Watersound Lifestyle Fall/Winter 2022

WATERSOUND LIFESTYLE

CORCHIS HOSPITALITY GROUP

Located at beautiful on the corner of 30A and Hwy 98

inlet beach, florida

WE’RE THANKFUL FOR YOU!

Enjoying today, and looking forward to tomorrow

Watersound Club Members love the fall and winter months not only for their cooler temperatures, but also for fun traditions like Member bonfires at the Beach Club, pleasant, sunny afternoons filled with golf, and fireside conversations at Shark’s Tooth clubhouse. For those who dare, it might also mean a plunge into the chilly Gulf at our annual Polar Plunge.

In this issue of Watersound Lifestyle, you will meet the face behind the friendly voice and helpful assistance in membership accounting, and you will learn why Watersound Club Member “Fancy Ashley” chose 30A as the perfect homebase for a life that isn’t always as fancy as it seems. You will learn more about the culinary team creating tasty cuisine for our unique dining venues, and your golf game might improve thanks to tips from one of our professional instructors.

As wonderful as things are right now, there are even more reasons to be excited for what the future holds for Watersound Club Members. One upcoming amenity that is now in the planning stages is especially exciting: a new championship golf course designed by Davis Love III’s design team, Love Golf Design. You’ll find more details within these pages than has ever been revealed before, and I hope you’ll be as excited as I am about the value this new amenity will add to your membership experience. As always, it is the goal of our team to make you proud to be part of the Watersound Club family. We have many exciting events on the way, so be sure to mark your calendar and find new ways to connect with fellow Members. Thank you for being an important part of the Watersound Club lifestyle — it is our pleasure to serve you.

VICKI BURRIS DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP, WATERSOUND CLUB

CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY

Watersound ClubSM courses host big-time collegiate events

Written By STEVE BORNHOFT

Watersound Club and its Camp Creek ® and Shark’s Tooth golf courses have twice played host to an invitational collegiate tournament and this year welcomed the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship.

For that, it has a retired baseball coach and the Florida State University sports fraternity to thank.

Mike Martin Sr., the winningest coach in the history of NCAA Division I baseball and a man who became synonymous with his uniform number — 11 — in his 40 years at the helm of FSU’s baseball program, is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. He is also a longtime Watersound Club Member.

It was Martin who introduced Trey Jones, FSU’s head golf coach and director of golf, to all that the Club has to offer.

“A long time ago, Mike was one of my first Watersound Club hosts,” Jones said. “Today, a lot of the Watersound Club Members I’ve gotten to know are because of my relationship with him. He was a great first member to know, for sure. He is such a great guy and such an awesome person. Anyone who is a friend of his is a good guy to be around. I am very fortunate to know him.”

As Watersound Club Members, Jones says he and his family “use the entire club. The golf courses are great and I have a son (Drew) who loves golf. Playing golf with him at Camp Creek or Shark’s Tooth is something we always look forward to. My wife and daughter (Cathy and Jordan) love the Beach Club. The Watersound Club experience is a perfect fit for us and it’s only two and a half hours from Tallahassee.”

In 2020, the ACC canceled the conference’s fall golf season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Jones and other coaches were anxious to get an early start the following spring.

Jones approached Watersound Club management with a brainchild.

“They stepped up and said the Watersound Club team would be glad to host an ACC event in February,” Jones said.

In its first year, what would come to be known as the Watersound Invitational was held at Camp Creek Golf Course and won by FSU in a playoff versus Wake Forest. Clemson’s Jacob Bridgeman was the individual low scorer. This past year, the field of competing teams was

2022 ACC MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP AT SHARK'S TOOTH GOLF COURSE This was the first time a Watersound Club Golf Course has hosted the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship.

expanded to include two schools from the SEC, Arkansas and Alabama. Georgia Tech won the year-two event, which was played at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course. Canon Claycomb of Alabama was the medalist.

In year three, Jones said, the invitational will include teams from the Big 12 conference and the Air Force Academy.

“We thought it would be nice to have an academy team each year and with the Air Force’s presence in our area, its academy was a natural reach-out,” Jones said.

