Panama City, Florida suggestions

[Joe Sponcia]

Gentlemen,

Taking a family trip to Panama City FL for vacation.  I have briefly looked at The Sharks Tooth club (Norman) and Camp Creek (Fazio) as options.  Has anyone played either?  If you had only two rounds to play within an hour, where would you tee it up?

[JESII]

The beach...

Spring Break time!

[Rees Milikin]

Gentlemen,

Taking a family trip to Panama City FL for vacation.  I have briefly looked at The Sharks Tooth club (Norman) and Camp Creek (Fazio) as options.  Has anyone played either?  If you had only two rounds to play within an hour, where would you tee it up?

Club La Vela: http://clublavela.com/

[Rob Curtiss]

I have played Sharks tooth- its has some great holes. The course plays fast and firm. Has a little elevation change, more like wavy fairways.
Some really tought par 3's. Fast greens as well.

Buddies of mine have played Camp Creek and say its one of the best they have in played in Florida- tough- but best in Florida is not really saying much

[Joel Zuckerman]

Camp Creek is excellent, for a similar experience at a much lower price point try windswept dunes

[Bill_McBride]

Camp Creek is excellent, for a similar experience at a much lower price point try windswept dunes

Windswept Dunes has some good holes but is very disjointed due to its widespread real estate and resultant lengthy cart rides.  

It's also an hour drive to Freeport.    Camp Creek and Shark's Tooth (Greg Norman) are a lot closer.  

[Mike Hendren]

Bogey's quick take:

I don't take my clubs to the Panhandle any more, unless I'm driving over to visit Bill at Pensacola CC.

Camp Creek is a 6 on an 8 site.

Sharks Tooth starts like a top 100  modern before derailing at the par five 6th.  I'd like to know who shaped the first green - it is butter.

Do not miss Love Design Group's flex course at Water Sound.   Depending on which routing you play, the penultimate hole has a small oval pushed up green with off-set thumbprints on either side that effectly makes it play as a figure eight.  Among my favorite greens in the U. S. of A.

I wanna sit there in the sand
and watch those golden tans go walking by.
- The Catalinas

[Nigel Islam]

I liked Windswept, but its a hike from Panama City. I have never played Camp Creek or Shark's Tooth.  Anybody ever play Panama Country Club?

[mike_beene]

Are any of the Sandestin courses worth playing?

[Joe Sponcia]

Thank you for the responses,

[Bill_McBride]

Are any of the Sandestin courses worth playing?

Nothing over Doak 4-5, certainly nothing worth a trip.  It is the only place the Jones brothers have built courses side by side.  I prefer The Raven (RTJ II) over Burnt Pine (Rees).  Kelly Plantation is one I'd like to play, Fred a Couples signature so perhaps Curley Schmidt.  All those courses look the same and they all charge too much. 

[Nigel Islam]

Bill is right about the Sandestin (I haven't played Burnt Pines though) courses. I think I would probably put Regatta Bay and Kelly Plantation in there as well. They are nice courses that you can find pretty much anywhere. There are some very nice views of Choctawhatchee Bay on The Links course (The Raven is a better course though) at Sandestin and a couple at Kelly. I liked Eglin Eagle better than anything in Destin though.

[Mike Hendren]

I have always liked Shalimar Pointe in Ft. Walton Beach.  Years ago it was shop-worn but some nice elevation changes and occasional inverted fairway bunkers. Too much water, but fun approaches.   Just looked at the web-site and it looks like it's been renovated.  A big of a sleeper, but very affordable.  Perhaps too far a drive from Panama City, however.

Anybody played there recently?

Bogey

[Joe Sponcia]

Michael,

What about Kelly Plantation?  I'm not a huge Norman or Faz fan, but they look ok.