Sandestin Classic 2026: Pro Golf Returns to the Raven Course at Miramar Beach

The Emerald Coast has a well-earned reputation as one of the premier golf destinations in the American South. This spring, that reputation gets another chapter. The Sandestin Classic 2026 is bringing professional and elite amateur golfers to one of Northwest Florida’s most celebrated championship courses — the Raven Golf Club at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Miramar Beach — for a four-day competitive event running April 27 through April 30, 2026.

For golf fans along the Gulf Coast, from Destin to Pensacola, this is the home-turf highlight of the spring season.

Table of Contents

1. What Is the Sandestin Classic?
2. Tournament Details: Dates, Format, and Registration
3. About the Raven Golf Club at Sandestin
4. Why the Raven Is Built for Tournament Golf
5. Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort: A World-Class Host
6. How to Attend and What to Expect as a Spectator
7. Emerald Coast Golf: More Than One Course
8. Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Sandestin Classic?

The Sandestin Classic is a professional stroke-play golf tournament held annually at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort and sanctioned through the regional competitive golf circuit serving the Alabama–Northwest Florida area. The 2026 edition runs from April 27 to April 30, with a Pro-Am preceding the competitive rounds, offering sponsors the opportunity to play alongside the professionals before the tournament begins.

The event draws a competitive field of club professionals, touring professionals, and elite amateur golfers from across the Gulf Coast region and beyond. Tournaments like this serve as proving grounds for players working toward regional championships and professional advancement — and they put Destin-area golf on the competitive map alongside events hosted at other marquee Florida venues.

This year, the Sandestin Classic sits in the heart of a loaded spring schedule. Just days before the tournament begins, the Emerald Coast Junior Golf Tour’s Spring Championship wraps up on the same Raven course, and the region’s calendar extends into the summer with Alabama–Northwest Florida PGA stroke-play events at Burnt Pine Golf Club and Kelly Plantation in Destin.

Tournament Details: Dates, Format, and Registration 

Registration for the Sandestin Classic is handled through the BlueGolf tournament platform, which manages scheduling, scoring, and field management for competitive golf events across the region.

About the Raven Golf Club at Sandestin

The Raven Golf Club is widely regarded as the signature competitive layout at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort — and one of the finest public-access championship courses in all of Florida. Designed by the legendary Robert Trent Jones Jr., the course opened in 2000 and was immediately recognized as a landmark achievement in Southeast golf design, earning the title of “Best New Course in Florida in 2000“ by Florida Golf News.

Golf Digest awarded the Raven 4½ stars, and Golf Magazine ranked it among the top 14 courses in the state of Florida. Jones Jr. himself describes the layout as “a true modern traditional” — a course that respects the natural landscape while presenting strategic challenges that reward skilled, thoughtful play.

The Raven stretches from 5,060 to 6,931 yards and plays as a par 71, offering four sets of tees suitable for a wide range of handicap levels. The course is masterfully carved through the marshes, native wetlands, and towering pine forests that define Sandestin’s inland terrain, with dramatic shifts in texture, color, and elevation throughout the round.

A few signature features make the Raven unmistakable:

• Hole 6 features an island-green par 3 that demands precision under any wind condition.
• Hole 9, the number-one handicap hole, runs a serpentine lagoon along the left side of the entire fairway and green.
• Hole 16 famously plays to either of two alternating greens — 16A and 16B — which is why Sandestin’s total hole count is 73, not 72.
• Hole 18 was rated the toughest closing hole on the 2006 PGA Champions Tour, when the Boeing Championship brought the 50-and-up circuit to Sandestin.

That PGA Champions Tour history — hosting the Boeing Championship in both 2006 and 2007 — gives the Raven genuine tournament pedigree. The course has been tested at the highest levels of professional golf, and it shows in the design: water in play on multiple holes, strategically placed bunkers, and large undulating greens that make proper club selection non-negotiable.

Why the Raven Is Built for Tournament Golf 

What separates a great resort course from a great tournament course is whether the design rewards the best players. The Raven does both.

For the everyday golfer, the layout offers memorable scenery, a fair mix of difficulty, and enough strategic variety to keep any handicap engaged. For competitive players, it tightens the screws in all the right ways. Water intrudes on nearly every hole. The marshes and wetlands that make the Raven beautiful are also the ones that end scorecards. Long wooden cart bridges carry golfers through natural preserves, but the ball must stay on dry land.

The large, undulating greens place a premium on distance control and approach angle — a strength that separates low-level professionals from mid-level ones. The par-71 layout also creates an unusual scoring dynamic where eagle opportunities on the par 5s become more important, and mistakes on water holes compound quickly.

For the Sandestin Classic’s stroke-play format, played over multiple rounds, this makes for compelling competitive golf where leaderboard movement is genuine rather than manufactured.

