Overview: Kelly Plantation Golf Club is located in the "Emerald Coast" town of Destin, Florida and runs along the Choctawhatchee Bay. The par 4 4th hole is the signature hole and it runs parallel to ... Continue »

Overview: Kelly Plantation Golf Club is located in the "Emerald Coast" town of Destin, Florida and runs along the Choctawhatchee Bay. The par 4 4th hole is the signature hole and it runs parallel to the bay. The course was designed in 1998 by Freddie Couples and Gene Bates. The course is located on the former site of a turpentine plantation. The back tees are called the 'Couples" tees and and the other tees were named after the local vegetation on the course ... Plantation, Palmetto and Magnolia. One of the neat things about the GPS system is that it tells you how Freddie played the hole (what clubs he used) and what he scored on that particular hole.

Clubhouse: The clubhouse definitely reminded me of the clubhouses that are so common in the southeast part of the country. Everyone was very helpful, but Ashton Crowe, their Head PGA Golf Professional was amazing. He spoke with my wife and I about the course and and he also talked to us about where we were visiting from and gave us a 15% discount on an item of clothing that we bought in the pro shop. Ashton, thank you for your "southern" hospitality!

Course: A normal "Florida" golf course in the sense that it was fairly flat, had a fair amount of water in play (on 11 holes) and was wall to wall Bermuda. The course does not over seed in the winter and Ashton admitted that they "paint" the bermuda greens in the winter. Not a lot of memorable holes, but a good layout. The one thing about Florida courses is that the Bermuda rough is nasty. The rough was cut at about 1.5 inches, but the ball went straight to the bottom. Tees were in good shape and the fairways were in excellent shape. The sand was the classic Florida "fluffy" sand where you definitely had to use a sand wedge to get out of it. Greens were were in good shape and ran at about an 11 on the stimp.

COVID-19: Face masks had to be worn in the clubhouse, but not out on the practice area or on the course. Single carts were in use if the other rider was not a member of the same household.

Final Thoughts: The Florida Panhandle is known for its white sand beaches and emerald green/blue water. It is a beautiful part of the country that has some very good golf courses.