Camp Creek 
Panama City Beach, FL 

www.campcreekgolfclub.com

Reviewed: 2009
Camp Creek
By Ian Thompson

Camp Creek has been open eight years now and has matured significantly.
Always a fine test of golf, it has, and continues to, protect par as if it is to be cherished.
When I first took a look at this layout it had not long been open. On a couple of subsequent visits the maturation has progressed beautifully.
There are very few more stunning sights than the indigenous muhli grass swaying in the wind. This purple-topped native grass is simply spectacular in the fall. Combined with various varieties of spartina grass, they set the table for a visual smorgasbord. Not that your golf ball wants any part of them, but your camera is a different matter.
There are various courses across this country that claim to be links. In reality, very few are. Many more claim to be links-style, which, to me, is a somewhat vague definition.
The true definition of a links course encompasses multiple factors including geographic location (within spitting distance of the sea); orientation of the course (nine holes out and nine holes back) and turf conditions (tight, close-cropped, running fairways watered from the sky, not sprinkler heads).
To me links-style incorporates some, but not all, of the attributes of a links course. Enough said, there are some super links-style courses within a comfortable drive of Birmingham, with Camp Creek one that readily comes to mind.
I revisited Camp Creek a while back and once again very much enjoyed this Tom Fazio design, which is located in Seagrove Beach between Destin and Panama City Beach.
This course was a dream for Fazio first and foremost because of the lack of real estate concerns.
“I was like a kid in a candy store when told that this was being built strictly as a golf club. As a designer this gives you endless possibilities. We used approximately 250 of the 1000 acres of property on which to build the golf course.”
Camp Creek was developed by Arvida, a St. Joe Company. Arvida is big-time into the development of master-planned communities, many including a golf course component.
The St. Joe Company is based in Jacksonville, Fla. and is Florida’s largest real estate operating company.
While the Gulf of Mexico cannot be seen from any part of the golf course, its presence is felt all around. The ever-present wind blowing inland is a factor on every golf shot necessitating crisp contact in order for the wind not to make your shots deviate too much.
Crisp contact brings me to the turf conditions which I enjoy so much on courses found near the sea. The sandy soil makes for great drainage which makes for fast, hard running fairways with tight surfaces from which to play from. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but certainly mine.
With five sets of tees to choose from stretching back to 7159 yards you would be best advised to pick an overall distance you are comfortable with as there are some very challenging holes from the back tees. Water comes into play on 11 holes and is all man-made. Indeed it is incredible the amount of dirt that Fazio moved to create some elevation changes on this property which is basically flat.
A highlight is to stand on the tee on No. 6 and you are as close as the course comes to the Gulf. While you can’t see the beautiful blue-green-turquoise colored water or the whiter-than-white sugary sand, you can smell, hear, sense and almost taste it. A mixture of vastly differing styles and colors of houses in the enclave of WaterColor are seen off to the left of this long par 4 which sweeps downhill before you. This is somewhat of an idyllic spot as the tranquility of Camp Creek is in full force here.
Looking forward, a second Fazio 18 was routed some years ago, but there is no timetable as to when or if that might become reality.
“It’s very much on the back burner,” Will Hopkins, director of golf, said.
“We have the land. The entire development is around 1000 acres including wetlands.”

Origins Course
A subsequent venture that did come to fruition is the Origins Course, designed by PGA Tour star Davis Love III. This concept is essentially a six-hole course, but can play nine or more holes. Family is the focus of this community course, which features holes within holes and multiple pins on each green.
“It’s not an executive course, but a six-hole loop,” George Jones, project manager of the WaterSound community adjacent to Camp Creek, said. “It is family friendly, but with a challenge. This could be a paradigm shift in golf at golf communities.”
The Origins Course opened about three years ago and is located across Highway 98, less than five minutes from Camp Creek.
“It has been embraced by golfers,” Hopkins said. “Once they understand what it is, they enjoy it very much.”
What it is is a throwback.
Time was, golf was a game played in two hours or less with friends and family in tow. Scoring was important; overall enjoyment and the strengthening of relationships, even more so. The time was the late 1800s and the place was none other than the birthplace of the game, Scotland. Six, nine and 12-hole courses were commonplace throughout the Scottish countryside. Cases in point abound. The storied Prestwick Golf Club, home of the first 12 Open Championships, was originally a 12-hole layout considered one of the finest tests of golf in the world. The Shiskine Golf Club, located on the Isle of Arran (near Prestwick) was founded in 1883 as a nine-hole course and remains only a 12-hole layout to this day.
The Origins Course at WaterSound – a six-hole regulation course that alternatively plays as a ten-hole par 3 layout through the use of alternate tee boxes and auxiliary greens – was designed and built with the “short course” concept at its core. The mission: make golf more fun, accessible and attractive to families, beginners and casual golfers. Via its non-penal design and manageable distance (approximately 1,800 yards) The Origins Course appeals and caters to novices. Yet its regulation-length holes and traditionally wrought green complexes provide enough challenge and strategy to retain the interest of avid and experienced players. The course was designed by Love Golf Design, founded by PGA Tour player and PGA Champion Davis Love III in the late 90s. Known for designing traditional golf courses with classical elements, Love Design and St. Joe share a commitment to creating golf experiences that are interesting, enjoyable and challenging.
“Our company strives to stay connected to the roots of the game. The very origin of the game of golf revolved around a community recreational activity that could be enjoyed by everyone. At WaterSound we have the opportunity to re-create that atmosphere in a way that will hopefully provide enjoyment for all who call this community home,” Love III said.
In keeping with St. Joe’s commitment to environmental sensitivity and preservation, The Origins Course is turfed with “Sea Isle Supreme Paspalum,” developed at the University of Georgia. Paspalum came from Africa on ships to America, specifically South Carolina, where the grass was dumped into the harbor and along the shores. It started to grow on the shore banks and over time adapted to the salt water and became salt tolerant. Key benefits of Paspalum are it requires fewer chemicals for weed and pest control, making it one of the world’s most environmentally friendly turfs.
The Origins Course is available for play by the general public, Camp Creek Golf Club members, their guests and guests of the WaterColor Inn and WaterColor and WaterSound luxury vacation rentals. The golf shop is located in the nearby Village Commons.
It costs $25 to walk, with juniors 15 and under free with a paid adult. Club rental for juniors is also free.
“This really fills a niche for resort golfers, beginners and families,” Hopkins added.
“A father and son can enjoy themselves on the golf course, be done in two hours and back to the beach.”

St. Joe and golf
As well as the Origins Course and Camp Creek, Watercolor and Watersound guests can access Sharks Tooth, a stunning Greg Norman design located within 10 minutes further down Hwy. 98. Also owned by St. Joe, this private club can also be played by certain membership levels at Camp Creek.
Camp Creek is now a semiprivate club, after some years of private status. It can be played by the public for $145 ($95 after 1:00 pm). The junior rate is $75, but this is a challenging course and all but the most accomplished juniors are recommended to play the Origins Course.