The invitational has served to spread awareness of Watersound Club golf courses and amenities among people who were not previously familiar with the area. Galleries include players’ friends and family members and fans of the game of golf.

“Most people with ties to ACC schools, when they go on vacation, they are bound for the East Coast,” Jones said. “When I was pitching the idea of the invitational, people were shaking their heads because they had never heard of Shark’s Tooth or the Camp Creek Course.

“But the minute the event was confirmed and added to schedules online, people started getting calls from Club Members who were excited about them coming down. It didn’t take them long to realize that this was

Shark’s Tooth is that

is different from a lot of the other courses in the region; it’s different than the Camp Creek Course. It challenges golfers off the tee and it really challenges them with the green complexes and pitching around the green.”

— Trey Jones, FSU’s head golf coach and director of golf

“Mid-February works out well for us and the teams,” Richardson said, but added that winter winds can make a course like Shark’s Tooth play especially tough. For a couple of days, a stiff breeze was enough to make the flags on the greens pop.

Jones concurred: “The wind added another dimension,” he said.

The coach is fond of both Camp Creek and Shark’s Tooth, but tends to be more vocally effusive about the latter.

“I think the great thing about Shark’s Tooth is that it is different from a lot of the other courses in the region; it’s different than the Camp Creek Course,” Jones said. “It challenges golfers off the tee and it really challenges them with the green complexes and pitching around the green.”

“The greens are not super large. We call it a second-shot golf course because you are going to have to be really good from that area to the hole to play it well. That is not something that is in modern golf. Golf today has large greens with different sections to them and Shark’s Tooth is not that way.”

For Jones, the setting for Shark’s Tooth Golf Course adds to its singularness.

a special place, and they hadn’t even been here yet.”

St. Simon, Georgia, native Patrick Richardson, Watersound Club director of golf, arrived in South, Walton about a year ago after departing the Sea Island Resort and wasn’t around for the inaugural invitational, but has known Jones for years. In Georgia, he became familiar with the SEC championship, so he was no stranger to needs and expectations related to collegiate golf.

Invitational players arrive in time to get in a practice round on Saturday, and tournament play runs Sunday through Tuesday.

“Weaving in and out of Lake Powell, you can’t have a bad day out there, that’s for sure,” he said. “With the trees and the water, when you’re on the course, you don’t feel like there is another hole around you. You are on your hole, no one else is there, it’s just you and your playing partners, and that makes the experience a lot different.”

In 2023, the University of Alabama will join FSU as an invitational co-host.

“That will take a little bit of the pressure off our staff,” Jones said. “Anytime you have something that is not on your campus or not in your town, it’s a little bit of a drain.”

Richardson said Watersound Club leadership wants to position its courses as championship layouts that are home to high-level events.

“It’s part of who we want to be,” he said. “I think it’s healthy for the Club,

“I think the great thing about

it

and it’s fun for our Members to have a chance to see the future of golf and to see players they will one day see on TV.”

The invitational presents one such opportunity. In April, the ACC conference championship, played at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course and won by Wake Forest, presented another.

LONG GESTATION PERIOD

Jones recalls that some 15 years ago, the pro at Shark’s Tooth suggested that his course might one day like to host the ACC championship.

At the time, the conference had a “permanent” site for its championship, the Old North State Club in New London, North Carolina, not far from Charlotte. But, as the conference added new schools, it became more open to the idea of moving the championship around among multiple locations.

Detecting that, Jones contacted Watersound Club management — Patrick Murphy and Mike Jansen — to take their temperature.

“They were super excited right out of the gate, and the support of St. Joe president and CEO Jorge Gonzalez was evident from the beginning, as well,” Jones said. “It was almost a disappointment that it took us until 2022 to bring the ACC championship to a Watersound Club golf course, but the conversation wasn’t so much about whether we were going to do it, but how we were going to make it great.”

The ACC, assisted by FSU and Watersound Club personnel and volunteers, was responsible for administering the tournament.

