Emerald Bay GC: #18
View of the 18th hole at Emerald Bay Golf Club.
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Rating Index Rating
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3.9
2062 Reviews (2062)
5 Stars
959
4 Stars
803
3 Stars
206
2 Stars
57
1 Stars
37
Conditions
3.7
Value
3.7
Layout
4.3
Friendliness
4.6
Pace
4.1
Amenities
4.1
79.5%
Recommend this course
1842 out of 2062 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.8
113 Reviews (113)
5 Stars
37
4 Stars
39
3 Stars
21
2 Stars
6
1 Stars
10
Conditions
3.5
Value
3.5
Layout
4.2
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
4.5
73.5%
Recommend this course
83 out of 113 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
3.7
207 Reviews (207)
5 Stars
56
4 Stars
82
3 Stars
38
2 Stars
16
1 Stars
15
Conditions
3.5
Value
3.5
Layout
4.3
Pace
4.0
Amenities
4.0
StaffFriendliness
4.5
72.9%
Recommend this course
151 out of 207 reviews
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Semi-Private/Resort
Par 72
Length 7050 yards
Slope 143
Rating 73.9

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.

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Emerald Bay Golf Club
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Course Details

Year Built 1991
Fairways Bermuda Grass
Greens TifEagle Bermuda Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Bob Cupp (1991) Bob Cupp (2014)

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes - included in green fees
GPS Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

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

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex Welcomed
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Dress code Appropriate golf attire. No denim, collared shirt required.

Food & Beverage

Bar, Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse, Banquet Facilities
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10 rounds of waived fees
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$120 in tee time credits
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Reviews

3.9
2062 Reviews (2062)

Reviewer Photos

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Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 1
Handicap 20-24
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Perfect weather
Used cart
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Course

Greens and tee boxes were not in the best of shape for the price

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Poor
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Previously Played

Could be nice...

Feels like this was a premier course 30 years ago and it is stuck in time. The course conditions are terrible to be honest. There were big patches of missing grass on the greens. There were a few holes the greens were ok but not too many. This is a muni course that charges over a 100 a round. There are so many better options within 2 miles to play rather than this course.

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Excellent
Response from on 04/11/2025:
Thank you for posting a review. We’re sorry it didn’t fully meet expectations and appreciate knowing where we can improve. We value every opportunity to enhance our offerings and hope to do better next time.
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
1.0
First Time Playing

Greens are terrible

For a $100 plus course the greens are awful. They barely have any grass on them and the ones that do are full of poa seed heads

Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Response from on 04/11/2025:
Thank you for sharing feedback. We’re very sorry your experience fell below expectations and are addressing the concerns you mentioned. We appreciate the opportunity to improve and hope you’ll consider visiting again.
Played On
Reviews 5
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser

Pleasant day on the links

Greens are better than average, fairways good, but tee boxes in serious need of attention. Paid $90+ for the round on a deal which was fair and wouldn't pay more

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Excellent
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
1.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Poor
Friendliness Poor
Pace Poor
Amenities Poor
Played On
Reviews 4
Skill Advanced
Plays Once a week
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

April 9, 2025

Fairways were in decent shape but the greens were not up quality to justify the amount of green fees. Many greens had sand where there should have been grass.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Good
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser

Poor condition

Been playing Emerald Bay for 20 years. By far the worst shape I have ever seen. Putting clock barely usable, most greens were trash and several tee boxes were sand with little or no grass.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Emerald Bay Rating

The staff was very nice. The course has many good holes and is a good layout. The real beef comes with the fairways being wet and the greens being average at best. This makes the overall experience being average.

Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 8
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Average
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
5.0
Previously Played
Conditions Excellent
Value Excellent
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
Plays A few times a week
2.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played

Great course

Very rough conditions. Not sure if it’s because of the time of year but wowza, pretty poor shape from tee to green.

Conditions Poor
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Excellent
Amenities Fair
Response from on 04/04/2025:
Appreciate your honesty in sharing this review. We’re taking note of the issues to enhance our services and provide a more satisfying visit next time. Thank you for giving us the chance to improve.
Played On
Reviews 1
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Average
Value Average
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Good
Amenities Fair
Played On
Reviews 2
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing

Greens in rough shape

Staff were great. Pace of play was great, albeit a Monday morning tee time so that's expected. Greens were rough. Not $100 /round greens at all.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Excellent
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Played On
Reviews 9
Handicap 15-19
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
2.0
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Greens

Practice green set the tone of our expectations of the greens on the golf course.

Poa Annua and black fungus covered most of the greens which made for difficult putting.

We all thought for the cost of playing this course the greens should have been in better shape.

Recommend not a good course if your serious about your golf game or betting.

JM ROSWELL

Conditions Average
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Difficulty Moderate
Response from on 04/02/2025:
Thank you for posting a review. We’re sorry it didn’t fully meet expectations and appreciate knowing where we can improve. We value every opportunity to enhance our offerings and hope to do better next time.
Played On
Reviews 1
Skill Intermediate
2.0
First Time Playing

Overpriced

Greens in bad shape. Not worth $120 fees. Should have been discounted based on green quality.

Conditions Fair
Value Fair
Layout Good
Friendliness Average
Pace Average
Amenities Average
Response from on 04/02/2025:
Thank you for the feedback. We aim to offer a quality experience and regret falling short. Your input helps us identify specific areas that need attention, and we hope to welcome you back in the future.
Played On
Reviews 3
Handicap 10-14
Skill Intermediate
Plays Once a week
I Recommend This Course
4.0
Verified Purchaser
First Time Playing
Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Excellent
Played On
Reviews 8
1.0
Verified Purchaser
Previously Played
Conditions Poor
Value Poor
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Fair
Amenities Good
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