The best golf resort in Destin depends on the golfer: here is how to choose
The best golf resort in Destin for you: Sandestin for four courses and Burnt Pine, Camp Creek Inn for Fazio, the Hilton for service, Henderson for the beach.
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The best golf resort in Destin depends on what you want from the golf. Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is best for playing a lot: four courses, guest rates and the only way into Burnt Pine. Camp Creek Inn is best for private Fazio and Norman golf. The Hilton Sandestin is best for hotel service. The Henderson Beach Resort is best for a luxury beach base near public golf.
The trick is to pick the resort for the course, not the other way round. Here is how each fits a type of golfer, with the catches that should change your mind. Prices and fees were seen in October 2026 and change often.
Quick facts
- Golf-first group: Sandestin resort lodging.
- Private championship golf: Camp Creek Inn or Watersound Inn ($295 a round).
- Full-service beach hotel with golf access: Hilton Sandestin.
- Boutique hotel by Baytowne Wharf: Hotel Effie Sandestin.
- Luxury beach base, public golf: The Henderson Beach Resort.
- Room rates: not captured for 2026-27; check each brand.
Pick by the golfer
| If you are... | Best golf resort in Destin for you | Why | Think twice if... |
|---|---|---|---|
| A group that wants maximum golf | Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort | Four courses, guest rates, 6-month booking | Your unit's outside manager does not pass on resort rates |
| A low handicap who wants the hardest card | Sandestin, for Burnt Pine | Slope 147 from 6,996 yards, Rees Jones | You hate afternoon starts: guest times are after 1 PM |
| Two golfers after private golf | Camp Creek Inn | Camp Creek, Shark's Tooth, The Third | Courses not fully reopened after Isaias |
| A small group wanting a kitchen | Watersound Inn | 11 suites with full kitchens, same $295 access | No shuttle, and it books up |
| A couple who wants service | Hilton Sandestin | 590-room beach hotel, tram to four courses | $40 daily charge, $30 valet, golf rates to confirm |
| After a newer boutique hotel | Hotel Effie Sandestin | Opened 2021, by Baytowne Wharf, golf discounts | Not on the beach; Burnt Pine eligibility not stated |
| A couple who wants the beach and public golf | The Henderson Beach Resort | 7 min to Kelly Plantation, 6 to Regatta Bay | $49 daily fee plus parking, no golf deal |
The golf-first pick: Sandestin
If the trip is about rounds, Sandestin wins. You can play The Raven, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. course at slope 137 from 6,931 yards, Baytowne and the bay-side Links without leaving the gates, with the tram running between beach, Baytowne Wharf and the courses.
The guest rate in 2026 saves $29 a round at The Raven from spring to fall ($130 against $159) and $24 at Baytowne in spring ($95 against $119). Across a four-round trip that adds up. Resort guests also book six months out, against 14 days for the public, which matters in March and April. See the Raven course guide.
The catch is the fine print: a resort fee reported at $40 plus tax (third-party listing, not confirmed by Sandestin), a 10 AM check-out and a 25-year-old minimum age to book.
The hardest-course pick: Burnt Pine
Burnt Pine is the reason many golfers book Sandestin. It is a Rees Jones course from 1994 with the back nine on Choctawhatchee Bay, water and forced carries, and the steepest slope on the property. Sandestin says it is available only to members and registered guests, with guest tee times after 1 PM daily. The 2026 rate is $179 in season and $149 in winter, booked by phone on 850-267-6500 once you hold a reservation. In November, a 1 PM start needs a steady pace to finish before dark, so ask for the first slot after 1. Our Burnt Pine guide explains who qualifies.
The private-course pick: Camp Creek Inn
Camp Creek is Tom Fazio's dunes-and-pines course from 2001, slope 144 from 7,120 yards. Camp Creek Inn's 75 rooms look over it, and inn guests book it, Shark's Tooth and The Third through the concierge at $295 per golfer. For a group, one inn stay is the cheapest legitimate route onto all three private courses.
Plan around the closed days (Camp Creek Monday, Shark's Tooth Tuesday, The Third Wednesday) and member events. After Hurricane Isaias on October 9, 2026, Camp Creek ran nine holes from October 17 and Shark's Tooth was closed until further notice. It is about a 48-minute drive from Destin Harbor, so it is a 30A trip, not a Destin one.
The service pick: the Hilton Sandestin
The Hilton is the big beach hotel inside Sandestin, with Seagar's steakhouse, Hadashi Sushi, an indoor pool and a spa. Its golf page says guests have full access to all four courses, including Burnt Pine. It does not say whether guests get the published resort-guest rates or the six-month window, so ask when you book. It is 7 minutes by road to Baytowne and 9 to The Raven.