“The ACC managed the golf course, but they used our trainers and some of our sports information people because we were the institution closest to the site,” Jones said. “We did lean on Patrick Richardson and his staff to help with volunteers for live scoring and other duties and they predominantly were Members of the Club. That adds a very personal and special touch when the Members not only allow use of their golf course, but support the event by volunteering.”

Jones said that the ACC Championship, going forward, is likely to be rotated among two courses in North Carolina, one in Atlanta, and a Watersound Club golf course.

The coach said his players loved Shark’s Tooth Golf Course and that circumstances had ensured that it was new to all championship participants.

“We were not allowed to play it for the year prior, no one was, and the year before that was COVID, so I did not have anybody who had played the golf course,” Jones said. “It was truly a neutral site for everybody and I think that helped. I think that made it a better competition.”

A MATTER OF COURSE

Club Member encounters Golden Bear

FSU golf coach Trey Jones, like all Watersound Club Members with an affinity for golf, is looking forward to the development of a third course, which will be built just north of the existing Shark’s Tooth Golf Course layout.

Davis Love III, the winner of more than two dozen PGA tour events, and his brother are designing the course along with Love Golf Design’s lead architect, Scot Sherman.

Jones, then, will be in a position to compare the work of Love Golf Design with that of Jack Nicklaus and his son, Jack Jr., who redeveloped the Seminole Golf Course in Tallahassee.

Jones met Jack Jr. before he met the legendary golfer known as the Golden Bear. They walked FSU’s home course together after which Nicklaus had a proposal: “What would you think about giving my dad a chance to blow this course up and redo it? His vision is one of a kind and I think what you have here could be really special.”

Jones was powerless to say no to that.

“Any time that you get to know anyone who is as talented and as giving as Jack Nicklaus is, that is bucket list stuff,” Jones said. “He is very courteous, he is very smart and you don’t have to be around him long to

realize how special and gifted he is.”

Jones said awareness of the new Seminole Golf Course will inevitably grow.

“We haven’t had the raters come out to see just where the new course stacks up, but the product is one of those things that you can’t keep under wraps,” Jones said.

No Better Time Jones cannot contain his enthusiasm for the status of FSU golf.

“We’re happy where we’re at right now,” he said. “The last 10-12 years have been very good when you look at the team’s success and the success of tour players that we’ve had, and now we have something that we have never had before — a great golf facility to recruit to. With the roster we are envisioning, we feel like it has never been a better time to be a Florida State golfer.”

In such a way, coaching legacies are built.

“I am really happy to have had a positive influence on college golf,” Jones said. “But I am also glad to have had a positive influence on the Watersound Club team, by bringing more exposure to a place that a lot of people hadn’t known about. But when they come to see a golf event at a Watersound Club golf course, they are impressed.”

—

Steve Bornhoft

Written By LIESEL SCHMIDT

Avacation spent along Florida’s famous Scenic Highway 30A is truly an escape. The area is blessed with beautiful white-sand beaches, idyllic beach towns and an abundance of preserved natural areas, with walking and biking paths — not to mention a Scenic America-designated National Scenic Byway — connecting them all. What visitors and locals love most about this stretch of coast is the opportunity to unplug and unwind, and what makes it such an ideal vacation destination is the ease of doing just that!

While the majority of rentals in the area are houses, townhouses and condos, for those who’d truly like to take a break and let front desk personnel and professional hospitality staff on-site ensure a successful stay, The St. Joe Company will soon offer five unique inns and hotels to choose from. Each offers its own advantages in terms of location and amenities, but all provide an elevated hospitality experience that makes your stay a true vacation.

THE PEARL HOTEL

63 Main Street, Rosemary Beach, Florida

The Pearl Hotel’s commitment to excellence and luxury is reflected in an intimate setting where patrons are offered respite and calm alongside breathtaking views of the Gulf of Mexico and the town of Rosemary Beach. Visitors can unwind at the hotel’s Spa Pearl, where they’ll enjoy signature body treatments and massages delivered at four private, poolside treatment rooms.

