The Links Course at Sandestin in Northwestern Florida is a risk-reward course where the reward comes before and after the risk is taken. Everything about this course makes for golf vacations that are unforgettable at best, memorable at worst. Coming here is the reward in itself. And everything about it makes golfers forget they are taking risks at all.

Being part of the massive vacation facility, the Sandestin Resort, it should not be surprising why this course is among Florida’s most excellent. A Tom Jackson creation, the Links Course at Sandestin welcomes the guests with sweeping views of the Choctawhatchee Bay and the Baytowne Marina in the background; not the least bit a foreshadowing of the challenging layout ahead. Five of its 18 holes run along the bay, giving it a links feel; the rest meander through natural Florida wetlands following the natural contours of the land. The layout requires some accuracy in shots and excellent club selection skills; the persistent wind requires a lot of patience. But deciding on taking a golf trip here requires nothing more than the desire for a most fantastic golfing experience.

There is hardly anything bad at the Links Course at Sandestin; and the major golf publications may agree. Golf Digest gave it a four star rating multiple times in its Places to Play list; Florida Golf News included it in the Top 15 in Northwestern Florida – that is out of hundreds of courses in the area – and amongst the Top 100 in the State – out of the thousands. Perhaps, the only risk here is not getting to experience a mediocre golf vacation destination to compare this superb one with.