Emerald Bay Golf Club
About
Located right along the water, Emerald Bay Golf Club was designed by Bob Cupp to be Destin's premier full-service, 18-hole championship course. Water is a prominent feature as the course overlooks the shores Choctawhatchee Bay and incorporates water features on 12 of the holes. Oftentimes golfers will face an intimidating shot across a lake or a pond. Emerald Bay Golf Club's sculpted fairways and tight greens are always in excellent condition. There are four sets of tees that make the golf course accessible to most players' abilities and no matter what skill level you are, the views are not to be missed. The views are especially breathtaking on the back nine, which borders the bay. There is also an expansive driving range at Emerald Bay that golfers can use before playing the golf course.
| Tee | Par | Length | Rating | Slope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 72 | 7050 yards | 73.9 | 143 |
| II | 72 | 6620 yards | 71.4 | 141 |
| III | 72 | 6209 yards | 69.8 | 132 |
| Combo | 72 | 5735 yards | 67.7 | 124 |
| IV (W) | 72 | 5481 yards | 71.9 | 132 |
| IV | 72 | 5481 yards | 66.9 | 122 |
| V | 72 | 4655 yards | 63.6 | 115 |
| V (W) | 72 | 4655 yards | 67.2 | 123 |
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I M: 73.9/143 | 427 | 424 | 164 | 313 | 399 | 430 | 562 | 232 | 529 | 3480 | 474 | 362 | 246 | 605 | 372 | 449 | 204 | 331 | 527 | 3570 | 7050 |
| II M: 71.4/141 | 405 | 390 | 150 | 296 | 385 | 410 | 554 | 162 | 505 | 3257 | 455 | 348 | 215 | 580 | 352 | 409 | 178 | 318 | 508 | 3363 | 6620 |
| III M: 69.8/132 | 376 | 378 | 138 | 284 | 365 | 380 | 515 | 152 | 485 | 3073 | 395 | 330 | 202 | 555 | 325 | 382 | 152 | 308 | 487 | 3136 | 6209 |
| Combo M: 67.7/124 | 311 | 353 | 138 | 284 | 339 | 321 | 463 | 152 | 485 | 2846 | 332 | 330 | 202 | 504 | 261 | 313 | 152 | 308 | 487 | 2889 | 5735 |
| IV M: 66.9/122 W: 71.9/132 | 311 | 353 | 115 | 264 | 339 | 321 | 463 | 140 | 418 | 2724 | 332 | 302 | 181 | 504 | 261 | 313 | 128 | 290 | 446 | 2757 | 5481 |
| V M: 63.6/115 W: 67.2/123 | 267 | 304 | 91 | 227 | 298 | 289 | 387 | 85 | 378 | 2326 | 291 | 277 | 107 | 483 | 146 | 285 | 114 | 210 | 416 | 2329 | 4655 |
| Handicap | 9 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 18 | 12 | |||
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Handicap (W) | 9 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 16 | 2 |
Course Details
Rentals/Services
Practice/Instruction
Policies
Food & Beverage
Bar, RestaurantAvailable Facilities
Clubhouse, Banquet FacilitiesReviews
Reviewer Photos
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Photo submitted by ktownsley on 09/04/2025
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Photo submitted by ktownsley on 09/04/2025
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Photo submitted by ktownsley on 09/04/2025
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Photo submitted by u6631588 on 08/31/2025
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Photo submitted by CxQR3KUNSYRndKbSeAug on 07/29/2025
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Photo submitted by srsjphoto on 05/23/2025
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Photo submitted by u314164630480 on 05/20/2025
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Photo submitted by Smacho52 on 05/06/2025
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Photo submitted by ebibby5 on 06/04/2024
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Photo submitted by ebibby5 on 06/04/2024
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Photo submitted by u359580561 on 05/31/2024
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Photo submitted by u359580561 on 05/31/2024
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Photo submitted by AndyB1955 on 01/10/2024
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Photo submitted by u00000104756 on 08/03/2023
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Photo submitted by u00000104756 on 08/03/2023
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Photo submitted by u314161774001 on 06/26/2023
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Photo submitted by jadynrodenbaugh on 04/29/2023
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Photo submitted by jadynrodenbaugh on 04/29/2023
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Hole 17 tee box Photo submitted by u314159413080 on 01/04/2023
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Photo submitted by u031622726 on 12/30/2022
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Photo submitted by u000006525749 on 10/03/2022
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Photo submitted by robertsfh on 08/26/2022
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Photo submitted by robertsfh on 08/26/2022
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Photo submitted by u559150047 on 05/26/2022
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Photo submitted by dcsjoc on 04/20/2022
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Photo submitted by vicboy72 on 01/14/2022
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Photo submitted by u314161167938 on 01/14/2022
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Photo submitted by absolutnt on 07/21/2021
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Photo submitted by absolutnt on 07/21/2021
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Photo submitted by absolutnt on 07/21/2021
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Photo submitted by absolutnt on 07/21/2021
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Great view Photo submitted by u314161619406 on 05/28/2021
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GPS Carts Photo submitted by u314161619406 on 05/28/2021
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Great Course Photo submitted by u314161619406 on 05/28/2021
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Photo submitted by u269527669 on 05/19/2021
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West Texas playing in Florida Photo submitted by dc612421510 on 05/09/2021
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Photo submitted by dc612421510 on 05/09/2021
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Photo submitted by u314161457624 on 04/20/2021
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Photo submitted by philcollinskc on 03/05/2021
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Photo submitted by u000006524012 on 02/25/2021
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Photo submitted by TomAndJudy on 02/04/2021
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Photo submitted by nutria1007 on 12/28/2020
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Photo submitted by u269527669 on 08/27/2020
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Photo submitted by dc445356294 on 06/18/2020
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Photo submitted by dc445356294 on 06/18/2020
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Photo submitted by dc445356294 on 06/18/2020
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Photo submitted by dc445356294 on 06/18/2020
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Photo submitted by TimSonefelt on 06/16/2020
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Photo submitted by u244873735 on 03/19/2020
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Photo submitted by u000005732332 on 07/01/2019
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Great looks tho! Photo submitted by Winna on 05/31/2018
Emerald Bay
This is one of my favorite courses in Destin. We started early ahead of a large group so it worked out good. Course was in good shape and a fun layout. The only discrepancy i would have is there were three different groups of six that were fortunately behind us or the pace might have been slow. If I’m in Destin again, I will definitely try to play it again
Terrible!!!
