The Nicklaus Course at Bay Point is carved through scrub oaks and salt-water marshes. (Image: Bay Point Golf Club)
Following the craziness of Spring Break, Florida’s Panama City Beach once again becomes a welcoming and golf-loving Panhandle town with attractions that include top-tier courses and more than 43 kilometres of white-sand beaches.
(Last updated April 2024)
Every March as many as 500,000 college kids descend on Florida’s Panama City Beach to get wet, wild and crazy during Spring Break. But by month’s end this welcoming and affordable Gulf of Mexico destination in northwest Florida once again becomes the quiet retreat favoured by golf-loving snowbirds.
Recognized by Golf Digest as one of the top golf towns in the United States, Panama City Beach offers several outstanding courses, including a masterful Jack Nicklaus redesign. After golf, explore more than 43 kilometres of sugar-white beaches, or charter a boat for a deep-sea fishing excursion, or take a dip with the dolphins at Gulf World Marine Park. Best of all, balmy weather during your visit is practically guaranteed. This stretch of the Gulf coast boasts an average annual temperature of 23 Celsius and approximately 320 days of sunshine.
Here, four must-play golf properties in sunny Panama City Beach:
Bay Point Golf Club
Jack Nicklaus, golf’s Golden Bear, received rave reviews for his redesign of the popular old Lagoon Legend course. Re-launched and renamed in 2005, the Nicklaus Course at Bay Point is a challenging beast carved through the Florida Panhandle’s natural terrain of scrub oaks, pines and salt-water marshes.
Legacy Golf Club
This 18-hole course, known for its elevated greens and lake-lined fairways, is located in the heart of Panama City Beach, just 1.5 kilometres from the beach. Also found here is a nine-hole par-three course floodlit for nighttime play.
Signal Hill Golf Course
Though just 5,617 yards in length, Panama City Beach’s first golf course is still a standout, with challenging greens and tight fairways demanding precision shotmaking.
Camp Creek Golf Club
A diabolically difficult Tom Fazio inland course, just west of Panama City Beach, Camp Creek features heavy rough and water hazards on no fewer than 11 holes.