For a spectacular culinary experience, claim a table at Havana Beach Bar & Grill, the hotel’s AAA FourDiamond restaurant. The chef-driven, seasonal menu is a fusion of Gulf Coast and Caribbean cuisine and can be enjoyed in the colorful, Cuban-inspired dining room, on the veranda, in the lounge, or on the rooftop. The ultimate getaway for couples looking for luxury, the Pearl also offers amenities including a private beach with complimentary beach chairs and umbrellas, valet parking, a sparkling wine at check-in, use of bicycles, signature bath amenities, an adults-only outdoor pool with towels and food service, as well as snacks and a departure gift.

WATERCOLOR ® INN & RESORT

34 Goldenrod Circle, WaterColor, Florida

Families love WaterColor Inn & Resort, where 10 pools, multiple dining options, beachfront rooms and newly created family suites offer everything one could want to keep the entire group happy and occupied. WaterColor Inn is a Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond hotel whose amenities leave little room to wonder why it has won so many awards. Dining options include casual coastal cuisine at Fish Out of Water and WaterColor Grill, burgers and shakes at the Beach Cow® counterservice restaurant, a twist on Baha-Mexican fare at Costa Chica, snacks and camp-inspired faves at The Canteen, and an elevated international take on bar food served inside or poolside at Gather Kitchen + Bar. Guests enjoy access to WaterColor Beach Club amenities, including three pools, as well as Camp WaterColor, which boasts two pools with slides in addition to a lazy river, playground and basketball court. Other perks include complimentary house-made biscotti and assorted fruits upon arrival; complimentary adult bicycle rental; access to the cardio fitness room; guest floor treat suites including complimentary sodas, ice cream, coffee, snacks and more; a beach bag for use during your stay; housekeeping services offered twice a day, including a nightly evening service with freshly baked treats; and a departure gift.

WATERCOLOR® INN & RESORT

CAMP CREEK INN SM — COMING SOON!

684 Fazio Drive, Watersound, Florida

Perfect for the golf enthusiast, Camp Creek Inn is a soonto-be completed 75-room boutique hotel that offers guests a Club Member experience. The ground floor is devoted to a golf pro shop and the dining venues ANR and 1936, while guest rooms are located on the second and third floors. Nestled between the Camp Creek ® Golf Course and the Watersound Club Wellness Center at Camp Creek, the inn offers rooms with views overlooking the golf course, making it the perfect place to stay when your mind is on the green. Thanks to all the Watersound Club amenities, the inn is also a great wellness retreat for anyone looking to relax and recharge while enjoying a taste of the Watersound Club SM membership experience.

THE LODGE 30A — NEW!

4271 E. County Highway 30A, Seagrove Beach, Florida

Inspired by the beauty of its natural surroundings and with a trailhead leading into the adjacent 15,000-acre Point Washington State Forest, The Lodge 30A is a nature lover’s dream destination. The location along Scenic Highway 30A provides an ideal basecamp for biking along the paved Timpoochee Trail to explore nearby state parks, coastal dune lakes, and beaches. On-site, guests may enjoy use of a fitness center and a beautiful outdoor pool. In the spirit of respect for the environment, the hotel employs green practices wherever possible, including four electric car charging stations, energy maintenance systems in all guest rooms, hotel-wide recycling, and the incorporation of natural elements and natural lighting throughout the property. Guests will also enjoy close proximity to the Greenway Station shopping and dining options currently under construction.

WATERSOUND INN SM

6652 E. County Highway 30A, Watersound Beach, Florida

Ideal for enjoying a private family escape, a WaterSound Inn vacation offers a homeaway-from-home experience with the luxury of a resort. Located in the famed Gatehouse building overlooking the WaterSound Beach community, the inn boasts contemporary Nantucket-style design and decor with 11 condo-sized suites offering comfortable furnishings, private balconies, laundry and a full kitchen. With picturesque views from the second and third floors, the inn also extends guests’ access to the Watersound Beach Club amenities and its 7,000-square-foot, zero-entry pool, dining venues, al fresco bar, beach access and complimentary beach setup. WaterSound Inn guests also enjoy access to the WaterSound Beach fitness center.

