Bayside courses around Destin and Sandestin and a rental home near the beach are the plan. About 12% in lodging taxes, golf bag fees, a rental car and peak spring green fees are what push the total up.
Plan my golf trip for me: budget, dates and courses →Starts with a sample trip. Change any number to match yours. Set up your travel profile to fill these in for you.
Compare hotels near Sandestin and Destin's courses →Pick each course you'll play (one round per golfer) and we'll price it for your group. Prices are per golfer for 18 holes, with the season and time of day you choose. Your picks set “Green fees per golfer (whole trip)” in your budget.
419 courses around Destin & Panama City Beach that take public tee times, by city, with peak green fees. Private member clubs are left out.
A Fazio layout through dunes and pine land that ranks among the Panhandle's best. It is a private club, but guests of the Camp Creek Inn and Watersound Inn can play it.
inkl.com globaltravelerusa.comOpened in March 2025, this is the newest big-name course on the coast, with wide fairways, big greens and six sets of tees from 4,242 to 7,252 yards.
golfpass.com globaltravelerusa.comA Norman design on Lake Powell, a large coastal dune lake, with deep bunkers and a pine-forest setting. It is a private club, and Watersound Club inn guests can play it.
globaltravelerusa.com golfpass.comThe Panhandle's only Nicklaus-designed course, a tight and watery test on St. Andrews Bay.
visitpanamacitybeach.com golfpass.comA short, laid-back course from 1962, right across from the beach. It is a cheap, easy round on a family trip.
visitpanamacitybeach.com greenfeetracker.comSandestin's best course, with holes along Choctawhatchee Bay. It is semi-private, and resort guests can book tee times after 1 p.m.
golfdigest.com sandestin.comSandestin's top public course, a Trent Jones Jr. layout through wetlands and pines that hosted a Champions Tour event.
golfdigest.com sandestin.comSandestin's most playable course, next to the Village of Baytowne Wharf. It is a good choice for mixed-ability groups.
destinvacation.com sandestin.comA shorter Sandestin course with holes along the bay. It is a relaxed second round of the day.
destinvacation.com sandestin.comA short Joe Lee course inside the Seascape resort. It is the cheapest tee time near Sandestin.
destinvacation.com golflink.comA Fred Couples design on Choctawhatchee Bay that was renovated in 2024. At over 7,000 yards, it is Destin's toughest public course.
golfdigest.com golflink.comThe only Panhandle course on GolfPass's 2026 Golfers' Choice list of Florida's top public courses (#17). Water comes into play on most holes, and conditions are kept sharp.
golfpass.com golflink.comA Bob Cupp course with bay views and a strong slope for its price. It is one of the better values among Destin's top courses.
golfdigest.com golflink.comA long course (7,607 yards from the tips) across rolling sand hills north of the bay. It looks and plays unlike the flat coastal courses.
destinvacation.com greenfeetracker.comA Fazio and Pate design at a fair price, about 25 minutes from Destin across the bay.
golfnow.com golflink.comA quiet, hilly course on the bayou in Niceville. It is a solid value round away from the beach crowds.
golfdigest.com greenfeetracker.comA member-owned club on 30A with one of the coast's few Gulf-front holes. It takes outside play, and rental agencies offer guest discounts.
destinvacation.com destinvacation.comA 36-hole city-run facility with good conditions for the price. It is the budget pick near Destin.
golfdigest.com golflink.comThe sample is 4 travelers for 4 nights. Your plan ($7,924) covers the main costs most people budget for, the ones you enter on the left. Costs people forget ($2,865, about 36% more for this trip) are the fees, taxes, tips and extras listed in the calculator. Prices were last checked on October 17, 2026.
Share of the $10,789 real cost. Nights and travelers multiply most of these costs, so changing either one moves the total the most.
