When you think of the Florida Panhandle, the city of Navarre probably isn’t on your list of vacation destinations. It’s a sleepy bedroom community, consisting primarily of U.S. military personnel, defense contractors, federal civil servants, and retirees; it’s located about 25 miles east of Pensacola and about 15 miles west of Fort Walton Beach.
Within the city limits is an upscale neighborhood located in the Holley By the Sea subdivision, called Hidden Creek Estates. The centerpiece of the community is The Club at Hidden Creek, an 18-hole championship golf course designed by renowned golf course architect Ron Garl. The community features custom-built executive homes that have breathtaking views of the golf course.
The Club at Hidden Creek is a semi-private golf course and is considered by local golfers and visitors alike to be one of Northwest Florida’s most treasured courses. The Club is known for its excellent conditioning, lush landscape, rolling terrain, and well-manicured greens.
The Club at Hidden Creek once hosted the US Open Qualifying Rounds. Golf Advisor ranked The Club #18 on its 2015 list of Top Courses in Florida. Hidden Creek offers golfers five sets of tees that can be played from 4,831 yards (Red Tees) to 6,823 yards (Black Tees). I found that the Gold Tees at 6,309 yards offered a fair challenge, allowing me to leave with a little dignity.
Holley Navarre Water System owns the golf course and provides the Club with about a million gallons of effluent water each day; you’ll be hard-pressed to find a greener course! As you play the golf course, you may notice that several of the fairways are raised and drop off on either side. Ricky Nix of Garl Design in Lakeland, FL, said that several fairways were raised after they had completed the design in an effort to help keep them dry.
Except for the first and 11th holes, all the others are straight. According to Nix, the developer had already established the homesites, which determined the routing, and they made the best with what they had. One of Garl’s trademarks is an island hole, but, since they had just designed one at Tiger Point, they decided not to do another at Hidden Creek.
The first hole at Hidden Creek is a short par 4, slight dogleg right that offers a chance to get your round off on the right foot. Trees line the right side of the fairway, and a good aiming point is the bunker. From here, you’ll have a short, manageable pitch shot into a green that slopes back to front and is well bunkered.
When it comes to golf course design in Florida, I’ve often said, “There is only so much you can do with water, sand, and palm trees.” On holes that would be otherwise mundane, Garl has done a great job of incorporating these three aspects into the layout. At 358 yards, the sixth hole would fall into this category except for the fact that water forms the boundary of the left side from tee to green.
And there’s a nasty pot bunker in the middle of the fairway right in front of the green that will eliminate any hopes of playing a bump-and-run onto the green.
The 517-yard, 8th hole is handicapped as the hardest hole on the course. It plays dead straight, and for most players, the water you see straight ahead is unreachable. The water comes into play on the left side, 200 yards from the green, and then snakes its way up the left side to the green. Be aware of the large fairway bunker on the right side in the landing area on your layup shot. The large putting surface is two-tiered and has a large ridge running through the middle.
As you drive from the ninth green to the 10th tee, fuel up at the drive-up Turn Bar Too. They serve all your favorite beverages and some light menu items.
No. 11 is the second of two doglegs, a 357-yard par 4 that turns slowly to the left. There’s a lot of mounding along the sides and on the peripheries, and trees on both sides off the tee. A good line off the tee is between the 150-yard marker and the sand trap. The sand trap begins just past the trees on the left, wraps around the entire dogleg, and then covers the left side of the green. The green is relatively flat with mounding in the back and on the right side.
After speaking with several members and a few of the golf staff members, it seems that the par 3, 13th hole, is the favorite. Although the scorecard says the hole plays 175 yards from the Blue tees, double-check the wind before teeing off. Most of the time, it plays one club longer than you think. Two bunkers guard the front of the green, which slopes gently from right to left.
Before your round, warm up at The Club’s all-grass practice facility that includes a driving range and practice putting green. Afterward, browse through the pro shop, where you’ll find apparel from many of the top brands, as well as golf equipment, shoes, and hats.
If you’re thinking of putting together a golf tournament or charity event, The Club at Hidden Creek has indoor and outdoor spaces available that can accommodate 150 guests. The course is situated just two miles from Santa Rosa Sound and the Gulf of Mexico and less than a mile from the expansive East Bay lagoon.
Golfers who live in the Florida Panhandle, as well as those who are just visiting, have a lot of choices when it comes to selecting a course to play. There are more than 15 publicly accessible facilities, two military courses, and several private clubs between Fort Walton Beach and Pensacola alone.
If you and your group – or league – are pondering where to play, consider playing at The Club at Hidden Creek. You can book tee times at www.theclubathiddencreek.com. If you like what you see, memberships are available too