| Beginning in the northwest Florida town of Pensacola with the Scenic Hills Country Club, the Emerald Coast Golf Trail has four wonderful golf layouts for you to enjoy. From Pensacola to Fort Walton Beach, the four tracks that make up the Trail (Scenic Hills, Tiger Point, Hidden Creek and Shalimar Pointe) are all a challenge to play.
Scenic Hills CC hosted the USGA Women’s U.S. Open in 1969. Redesigned by former U.S. Open champ Jerry Pate in 1992 and at 6,699 yards from the tips, you’ll have a full day of golf on your hands. Move up to the men’s white tees at 6,006 with a rating/slope of 70/128 and you may find that your game improves. They are using a new strain of Bermuda grass on the greens called “Champions turf” that plays very well along with the 419 fairways. Their brand new 12,700 square foot clubhouse is scheduled to open in mid-June 2008.
The next stop on the Emerald Coast Golf Trail is in nearby Gulf Breeze at the Tiger Point Golf Club. They also have a new clubhouse that just opened in April of this year – even larger at 14,270 square feet. Tiger Point, built along the Santa Rosa Sound, has two courses. The 18-hole Scottish links style East course (redesigned by Jerry Pate to 7,041 yards) is strong enough to have hosted multiple PGA Tour events including the Pensacola Open, but still fun to play from the white tees at 6,121 yards. The West course is a nine-hole par 36 that can play 3,414 yards – plenty long for a nine-hole track. Enjoy tremendous views of the water and the southern pines; you’ll have a great time playing there.
In an upcoming blog, I’ll tell you about the last two legs of the Emerald Coast Golf Trail - Hidden Creek and Shalimar Pointe.
To see more details about these fantastic layouts check out their web site: www.emeraldcoastgolftrail.com. |
