SHALIMAR, Florida — Design-wise, Shalimar Pointe Golf Club has always marched to the beat of its own drum.
The undulating greens. The rolling hills. The sand dunes and myriad hazards. All of it a postcard for picturesque views — perhaps none more signature than the dual green of 12 and 16 — while offering the dichotomy of short and long par-3s, par-5s that are both easily reachable and layup material. The course sits on Choctawhatchee Bay, just across from the tourist hotspot of Destin.
Opened in 1986 by architects Joe Finger and Ken Dye and later purchased by a group of 108 Shalimar Pointe homeowners and nearby residents in 2012 after a developer planned to bulldoze it all, the par-72 course has been a golfer’s dream for its expansive scope.
But in the same breath, it’s also become a nightmare to maintain. Perhaps USGA Agronomist Chris Hartwiger summed it up best when he toured the course in 2021 and said: “If turf conditions matched the layout, Shalimar Pointe will have few peers along the Gulf Coast.”
Well, that day has come. Yes, shuttered in April of 2022 for a $1.8 million restoration originally planned to take just six months, the picturesque course has returned from its 14-month slumber and will open back up to the public on Friday just in time for Father’s Day.
TifEagle Bermuda blankets the greens, the club’s calling card for size and slopes.
Bunkers have been renovated — the “Grand Canyon” that was No. 13 no longer covers the entire fairway for approach shots — and tee boxes have been added and reshaped.
The bunker leading up to No. 13 at Shalimar Pointe Golf Club has been reduced to be more inviting to approach shots. (Photo by Michael Snyder, special to USA Today Network)
Meanwhile, cart paths have been restored for a new fleet of golf carts and a new irrigation system is in place, the course is finally set up for the long haul by the tireless effort of the 77 members who kept the club afloat during this expansive project.
It was those 77 members who believed in the process, who believed the best days were ahead for the 6,765-yard course butted up to Choctawhatchee Bay.
Dr. Barbara Palmgren, who chronicled the club’s history in “Saving A Golf Course,” is one of those proud members along with serving on the board of Preserve Shalimar Pointe, LLC.
“We’re thrilled with how the restoration turned out and we’re excited to show the course off to the public,” she said. “It’s just beautiful.”
Fittingly, Shalimar Pointe brought in a fresh perspective to helm the re-opening: General Manager Jacob Hill, who spent the previous three years as head pro at Indian Bayou Golf Club.
A good sign for the future of the club is that membership has risen by 15 in the last couple of weeks. Opening the course to the public after a 14-month layoff will help as well. That’ll enable new golfers to experience what Hill felt the first time he saw the renovated course.
“I’m in love with the green complexes out here,” he said. “The renovation has taken really well and the greens have grown in really well, and I love the fact that no shot feels the same out here,” he said. “I think golfers playing this course for the first time will love the greens.”
But maybe not the pin placements. After all, the elevation changes in slopes can provide for some tough approach shots.
“This is a play to the center of the green and figure it out golf course.” Hill said.