THE LODGE 30A

Publix Sports Park is

For players and their families, the complex is a home run

Written By THOMAS J. MONIGAN

O

Publix Sports Park, which opened in July 2019 as the Panama City Beach Sports Complex, is on a roll. Located on land donated by The St. Joe Company at the eastern end of the Breakfast Point ® community, an area burgeoning with new development, the park is fulfilling its promise, generating sports tourism and providing players with the kind of facilities worth texting home about.

The $41 million complex includes nine artificial turf fields, four natural grass fields, dedicated tournament buildings, two championship fields with seating for up to 1,500 spectators and parking for more than a thousand vehicles.

Publix, according to J. Michael Brown, vice president of tourism development for Visit Panama City Beach, has agreed to invest $100,000 annually into the complex for the next five years.

The advent of the new sports complex has spurred the development of hotels including

n a brilliant June day, cars from throughout the Southeast travel along U.S. Highway 98 in Panama City Beach and turn onto Chip Seal Parkway, taking their precious cargo to the diamonds at the Publix Sports Park. School is out and tournament season is underway.a Homewood Suites by Hilton ® developed by The St. Joe Company at the fields.

“We’ve had both individuals and teams that have come for the sporting events,” said Jean Capps, the general manager at Homewood Suites by Hilton. “They’ve been coming from all over the country — Texas, Georgia, Illinois.” Formerly, Capps worked with St. Joe Hospitality at its WaterColor® Inn.

The four-story, 131-room Homewood Suites by Hilton has been open since March 24 of this year. Studio and one-bedroom suites are equipped with full kitchens.

“The rooms offer all the comforts of home,” Capps said. “We cater to a variety of guests, especially extended-stay guests, and pets are welcome. We have enhanced the features of this hotel to offer guests something extra.”

Sports complex general manager Mike Higgins said five of the nine turf fields are fullsize baseball fields and may be adapted for use as softball diamonds. Soccer fields can be converted into championship fields with seating for 1,000 spectators.

Trails connect the fields and extend around the perimeter of the sports park.

“With a complex that large, you can imagine that’s a pretty good walk,” Higgins said.

“

We’ve had both individuals and teams that have come for the sporting events. They’ve been coming from all over the country — Texas, Georgia, Illinois.”

— Jean Capps, general manager at Homewood Suites by Hilton

Higgins appreciates the contributions made by St. Joe and Publix toward ensuring that the sports park provides visitors with an exceptional experience.

“Publix is a fantastic partnership for us,” Higgins said. “They’re a really community-minded group with a great reputation.

Homewood Suites is owned by St. Joe, and they give great service to our tournament families, for sure.”

Earlier this year, Snap Soccer from Pensacola held its Trident Cup tournament at the complex.

“We had about 3,000 people a day with 180 teams,” Higgins said. “Our parking lot was completely full.”

‘The Publix Sports Park is a phenomenal facility,” said Zack Touchstone, the operations manager at Snap Soccer. “The playing surfaces are top notch, there is plenty to do in the surrounding areas, and you are only a few minutes away from the beach.”

Parker McIntosh, Snap Soccer’s tournament director and vendor coordinator, said attending a Snap Soccer event at Publix Sports Park

PUBLIX SPORTS PARK, a $41 million project, opened in 2019 and offers nine artificial turf fields, four natural grass fields, tournament buildings and two championship fields with seating for up to 1,500.

“allows guests to capture the best of both worlds, not only as a team competing, but as a visitor to some of the best beaches in the country. This isn’t just a tournament for the kids, but a vacation for parents as well.”

To date, the complex has hosted various competitions including collegiate lacrosse and flag football, baseball, softball, lacrosse, football, rugby, kickball, and “spikeball,” which involves keeping a ball in play by bouncing a ball off a miniature trampoline.

A junior college baseball tournament attracted at least 150 major league baseball scouts, Higgins said.

“This summer we’ve got a lot of baseball and softball lined up,” he said in June. “And we’ve added

two huge week-long baseball events in December.”

The sports park, as it happens, is a project in progress.

