Western Florida has been dubbed the
Emerald Coast because of a unique phenomenon. At certain
times of the day, the Gulf of Mexico waters just off the Panhandle
shimmer with a pure, mesmerizing green hue.
The contrast between the calm, jeweled Gulf water and the
pure white "sugar" sand beaches can be startling and is the
reason why this is one of the truly beautiful and appreciated
havens to those who know it. Thousands of families visit this
stretch of Florida between Panama City Beach and Pensacola each
spring and summer to indulge in the powdery sand and consistently
ideal weather.
Those folks familiar with the South will kindly explain to
you that Florida is not a "Southern" state. Miami has as much
in common with rural Mississippi as day does with night.
Tallahassee,
however, is a different story. If there's one city in Florida
that could blend seamlessly into Georgia or Alabama, it's this
one (it's closer to the Georgia border than it is to the white
sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico).
If you've ever been to Tallahassee, you've probably noticed
that not only is its scenery different than most of the state,
its overall character is as well. Specifically, conservative
Tallahassee doesn't exude a "Fun in the Sun" personality the
same way locales to the south do.
The debut of SouthWood
Golf Club, which held its grand opening in November 2002,
changed Tallahassee's somewhat lackluster golf reputation. The
Fred Couples/ Gene Bates designed course gave capital city its
very own top notch layout - one that would no doubt be considered
a must-play in areas with considerably more golfing prowess.
The golf bug has long since spread outside the friendly confines
of Tallahassee. Once a quiet enclave of fishermen and naturalists,
Destin has blossomed into a choice drive market destination
for golfers throughout the South.
The beaches, convenience, reasonable lodging rates, and endless
assortment of outdoor activities are the principle reasons for
its expanding popularity. Golf, too, must be considered on that
list.
"We've now got as many golf holes here as Hilton Head does,"
says Emerald Coast Convention & Visitor Bureau President and
CEO Darrel Jones. "There's as much variety in the kinds of courses
as well, if not more.
"We've got more than 1,000 holes to play and new courses keep
popping up every year. Ten years ago we weren't even close to
that number."
Although the Emerald Coast's courses are spread out over a
larger geographic area than other golf markets in the South,
the caliber of play is certainly worth sampling. And as Jones
says, the number keeps growing as some of golf's leading architects
seek to add their names to the ledger in this largely untapped
golfing region.
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