple hazards (bunkers/waste areas) have been reduced or otherwise converted into a water hazard, and a couple trees removed, making the fun factor even higher than it was before.
There is no GPS on the carts but plenty of yardage indicators on the course. There was signage indicating pin placement in the #1 position but no sheet provided. We would recommend including a pin placement graphic on the score card next revision and in the interim, provide a sheet to the player.
My brother and I are mid-handicappers and played from the green tee box. This course provided us with lots of challenges but because of conditioning, we could not blame our score on the course!

Although the weather was warm, we enjoyed lots of breezes off the bay.
We will return again soon and encourage those reading this review to do likewise!!

Good course conditions; excellent practice areas. As a local, it would be nice to have a bit of a discount or a play card where you could play 9 rounds,get a tenth free or some benny for our loyalty.

My brother and I played with a friend today and met a member Thomas) at the number 1 tee box and played as a foursome. We had a great time and have played here 4-5 times over the last year. Eagle Springs continues to impress with maintaining the golf course in great shape! We will continue to make the trip from Santa Rosa beach as this is a fun track and the staff obviously is dedicated to maintaining conditions.

We understand there are plans to open a restaurant and serve adult beverages which we look forward to enjoying after our round!

If you have not played this course, do not hesitate to give it a try; you will not be disappointed!

You owe it to yourself and your golf buddies to check out Eagle Springs!

My brother and I were here around 2 months ago for a practice session and were favorably impressed. You could tell they were working hard on getting the course in better condition but it had seen hard times. We played a round of 18 yesterday and it was an absolute blast! You could definitely see the improvements made, especially on the greens. They were easy to read and the pace was consistent on every hole.

Congratulations to a hard working maintenance staff that is going to yield benefits for years to come!

Cannot wait for the fairways to green up a bit more and this place will be on our regular rotation!

Be prepared for a tough challenge with lots of bunkering and forced carries but you will be rewarded with sharp iron play!

I'd recommend one tee Box forward for your 1st outing here. We are around a 15 handicap and played from the green tee box and shot 89 and 94 respectively.

I think the overall coarse conditions are are very good and the greens are in excellent shape!

It is a fun layout that is interesting with excellent pace of play and a beautiful fall afternoon!

No on course beverage service which was surprising. The other criticism I have for management is the individual with whom we checked in engaged in an extended conversation with a friend in the clubhouse which delayed the check in process unnecessarily. Also, the starter and backdrop guys were less than engaging, less than friendly and borderline smart alecs.

If you want to benchmark a facility that does it right with regard to on course amenities, beverage service, bag drop area treatment and pro shop representatives, I suggest you check out the Sandestin facility. This includes the Links course and Baytowne/Raven. And by the way, as a local, I frequent their establishments regularly because their pricing is fair, unlike Emerald Bay.

We have lived in the area for 6 years and in that time have played Bluewater Bay probably 8 times in total over the years.

I have never seen the course in better condition than now. It appears they have applied more effort into maintenance since closing the 9 holes called Lake. Marsh and Bay remain with the former having more generous landing areas. Most greens are on the small side and overall I'd characterize the track as "target golf".

Pete the starter and Marshall was very friendly and a good agent for the establishment. We even enjoyed on course beverage services and the lady was very hospitable and respectful of the players. She even shared free peanut butter crackers.

I forgot my cell phone in the cart and the representative in the pro shop was very helpful in making sure it was safeguarded and returned to me, with a follow up phone call confirming it was located.

Overall a wonderful time was had by my foursome and we intend to return soon!

This is a fun track that you should not overlook!

I have played this course 10 times or so over the last 6 years and conditions are definitely improving. It is a fun layout with lots of elevation changes. The staff is friendly and the members with whom I have interacted are welcoming. The view from the 19th hole overlooking the course is fabulous!

The fun factor is preserved at the Baytowne course Sandestin. The course is being maintained nicely for Winter conditions (overseeded). They finally groomed the bunkers after holiday hiatus, but most are in need of additional sand.

I would definitely recommend this course to locals and out of towners alike. Would love to see the establishment enclose the veranda and add a grill to enhance the overall experience.

The Raven course at San Destin is one of my favorites to play in our area.

I love the layout and the way the courses is consistently maintained. The greens had recently been aerified so of course the role was a bit bumpy but over all the conditions are good to excellent.

The beverage service was very friendly and at an appropriate frequency. I would love it if they expanded the clubhouse at some point to include a full service restaurant.

Concerning adjustments with deference to the Corona virus, I see absolutely no reason to modify the cup as I do not consider there to be any risk whatsoever and I wish they would put them back to normal. Occasionly the ball gets kicked out and you are not 100% certain whether it would have gone in. Also, my wife and I had to ride in separate carts Which I believe is excessive and only involves litigation minimization with no lowering of risk since we reside together.

Friendly staff got me checked in; included a sleeve of balls, range balls, nice practice areas. Cart had an on board cooler and GPS. Course conditions were excellent; especially the greens which rolled moderately fast and consistent. Overall a wonderful round so if you've not yet played Emerald Bay, add it to your list; you won't be disappointed!

The constructive feedback I provided the Pro Aaron was relatively minor. The scorecard includes a Combo teebox option at 5735 yds and between III and IV, but it is not readily apparent how to recognize this box on the course. Also, MANY range balls in the landing area of the finishing hole and I could not find my tee shot; this needs addressed at a recurring frequency. Thanks!

I've played this course around six times and it never disappoints! Because of the level of difficulty, I would encourage first timers to move one box up to preserve the fun factor. The conditions of the course were nothing short of immaculate with the greens rolling very fast. If you've not played the Hombre, don't hesitate to book your round soon! The cheeseburger at the grill is amazing; Patty uses worchestershire sauce and the view is great from the clubhouse!

Playing The Raven is a treat IF you spend a little money on the yardage book and take the time to pick your target lines. If you do these things, and play from the tee box aligned with your handicap, you'll have one of the most enjoyable golf experiences on the Emerald Coast. The Raven is a tough course with trouble everywhere. Lots of water and tree-lined fairways with bunkers in driver landing zones require extreme focus for every shot. This course is very fair and the greens roll true but with break and undulations. My suggestion for the establishment would be to consider lowering the beverage prices and to provide complimentary yardage books. Doing these things would justify the current rack rates and contribute substantially to the overall level of satisfaction to its patrons.

Previous rounds at this facility were tarnished only by staff members that were less than friendly. Today's round was flawless save the weather which was typical for this area and the season; warm, muggy, and humid. Mike checked me in and Alvin was the starter. The former was friendly and proud of the establishment; the latter was particularly helpful with regards to possible membership options. I am new to the area, so I had a good initial impression from both of these agents of the business. Course conditioning was excellent with greens that were relatively quick but true. My interactions with maintenance staff was favorable as they were without exception respectful to the players on the course. Beverage staff were friendly, even though conditions were tough for them as well. Their visits were sufficiently frequent having interfaced with them three times during our 3 1/2 hour round. May I suggest price cuts for the on course refreshments? Lowering the price would likely yield increased sales overall, and may even realize increased profits.

With lots of forgiveness in the form of wide and/or parallel fairways, you can spray the ball out of the box and still score. The staff is friendly and conversive, and conditions are improving. The poa anna shows up annually, but has all but disappeared and the greens are rolling nice. It'd be great if they would add some white sand to the bunkers as many are mostly Alabama clay powder. This place is in much better shape than Huntsville Municipal.