On the drawing board are two more facilities — a skate park and a 100,000-square-foot indoor sports center — that will diversify the park’s appeal and bring new groups to town.

The indoor sports center will be large enough to accommodate eight basketball courts and will also be well suited to cheerleading, dance competitions, wrestling and pickleball.

“Anything that needs indoor space,” Higgins said.

For Panama City Beach and the region as a whole, the growth of this sports complex is just another sign of good things on the horizon.

THE NEARBY HOMEWOOD SUITES by Hilton® caters to players and their families with studio and one-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens.

A NEW COURSE WITH TIMELESS CHARACTER

One of golf’s greats joins the Watersound ClubSM team to design a course that’s second to none

Written By PAIGE AIGRET

Anew 18-hole golf course for Watersound Club Members is starting to take shape. To help bring to life a course that will be one for the ages, the Watersound Club team has enlisted the design team from Love Golf Design, founded by none other than the PGA legend Davis Love III. In a nod to the World Golf Hall of Fame inductee who twice led America’s Ryder Cup team, and in recognition that this will be the third private course in Watersound Club’s golf course portfolio, the new course will simply be known as “The Third.”

Watersound Club director of golf Patrick Richardson, a PGA member since 1999, oversees all Watersound Club golf operations. Richardson said that he and a team of Watersound colleagues have found their working relationship with the Love brothers and lead golf course architect Scot Sherman of Love Golf Design to be a comfortable and engaging one.

“Davis Love III is steeped in Southern heritage, and he’s played and studied courses all around the world,” Richardson said. “The entire Love Golf Design team is able to bring that knowledge and those experiences together to design a world-class course that feels at home at our Club.”

Josh Parker, a 16-year veteran of The St. Joe Company and the Watersound Club director of agronomy, agrees. “The Love Design group has been very easy to work

with — they keep the client in mind when they’re designing these courses, as far as making sure they’ll be able to be properly maintained down the road,” he said. “It has their name on it, so they want to make sure that the client is going to be able to keep the course in excellent condition. They do a good job of communicating their thoughts and getting our ideas, and putting those together to come up with the best plan possible.”

With a portfolio of 17 original designs and counting, the Love brothers boast a wealth of design experience. Davis has 21 PGA Tour wins to his name and Mark Love has worked for 28 years as a director of golf events and design projects. With the help of Scot Sherman, and in collaboration with the Watersound Club team, they took their vision for the new golf course to the drawing board

and worked through five separate design phases for the newest Watersound Club golf course.

The result? Plans for a one-of-a-kind, par-72 layout with six sets of tee distances for each hole. Given those options, the course will play from 4,900 to 7,600 yards in length and suit a variety of skill levels — providing an enjoyable round for the casual golfer, while even the longest tour players will enjoy the challenge of hitting from the back tees.

The fairways will use Tifway Bermuda grass — a tried and true turf type known for its fine texture and quick recovery times — while the greens will follow the example of the existing Watersound Club courses in employing TifEagle Bermuda grass. Naturally, the final design didn’t come overnight, and it didn’t happen without a good deal of onsite work.

“We did a lot of riding through the area with Scot, Davis and Mark, looking at the native plants, saying ‘Let’s use this, let’s use that, let’s avoid these,” said Parker. “Surveyors put out color coded posts for the tees, fairways and greens, and we cleared lines of sight so the design team would be able to get a sense of how their plans would look on-site. I think it confirmed some of their layouts, and they were able to adjust others. There are areas of longleaf pines and big oaks that Davis specifically marked to make sure we were able to keep. They had a vision when they stepped on property.”

For Richardson, it is important to ensure the playability of the new golf course for Watersound Club Members. He said that The Third will “play a little bit firmer and faster” than the existing two private Watersound Club golf courses (Shark’s

Tooth and Camp Creek golf courses) and offer its own unique set of magnificent views.

Richardson said the course can be described as “coastal links” in style, and expects it to have a look reminiscent of an Australian Sandbeltstyle course, using native grasses on the perimeter and lots of fairway cut grass. White sand dredged during the formation of the nearby Intracoastal Waterway will be used to create stunning waste bunkers and add to the unique character of The Third.

