Sandestin (Burnt Pine)

The Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort offers four courses, however one is a tricker tee time to land than the others. Those who wish to play the Burnt Pine course will need to make tee times either earlier than 8 a.m. or after 1 p.m. (which can be quite toasty during the warm season).

Does its relative exclusivity make it the gem of the resort? There will certainly be advocates for the Raven course, but Burnt Pine holds its own. The front nine of the course lives up to the name (at least the “pine” portion), maneuvering through pine forest and wetlands. The second half closes in more epic fashion, however, with views of Choctawhatchee Bay, for a total of 7,000 yards from the back tees.

The rivalry between Burnt Pine and Raven goes a little deeper than golfers taking sides: Burnt Pine is a Rees Jones and Raven is a Robert Trent Jones design...a father-son duel. Interestingly, this is the only location in the world hosting a course designed by both.