Bluewater Bay golf: the 27-hole history, rates and what to expect now

Bluewater Bay golf is a cheap, public 18 on Choctawhatchee Bay in Niceville, 23 minutes from Destin Harbor over the Mid-Bay Bridge. Late-October 2026 deals ran about $39 to $58 with cart. The Fazio-Pate layout has a strong pedigree, but recent reviews describe poor conditions, so book it as a budget round.

This guide covers the holes, the tees, what it costs, current condition reports and the better-kept alternatives nearby.

Quick facts

• Name: The Golf Club at Bluewater Bay, 2000 Bluewater Blvd, Niceville.
• Access: public daily fee. Phone 850-897-3241.
• Operator: Preserve Bluewater Bay LLC, a community-backed operator, since March 2022.
• Design: Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate, opened 1981.
• Holes: 27 originally; current listings show one 18, par 72.
• Price seen: $38.99 to $57.99 with cart (GolfPass, October 27 to November 2, 2026).
• Booking: GolfNow or phone. The old resort site no longer works.
• From Destin Harbor: 23 minutes, 11.7 miles, via the toll Mid-Bay Bridge.

Bluewater Bay golf at a glance

The card is from GolfPass, not the USGA database. The Gold total is listed as both 6,555 and 6,803 yards on different sources, and which nines the card covers is not stated.

A local guide also mentions reduced 9-hole, snowbird, military and junior rates, but no amounts are published. Rates change.

The nines: Bay, Marsh, Lake and Magnolia

Bluewater Bay opened in 1981 with the Bay and Marsh nines, designed by Tom Fazio with Jerry Pate. A Lake nine came later, giving 27 holes. Chronogolf lists three 18-hole pairings: Bay/Lake, Lake/Marsh and Marsh/Bay. A separate Magnolia nine closed in 2013, per GolfPass.

Today GolfNow and GolfPass show a single 18. Our research could not confirm whether all 27 holes are in play or only the Bay and Marsh nines. An October 2026 reviewer reported hurricane damage on the Marsh nine after Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall near Destin on October 9, 2026. Ask which nines are open when you book.

The setting is the draw: a bayside course through pine woods and wetlands on Choctawhatchee Bay. From the Gold tees the 141 slope says the layout can bite, even if conditions soften it.

What a round costs

Bluewater Bay golf is one of the cheapest 18-hole rounds in reach of Destin. Late-October 2026 deals on GolfPass ran $38.99 to $57.99 with cart for October 27 to November 2. Most GolfNow times in October 2026 were $52 to $58, and a September 12, 2026 deal was about $36. Cart is included.

That puts it in the same band as the Fort Walton Beach city courses and Shalimar Pointe, and well under the Destin semi-private clubs. For the full list of low fees, see cheap golf in Destin, and for every course's rates, Destin golf rates.

Current conditions: read the reviews first

This is the part to take seriously. GolfPass rates Bluewater Bay 2.7 out of 5 from 1,412 reviews. October 2026 reviewers report bare fairways, rough tees and patchy greens, and one mentions hurricane damage on the Marsh nine.

No overseed policy or aerification dates are published. Like most courses on this coast it is bermuda, so expect a tan, dormant look in winter unless the course says otherwise. Our Destin golf winter conditions guide explains what dormant bermuda means for your round.

Our take: a Fazio-Pate layout on the bay, cheap and close to Destin over the Mid-Bay Bridge. Recent reviews describe poor conditions, so it is a budget round, not a showcase. If you are paying for one special round, this is not it.

Booking and practical notes

• How to book: GolfNow or 850-897-3241. The old resort website (bwbresort.com) now redirects to an unrelated site.
• Prepaid deals: refundable only if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead. Groups under four may be paired.
• Booking window: not published.
• Pace: a Florida Panhandle tourism guide says groups are expected to finish 18 in four hours or less.
• Range: status unclear. An older review says the range was replaced by housing.

See Destin tee times for how the other courses book.

Getting there: the Mid-Bay Bridge

Bluewater Bay sits at the north end of the Mid-Bay Bridge (SR 293), which crosses the bay to US 98 at the east end of Destin. The bridge is a toll road: FDOT's FY2023 figures for a car were $4.00 cash, $3.00 SunPass and $2.00 for frequent SunPass users. Tolls are indexed every year, cash was not confirmed for 2026, and rental cars pay by plate through the rental company.

Times are routed free-flow estimates and do not include traffic or tolls. East Destin is the sweet spot: the hotels near Destin Commons are closer to Bluewater Bay than the Okaloosa Island hotels are.

Better-kept alternatives nearby

If conditions put you off, three courses close by are worth comparing:

• Rocky Bayou Country Club: 9 minutes from the Niceville Hampton. Semi-private, open to the public at $109 for 18 with cart and a bucket of range balls, or $69 for nine. Ten tee sets and the best-kept course on the Niceville side. See the Rocky Bayou course guide.
• Shalimar Pointe: a 1968 course with TifEagle greens rebuilt in 2023, and October 2026 deals of $33.99 to $50.99 with cart. See the Shalimar Pointe course guide.
• Fort Walton Beach Golf Club - Pines: the city course, with new TifEagle greens from a 2025 renovation and August 2026 deals around $37 to $42 with cart.

Our Niceville golf guide covers the whole north shore, including the closed Eglin course.

Weather and timing

Niceville is colder at night than the beach. NOAA normals put the January low at 38.0F, about 7F below the Destin airport, so frost delays are possible on winter mornings. It is also much wetter in summer, with 8.91 inches in July and 9.21 in August. October is the driest stretch, with highs around 80F.

That makes October and November the best months for Bluewater Bay golf, if the course has recovered from the storm, with later morning starts from December to February. See best time to golf in Destin.

Who should play it

• Budget groups who want a fourth or fifth round without paying Destin semi-private rates.
• Golfers based in east Destin or Niceville, for whom it is 9 to 16 minutes away.
• Not anyone who wants a showcase round or reliable greens right now.

For value golf on another stretch of the Gulf, see cheap golf on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Plan it on the map

Open the Destin golf map to see Bluewater Bay with drive times from every stay, next to the Niceville and Destin courses. The $30 plan can build a day-by-day trip that fits Bluewater Bay golf in as a budget round only where it makes sense.