“The whole site is about 300 acres,” said Parker. “You could probably build a course in half of that, but I think it’s a testament to what we’re doing as far as wanting to make it look as natural as possible. We’ve planned to use lots of native grasses — there will be fairway that bleeds off into native areas. There’s no rough, it’s

LOVE GOLF DESIGN and Watersound Club teamed up to traverse the 300-acre site of the upcoming golf course, "The Third," assessing the best plans for their blueprint.

just a hard transition so the course will have a secluded feel when you’re playing it.”

“After exploring the property on our first few visits, we found so many options it was hard to narrow the new course down to just 18 holes,” Davis Love III said. “Lead architect Scot Sherman, Mark and I believe the site lends itself to building a course with a timeless character.”

The Love Golf Design team plans to incorporate existing hills and dunes into their design, honoring the natural beauty of the Emerald Coast while offering a new style of course to Members.

“We’re pleased to be working with white sandy dunes, diverse native plant materials and beautiful pockets of old-growth cypress and pine trees to frame the golf holes,” Davis said. “We are really thrilled with how the routing of the golf course is coming along at this point.”

According to Parker, the design of the course not only dovetails with the area’s natural beauty, but also makes for a superior golf course in other ways. “What we have planned is a course that will be self-sustaining, eco-friendly and low maintenance — not the typical Florida golf course that you see on every corner.”

The new course design is laid out across acreage north of the Shark’s Tooth golf course. The Shark’s Tooth clubhouse, parking area and driving range will be renovated to serve both courses.

“The huge emphasis on why we’re doing this is to provide another really fantastic amenity to Watersound Club membership, not only for today, but for the future,” said Richardson, who sees the addition of The Third golf course as an investment in the Watersound Club golf experience that will provide more options and value for Club Members and make the area more attractive as a whole.

“People are very savvy about where they want to play their golf,” he said. “I don’t know when the last golf course was built in this area or even in the region. It’s a very unique process we’re going through. To be able to offer our Members three 18-hole golf courses in addition to all of our other Watersound Club amenities will keep us among the top clubs in the country.”

Richardson is supremely confident in the Love Golf Design team.

“They’ve done it plenty of times and we’ve got a lot of trust that they’ll make this a really special place,” he said.

“The huge emphasis on why we’re doing this is to provide another really fantastic amenity to Watersound Club membership, not only for today, but for the future.”

— Patrick Richardson, Watersound Club director of golf

EXPERIENCE

Upscale shopping, sophisticated dining options and South Walton’s premier events and entertainment await you Along the Boulevard.

DINE

Another Broken Egg Café

The Bistro

(Located in Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard)

Black Bear Bread Co. (Now Open)

Cantina Laredo Modern Mexican

The Craft Bar

Emeril’s Coastal everkrisp

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria

Kilwins

PF Chang’s China Bistro Starbucks

Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar

SHOP

Altar’d State Anthropologie Arhaus (Now Open)

Arula

The Beaufort Bonnet Company Billabong Bluemercury Hemline J.Ji l l J.McLaughlin johnnie-O (Now Open)

The Jewel Kendra Scott (Now Open)

La Luna Lilly Pulitzer lululemon (Now Open) Ophelia Swimwear Orvis

Peter Millar

Pottery Barn

Pure Collective Salon (Now Open)

Rose & Co (Now Open ) Seabags (Now Open)

Southern Tide

Sunset Shoes Vineyard Vines Williams Sonoma

Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard

Hyatt Place Sandestin at Grand Boulevard

AMC CLASSIC Boulevard 10

Vin’tij Food & Wine The Wine Bar grandboulevard.com

Residence Inn by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard

Grand Fitness

Emerald Coast Theatre Company

A

LEGACY

Written By PAIGE AIGRET

The St. Joe Company’s Bay Point Marina gets rebranded and rebuilt after Hurricane Michael’s destruction

In October 2018, Hurricane Michael ravaged the Florida Panhandle as a Category 5 hurricane with winds as high as 162 mph. Panama City Beach suffered some of the worst of Michael’s damage.

