Emerald Bay Golf Club

Emerald Bay Golf Club: On Florida's Emerald Coast, with its excellent array of championship golf courses, Emerald Bay can certainly be counted amongst the gems - at this well maintained parkland layout, eight holes radiate away from or back to the clubhouse, giving you a good impression of the partly open, partly tree-lined holes that await - a pleasant mix of straightaway and doglegging holes will take you through avenues of pine trees, across wetland areas and skirting alongside several small lakes and ponds - one of the toughest stretches includes the water-bisected par-4 5th, sharply doglegging par-5 6th and long par-5 7th, all dangerously flanked by good-sized ponds - if 5, 6,and 7 form the layout's Amen Corner, then 14, 15, 16 and 17 comprise its most scenic sequence - the 14th is a short, tight par-4, played across a picturesque wetland area - the par-5 15th brings you out alongside the vast expanse of Choctawhatchee Bay, while the signature par-3 16th is played along the Bay's shoreline - the back tees of the short par-4 17th are just about in the Bay itself - throughout there are many good and testing holes culminating in a more scenic and natural back-nine, which threads its way through a quiet wetland/woodland environment - the front-nine is a little more parkland in style, with housing often flanking the holes on one side - in contrast to the recent fashion for oversized putting surfaces, here you'll encounter some of the smallest greens you've ever had to hit - Royal Troon may have its Postage Stamp hole, but here you have a serious philatelic collection !