12 of this trip's numbers link to a published price or rate. The rest are our estimates, and each one says what it is based on. You can also read how we calculate every trip.
| Cost | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Green fees per golfer (whole trip) | $675 per traveler | Four public rounds at peak rates: Kelly Plantation about $195, Regatta Bay about $200, Raven $159 (Sandestin rate card) and Emerald Bay about $119. Judgment call. Source |
| Rental home per night (whole group) | $500 a night | Our estimate for a 4-bedroom rental home or condo in Destin or Miramar Beach in spring peak; not checked against a rental-data source this run. Judgment call. Our estimate |
| Airfare per person | $376 per traveler | US DOT (BTS) average domestic itinerary fare for Destin–Fort Walton Beach (VPS), Q2 2026: $376.10 (Q1 2026 was $431.66). Source |
| Food per person, per day | $86 per traveler, per day | GSA FY2027 meals and incidentals (M&IE) rate for Fort Walton Beach / De Funiak Springs (Okaloosa and Walton counties): $86 a day. Source |
| Cost | Default | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Checked bag fees | $90 per traveler | Major US airlines charge about $35 to $50 for a first checked bag each way, so about $90 round trip. Source |
| Golf bag fees | $110 per traveler | American, Delta, United and Southwest treat a golf bag as a standard checked bag; a second bag is $55 each way. Source |
| Shipping your clubs Off by default | $108 per traveler | Ground shipping for a golf bag starts around $54 each way. Source |
| Lodging taxes | 12% of the rental home (whole group) | South Walton (Miramar Beach, Sandestin): 6% state sales tax + 1% Walton surtax + 5% tourist development tax = 12%. Destin (Okaloosa) is 6% + 1% surtax + 6% tourist tax = 13% (Okaloosa tourist tax office; Avalara for the 1% surtax). We use 12% for a Miramar Beach base. Source |
| Rental car | $90 a day | KAYAK at VPS (Nov 2026): SUVs average about $81 a day and vans about $98; July is the priciest month. $90 a day for a large SUV or minivan in spring. Judgment call. Source |
| Mid-Bay Bridge tolls | $20 for the trip | Florida's Turnpike rate table: Mid-Bay Bridge $3 with SunPass, $4 without; the Spence Parkway connector adds $1.50 to $2. $20 covers four to five crossings. Judgment call. Source |
| Resort fee (Sandestin) Off by default | 14% of the rental home (whole group) | Sandestin's resort fee is 14% of the pre-tax room rate (2026 group booking page); Sandestin guests get resort golf rates with the amenity card. Source |
| Drinks on the course | $80 per traveler | Our estimate of about $20 a round for beverage-cart drinks and snacks. Judgment call. Our estimate |
| Golf balls | $55 per traveler | A dozen Titleist Pro V1 balls lists at $55. Source |
| Tips for bag drop and cart staff | $20 per traveler | A few dollars at bag drop and the turn; we use $5 a round. Judgment call. Source |
| Side bets and prizes | $50 per traveler | Our estimate for skins, team bets and a small trophy. Our estimate |
| Lessons and extras you picked Off by default | $0 for the trip | Set by the extras you pick in the tee-time planner. Our estimate |
| Travel insurance | 6% of your plan | Squaremouth says a comprehensive plan averages about 6% of the trip cost, usually 4% to 10%. Source |
| Pre-trip shopping | $60 for the trip | Our estimate for travel-size toiletries, sunscreen and small things bought before a trip. Our estimate |
| Pet boarding or sitter | $50 a day, if you check Pets | Dogster puts regular kennel boarding at about $35 to $85 a night. Overnight sitters at home cost more. Source |
For 4 golfers spending 4 nights in peak spring season, with four rounds each, a rental home, flights and food, plan on about $7,920. Once you add golf bag fees, lodging taxes, rental car, mid-Bay Bridge tolls, drinks on the course, balls, tips and side bets, it's closer to $10,790, or about $2,700 each. Use the tee-time planner above to price the courses you want.
Winter, from December to early March. Raven at Sandestin drops from $159 to $109 and Baytowne from $119 to $99. Aeration weeks in May and August are cheaper still, about $89 at Raven and $69 at Baytowne, but the greens are bumpy. Source
Only if you stay at the Camp Creek Inn or another Watersound Club property. Inn guests get member-for-a-stay privileges that cover both courses. They are not open to outside play. Source
No. Burnt Pine is for members and Sandestin guests, and guest tee times start after 1 pm (noon in winter). A round is $179 in spring, summer and early fall, and $149 in winter. Source
Destin–Fort Walton Beach (VPS) is the closest for Destin and Sandestin, across the Mid-Bay Bridge. Northwest Florida Beaches (ECP) is closer to Camp Creek, Shark's Tooth and Bay Point at the Panama City Beach end.