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort: A World-Class Host

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is situated approximately eight miles east of Destin in Miramar Beach, Florida, and operates as one of the most complete golf resort destinations on the Gulf Coast. The property features four championship 18-hole courses:

• The Raven – Robert Trent Jones Jr., par 71, 6,931 yards (championship)
• Burnt Pine Golf Club – Rees Jones, par 72, 7,001 yards – named “Crown Jewel of Florida Golf” by GOLF Magazine
• Baytowne Golf Club – Tom Jackson, par 72
• The Links Golf Club – Tom Jackson, par 72, links-style with five holes along Choctawhatchee Bay

Together, the resort offers 73 holes of championship golf (the 73rd being Raven’s alternating 16th green) across terrain that moves from Gulf-side to bay-side and through pine forests and wetlands.

For tournament participants, Sandestin’s amenities extend well beyond the course. The Village of Baytowne Wharf provides dining, shopping, and entertainment within walking distance, and accommodations range from resort hotel rooms to multi-bedroom villas and private homes. The resort regularly hosts large golf groups and tournament events, with a dedicated tournament coordination staff led by professionals like Craig Collins, Sandestin’s Tournament Coordinator.

More information on stay-and-play packages for the tournament period is available directly through Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort.

How to Attend and What to Expect as a Spectator

The Sandestin Classic draws a regional competitive field, and while it is not a PGA Tour-level event, it offers a genuine professional golf experience in a resort setting that few venues in the state can match. Spectators are welcome on the Raven course, and walking the fairways alongside competitive professionals on one of Florida’s top-rated layouts is an experience worth the drive from Destin, Fort Walton Beach, Pensacola, or Panama City Beach.

Spring conditions on the Emerald Coast in late April are typically ideal for golf — warm, low humidity before the summer heat arrives, with Gulf breezes keeping the afternoon temperatures manageable. Early tee times will be at a premium given the spring tourist season, so plan to arrive early.

Note that Sandestin will be conducting greens aeration May 12–18, so the Sandestin Classic tees off during the last window of pristine course conditions before summer maintenance begins — an added reason to expect excellent playing surfaces.

Emerald Coast Golf: More Than One Course

For golfers visiting the area for the Sandestin Classic or simply looking to extend their trip, the Destin–Fort Walton Beach–Miramar Beach corridor offers more than 1,100 holes of golf across eight-plus championship courses. Notable options in close proximity to Sandestin include:

• Kelly Plantation Golf Course (Destin) – Designed by Fred Couples and Gene Bates, with stunning views of Choctawhatchee Bay. Official site
• Regatta Bay Golf & Yacht Club (Destin) – Designed by Robert C. Walker (lead architect for Arnold Palmer), ranked among Golf Digest’s Top 200 Places to Play in North America. Official site
• Emerald Bay Golf Club (Destin) – Designed by Bob Cupp, recently completed a full renovation and reopened to the public along the shores of Choctawhatchee Bay.
• Fort Walton Beach Golf Club (Fort Walton Beach) – Two courses, the Pines and the Oaks, offering casual and challenge-level play.

The Alabama–Northwest Florida PGA section also hosts ongoing professional and amateur events at courses across the region throughout the spring and summer, including stroke-play events at Burnt Pine and Kelly Plantation. Full regional tournament schedules are available at the Alabama–Northwest Florida PGA.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the dates for the Sandestin Classic 2026? The Sandestin Classic runs from April 27 through April 30, 2026, at the Raven Golf Club at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Miramar Beach, Florida. A Pro-Am is scheduled for April 26.

Who can participate in the Sandestin Classic? The Sandestin Classic is open to professional golfers and elite amateur players. It is a sanctioned stroke-play event on the regional competitive circuit. Entry fees range from $499 to $1,000 depending on player category, and registration is managed through the BlueGolf platform.

What course does the Sandestin Classic use? The 2026 Sandestin Classic is held at the Raven Golf Club, a par-71 championship course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. The Raven is a former host of the PGA Champions Tour’s Boeing Championship (2006–2007) and is consistently ranked among the top courses in Florida.

Is the Sandestin Classic open to spectators? Yes. The tournament is held on a resort course that is publicly accessible. Spectators can walk the course and follow the competitive field throughout the rounds.

Where is Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort located? Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is located at approximately 9300 US Highway 98 West in Miramar Beach, Florida — about eight miles east of downtown Destin and approximately 45 minutes west of Panama City Beach.

Are there golf packages available for visitors during the tournament? Yes. Sandestin offers stay-and-play packages that include access to multiple championship courses. Contact the resort directly at 800-622-1038 or visit sandestin.com/golf for current rates and availability.

What other golf tournaments are coming up in the Destin area in 2026? Upcoming regional events include the Alabama–Northwest Florida PGA Stroke Play #4 at Burnt Pine Golf Club (July 13), Stroke Play #5 at Kelly Plantation (August 3), and the Professional Championship at Pensacola Country Club (September 14–15).

All tournament registration and scheduling information is subject to change. Confirm current details directly through BlueGolf or Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort before making travel plans.