The beach pick: the Henderson Beach Resort
This is the best golf resort in Destin for a couple who wants the beach first. It has no course, but Kelly Plantation, Regatta Bay and Indian Bayou are 6 to 8 minutes away and all sell public times. You pay public rates (late-October 2026 GolfNow deals ran about $90-$119 at Kelly Plantation) plus a $49 daily fee and parking. See the Kelly Plantation course guide.
Questions to ask before you book
Whichever resort you pick, five questions save trouble:
- Does my unit or room carry the resort-guest golf rate? It matters most at Sandestin, where many units are privately owned and rented by outside managers, and at the Hilton and Hotel Effie, which do not state their rate tier.
- Is the course I want open on my dates? Baytowne closes November 2-8, 2026 and The Links November 3-9 to overseed greens. The St. Joe courses each close one day a week and were partly shut after Hurricane Isaias.
- When can I book tee times? Sandestin resort guests book up to six months out; the public gets 14 days. Packages and groups can book 13 months ahead. At the St. Joe inns, the concierge books once the room is confirmed.
- What does the resort fee include? The Hilton's $40 covers self-parking, Wi-Fi and the tram. Henderson Beach's $49 covers beach access, bikes and state park entry, but not parking.
- What happens if I cancel? Sandestin forfeits the whole reservation inside 7 days of arrival. Golf packages must be cancelled 48 hours before arrival or the golf is charged.
Splitting a trip between two resorts
Some groups want both Burnt Pine and Camp Creek. The two are about 39 minutes apart by road from Camp Creek Inn, free-flow, and more on summer Saturdays on US 98. Doing both from one base means long drives either way, so a split stay (two or three nights at Sandestin, then two at Camp Creek Inn) is the cleaner plan. Check that the St. Joe courses are fully back before you build a trip around them.
When a resort is the wrong answer
If your group plays only public courses, you do not need to sleep at a resort. The Holiday Inn Express Destin East has free breakfast and parking and sits 5 minutes from Regatta Bay and 7 from Kelly Plantation. For a winter, monthly condos beat resorts on price; see Destin snowbird rentals.
For the full fee comparison read Destin golf resorts compared, for bases by area where to stay in Destin for golf, for stay-and-play deals Sandestin golf packages, and for course picks the best golf courses in Destin.
Plan it on the map
Open the Destin golf map to see each resort, the courses it unlocks and the public courses nearby. The $30 plan builds your days around whichever best golf resort in Destin you choose.
Courses in this guide
Questions golfers ask
What is the best golf resort in Destin overall?
For a golf-first trip, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is the most complete: four courses on one property, guest rates on three of them, a six-month booking window and the only route into Burnt Pine. For the strongest private golf, Camp Creek Inn on 30A is the pick once its courses are fully open after Hurricane Isaias.
Which Destin golf resort is best for a buddies trip?
Sandestin resort lodging, because a multi-bedroom golf-course townhome or condo puts a foursome in one unit with four courses a few minutes away and Baytowne Wharf for evenings. The Premium package (4+ nights) adds one round on each course, Burnt Pine included.
Which Destin golf resort is best for couples?
The Hilton Sandestin suits couples who want a full-service beach hotel with tram rides to the Sandestin courses. Hotel Effie suits couples who want a newer boutique hotel by Baytowne Wharf. Camp Creek Inn suits couples who both want to play the private St. Joe courses.
Is Camp Creek Inn worth it for golf?
Only if you want Camp Creek, Shark's Tooth or The Third badly enough to pay $295 a round on top of a luxury room. It is the clearest way in for a visitor. In late October 2026 Camp Creek was playing nine holes and Shark's Tooth was closed after Hurricane Isaias, so check before booking.
What is the best value golf resort in Destin?
We could not read dated room rates for 2026-27, so we cannot rank by price. On the golf side, Sandestin's resort-guest rates run $75 at Baytowne for most of 2026 and $69 at The Links in winter, the lowest guest rates published by any resort here.
Do I need a resort to play the best public courses in Destin?
No. Kelly Plantation, Regatta Bay and Indian Bayou all sell public tee times, mostly through GolfNow. A cheaper hotel in east Destin, such as the Holiday Inn Express, is 5 to 8 minutes from all three.
Which resort is best for a winter stay?
Sandestin, for snowbirds who rent directly through Sandestin Rentals. Its Winter Guest package (28+ nights, October to March) waives resort fees, and the Snowbird card brings Links and Baytowne down to $45 plus tax from November 2026 to January 2027.
Keep reading
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