The Henderson, a Salamander Resort

My wife and I grabbed a 5pm tee time for $100 a person. It’s my second time playing here and it is by far my favorite course in the area. We were fortunate to be the last booked tee time of the day with only a solo in front of us, so we could play at the pace we wanted.

The course is in excellent condition. The construction on 17 & 18 is now complete which was a nice change from last year’s round.

The layout is challenging but fun. We played from the blues and found some of the approach shots on the par 4’s to be longer than normal (16th hole is tough). The fairways, bunkers, and greens are all in excellent condition. Extremely scenic course.

If you don’t mind the heat for the first few holes, book an afternoon tee time as it is only $100 a person as opposed to almost $300.

I’ve played here 10-12 times. Each time i leave I wonder why i play this course. And I say that as a person that has played some good rounds here. For what we payed today on the 4th of July the greens were awful. I’m not sure if I was putting on greens or the beach with the amount of sand on them. I’ve never seen the course not sopping wet even when it don’t rain. The tee boxes were as shaggy as I’ve ever seen in my life back at the tips. The course has a nice layout and is a nice track, but at 265 dollars today it did not hold its value. Shame on them for not having the course is better shape if ur going to change this kind of money.

Was challenging and great condition would come back for sure

Everything about the place is right. It’s expensive but you are playing a great course. A few holes require club selection off the tee for the long hitters. Other than that the entire facility is tuned. Go early and enjoy the practice area. Bunkers are very cool and remind you of Ireland. Glad I avoided those.

Been playing golf a few times a year in Destin for better part of 20 years. Indian Bayou has always been my favorite because it’s a little cheaper and great condition. However, got a slammin deal on Regatta bay so thought I’d give it a try. Can’t really say anything negative about today’s experience. Loved the condition of the course, the layout, staff, and everything in between. Greens are in great shape—medium pace right now. I guess the one thing I will say is that many of the holes were cart path only but I understand with some wetness on some of the fairways. Overall, great course and I will be back. I think it’s my new favorite place to play in Destin.

I played a bunch of destin courses so far and this one ranks up there. The course was in great condition. Definatly a must play if you can.

2nd time playing here, it’s a fun course and has been in great condition both times playing.

170 is a little steep but to be expected for a nice course in the area.

Greens weren’t overly quick but rolled great and were great to putt on. Course conditions from fairway to green were immaculate. A couple of tee boxes were coming back to life but no big deal.

Other than that, everything was excellent. We will definitely be back, just not on a Tuesday.

Regatta bay is a nice public course that sits in a gated, private subdivision nestled back in a somewhat swampy ecosystem. From the get go, we were greeted by a large clubhouse and attendants who were ready and eager to help us get checked in and get our bags onto our carts. They even offered to get them out of our vehicle. TOP. NOTCH.

The pro shop was very clean, had TONS of merchandise and even had a full sit down restaurant and bar and the customer service I received was impeccable.

The golf carts were newer and had functional GPS that was updated for the days pin placements and had adequate USB chargers and comfortable seats as well as club covers for the occasional afternoon Florida shower.

The golf course itself is pretty forgiving if you can hit the fairways, it is very long from the back tees, especially some of the par 4's that end up being into the wind. I have zero complaints about the condition of the fairways and the rough is penalizing but forgiving if you understand how to read different lies.

The bunkers are a firmer sand, which I prefer, and they are reactive and you can hit a variety of shots out of them. A+

Around the green is well maintained and has different layers of semi-rough and fringe, making chipping a challenge if you leave it in the wrong spots.

The greens were in great shape, a little slower than i would have liked, but to have been recently punched and top dressed it was done to perfection, with little to no impact on the true roll of the ball. The greens are VERY reactive to chip shots and approach shots and you really have to control your spin when approaching the front pins here. Although, I will say some of the pins were a tad tucked, and some appeared to be on slopes, which was a little challenging at times. Overall, the greens were in fantastic shape and rolled true even with the routine maintenance that had taken place.

Overall, this course is a beautiful track and well worth the money to play here. I would highly recommend and will play here again!

Great course in great condition. Staff were friendly and helpful. Definitely worth it if in the Sandestin area.

I always love playing golf here for about 5 years now. The staff were always awesome, and the greens and fairways are well maintained. Highly recommended!

I played this course twice while on vacation this year. 6-14-24 and was stuck behind a five some and a single. The single said he complained twice to the ranger as did my twosome. Nothing was done about letting us play through. At one one point the single and my twosome and another twosome was all on the same tee box waiting.

Tried to give it another shot on 6-19-24 and on hole 13 we caught another fivesome who wouldn’t let us play through. Never saw the ranger the whole time we played this day.

Take your money to legacy if playing in Panama or make the drive to windswept dunes. Windswept is great hidden gem.

I have played this course every summer since it opened, and In years past we could play after 1pm for around $75 when the tee sheet was light. We could play much faster and the fee was fair. This year it was around $140 at that time. That is not a good value for the later time. Additionally, I called the shop to check about punching of greens. They told me that they punched them in May and they were great. They failed to tell me that they had been topdressed (sanded) and were not good. I was very disappointed. Again, not worth the $140 fee.

Loved this course. Has the feel of a private country club. My favorite course I’ve played in the emerald coast.