The hardest golf courses in Destin, Florida
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Destin, Florida, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 11 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Sandestin, Panama City Beach, Miramar Beach, Freeport, Lake Powell and 4 more nearby towns.
Burnt Pine
Sandestin Resort
Sandestin, FL, USASlope rating 148, 74.8 course rating, #1 tees, 7,001 yds
PublicRees Jones
- 3.5Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRValue
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
Camp Creek Golf Club
Panama City Beach, FL, USASlope rating 144, 74.9 course rating, Olive tees, 7,120 yds
PublicTom Fazio
- 3.8Conditions
- 4.1Layout
- 3.7Value
- 3.7Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
I find camp creek to be one of the toughest courses in the Florida panhandle. This course is almost always in great shape. Tons of water comes into play and the green complexes are absolutely massive with multiple tiers and are extremely undulating.
Written by
@its_lux
- Pristine
- Halfway house
- Challenging
Kelly Plantation Golf Club
Destin, FL, USASlope rating 144, 74.2 course rating, Couples tees, 7,099 yds
PublicFred Couples & Gene Bates
- 3.8Conditions
- 2.9Layout
- 2.9Value
- 4.1Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
- By water
- Views
- Challenging
Windswept Dunes Country Club
Freeport, FL, USASlope rating 143, 76.8 course rating, Championship tees, 7,752 yds
PublicDoug O'Rourke
- 4.3Conditions
- 4.5Layout
- 4.0Value
- 3.8Scenery
- 3.5Facilities
One of the best hidden gems within 45 minutes of 30a / Destin area. Used to be the longest course in Florida tipping out at 7,800 yards (at sea level). Course is pretty wide open and features massive greens. Typically in good shape and a really fun stress free round…
Written by
@its_lux
- Must play
- Underrated
- Pristine
Emerald Bay Golf Club
Destin, FL, USASlope rating 143, 73.9 course rating, Tee I, 7,050 yds
PublicBob Cupp
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.3Layout
- 2.7Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.3Facilities
- Driving range
- Grass range
- Putting area
(Seminole/Choctaw) Indian Bayou Golf Club
Destin, FL, USA
Slope rating 142, 74.7 course rating, Gold tees, 7,047 yds
Baytowne Golf Club
Miramar Beach, FL, USA
Slope rating 141, 73.7 course rating, Gold tees, 6,804 yds
Santa Rosa Golf and Beach Club
Santa Rosa Beach, FL, USA
Slope rating 140, 72.3 course rating, Black tees, 6,564 yds
Regatta Bay Golf and Country Club
Destin, FL, USA
Slope rating 138, 73.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,798 yds
Raven Golf Club
Miramar Beach, FL, USA
Slope rating 137, 73.2 course rating, Gold tees, 6,931 yds
Shalimar Pointe Golf and Country Club
Shalimar, FL, USA
Slope rating 132, 72.7 course rating, Gold tees, 6,765 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Destin, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Burnt Pine at Sandestin Resort is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Destin, Florida at Slope 148 (74.8 course rating · #1 tees · 7,001 yds). 11 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Destin, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Destin, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:38 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