Paid $120 to play this club with my dad . Course conditions were terrible . Tee boxes with no grass at all (like litterally dirt ) greens had big patches missing green . Went right in after to ask for a partial refund due to how bad it was but was told the head pro was gone for the day (3:30 btw) was told to call next day . Was told by cart guy that the course was indeed in rough shape and that he wishes they would lower rate to reflect course struggles . Called next day and was told by head pro (rude) that course was in great shape and to kick rocks essentially and that he wouldn’t help me . He then proceeded to say that $120 was the 9 hole rate ( yahhhhh ok man) would never go back and will tell everyone I know to avoid like the plague .
Great staff
The clubhouse staff and the women in the carts were great. A couple of the greens were in bad shape but all in all a pretty good vacation course
Emerald Bay - May 2025
Overall the course was in fair shape. Some tee boxes and a few greens were rough but still playable and not so bad I left disappointed. It’s probably not worth $100 but in this area the value was good. There were some good views and it didnt seem like the holes were repetitive which was good. Plenty of trouble but not super hard. Fairly small greens that rolled. I am a 4 HCP and shot 77 with two doubles. Overall a good course i would like to play again when in even better shape
Not as good as past visits
I’ve played this course several times in the past while visiting here for vacation. This time the course was in the best shape.. There were 5-6 greens that had numerous bare spots and 7-8 holes where there was no grass on the tee boxes. The bunkers were decent. One of the more puzzling things about the round was cart path only for holes 9 & 18, they both were just as dry as all the other holes. The good part of our round was the cart girl made frequent stops which is good because of the heat. The entire staff was very friendly. Getting a hot deal on GN helped softened the disappointment with the course conditions.
The greens and tee boxes were awful
The greens and tee boxes were terrible. Vast bare patches on most greens and dead tee boxes throughout.
Way overpriced. Expect much better for ~$130 per round. Will write poor review on google too.
Nice course layout but could use some TLC
Overall a nice course for the money, the layout was nice although not as picturesque as I had hoped....first time playing this course. Tee boxes need some attention, greens we're not super consistent from green to green. Cut lengths varied from green to green as well as the speed, fairways in good shale shape, rough not very thick. Plenty of shaded areas near tee boxes for a bit of a rest from the Florida sun.
Very cool!
Played a couple courses this past week on vacation but this was by far the best. A few greens had some rough spots and a few tee boxes were in rough shape but all in all pretty good condition compared to anything else I've played in the area!
No Rain policy
If you book with golfnow don’t expect any rain out policies. I ask when we were rained out if I could postpone it to the next day and I was told no they could not help me because I booked with golf now. That’s a lot of money to pay for not having a rent out policy.
Average Course Conditions, Slow Play
Beyond the greens the course conditions were below average. 14 out of the 18 greens were very nice the other 4 were a little beat. Multiple dead tee boxes, patchy fairways, nice bunkers. Pace of play was terrible due to the fact they let members play a 5-some that had little to no golf etiquette and lots of liquid courage! If they quit allowing 5-somes and dialed in the fairways and tee boxes it would enhance the experience.
Overpriced Garbage
Paid $120 a round for a boring layout with dirt tee boxes and diseased greens. If this course was in Michigan it would be a $20 municipal. Charging $120 is highway robbery.
Second Chance
Everywhere you look, something needs attention. We had to play winter rules in the fairways and even on the greens we had to move the ball to have a chance for a smooth roll. The teeing areas were in poor shape and reminded me of junior golf days on courses where you played all day for $5. I am not even sure it can be saved with proper maintenance,
Terrible Tee Boxes and Several Greens - Overpriced at $115
The majority of tees boxes have no grass, just sand and some grass sprigs, it was hard to get a tee to stay in the ground because it was so sandy. Apparently somone put down the wrong chemicals on the tee boxes and greens. They also said the freeze hurt them, but all courses in the area experienced the same freeze, I think this course just allowed play before the course had thawed. As a minimum, they should create some kind of temporary tee boxes with grass. Several greens were in poor condition with large dead spots. This course is no where near worth $115 to play. I asked about a discount on a future round because the conditions were so bad and was told the only discounts would be coming up when they punch the greens in a couple of weeks. Most courses in the area close down for a period when punching greens, it sounds like this course just keeps on going to bring in revenue. This is an over played under maintained course and facility. The layout is good, it just needs a lot of work.
Nice layout
Course was in good shape although a few tees had been reseeded and were covered in sand.
Good course
Don’t let the negative reviews keep you away. Couple t boxes were little thin and a few bare spots on a couple of greens but overall the course was great. I would play it again. Course was packed but the pace of play was still not bad.
Love the layout and challenging.
The course was a little rough, the greens were patchy, and the fairway Bermuda has not kicked in yet. Should be in pretty good shape by early June.
Dirt for tee box
All tee boxes were dirt no grass. To me not worth the $100 per player
Nice Course
Staff was great, nice practice area. Fairways were in good condition, rough was very playable for us amateurs. Tee boxes and greens were rough with many of the tee boxes being mostly sand. Expected for the price that the course would be in a little better condition.