The St. Joe Company’s Bay Point Marina was no exception. The long-standing community boating hub was left in complete destruction.

But St. Joe wouldn’t let the marina’s destruction be its end, instead taking the opportunity to rebuild, reimagine and rebrand the place that many boat owners have called home for decades.

Now known as Point South Marina at Bay Point, newly rebranded under the Point South Marina umbrella, this long-time favorite home for boaters has gone through several phases of reopening throughout the summer and is now fully open to the public.

“Being under The St. Joe Company umbrella, people will know that they can expect a consistent level of excellence across the board,” said Justin Bannerman, marina director for Point South Marina at Bay Point. “When you see ‘Point South Marina,’ you’ll know that you’re getting top of the line.”

“We want our marina guests to receive the same Southern hospitality they’ve come to expect at our other properties,” said Preston Sutter, marina director for the soon-to-open

— Justin Bannerman, marina director for Point South Marina at Bay Point

Being under The St. Joe Company umbrella, people will know that they can expect a consistent level of excellence across the board. When you see ‘Point South Marina,’ you’ll know that you’re getting top of the line.”

THE MARINA has now welcomed home long-time patrons after their much anticipated rebuild.

Point South Marina at Port St. Joe. “Branding a string of marinas across the Panhandle will allow transient boaters to pull up to any of our marinas and know they will be met with courtesy and enthusiasm at each stop by our friendly and energetic staff.”

The introduction of the Point South Marina brand will bring a consistency in style and level of service, but the marinas under that brand will differ in offerings. Point South Marina at Bay Point will cater to larger boats and yachts up to 125 feet, whereas Point South Marina at Port St. Joe will feature a massive boat barn, accommodating dry storage for 252 boats up to 45 feet, as well as 48 wet slips.

Bannerman believes that the rebuild of Point South Marina at Bay Point will eventually lead to greater success in the storied marina’s future.

“It gave us an opportunity to redesign the marina to accommodate much bigger boats and to fix some of the flaws that the original marina had grown into,” he said, explaining that older marinas couldn’t cater to larger modern boats in terms of width, as boats weren’t built as wide up through the ‘80s.

While the old marina had 180 slips, now Point South Marina at Bay Point has 127 larger slips that better accommodate modern boat designs. In this case, less is certainly more as this improvement makes for easier maneuvering and a better dock experience.

to the fuel dock to empty your holding tank,” Bannerman explained. “Now we have in-slip pump outs. The dockhands can do that for you. You don’t even have to be here. You just tell us you need it done as you leave on a Sunday, and when you come back on Monday, it’s emptied for you.”

Bannerman said they also have an extended fuel dock that can accommodate six boats, a covered fish cleaning and display facility and state-of-the-art shore power with safety measures to help protect boat owners.

Among new amenities are a new swimming pool, laundry facilities, complimentary coffee, morning newspaper delivery, utilities and high-speed Wi-Fi. An amenities fee is rolled into one yearly fee, making it convenient for members to pay once and be done, rather than managing various fees or a monthly utility bill.

old marina,

tank is full, if

got to do the inevitable chore that nobody wants to do, you’d have to pull over to the fuel dock to empty your holding tank. Now we have in-slip pump outs. The dockhands can do that for you. You don’t even have to be here. You just tell us you need it done as you leave on a Sunday, and when you come back on Monday, it’s emptied for you.”

— Justin Bannerman, marina director for Point South Marina at Bay Point

“That’s probably the biggest benefit of the redesign and the rebuild — these boats and these captains don’t have to stress,” said Bannerman.

Another great improvement in the marina’s new design is the use of longer finger piers (the smaller docks that run the length of the boat to create slips). Before the rebuild, they were just ¹⁄ ³ the length of the slip, about 20 feet long. Now the finger piers run the entire length of the boat slip. Bannerman said this makes it “easier to board, easier to clean and easier to load. All of that is helped by the full-length finger piers and the extra-wide berth.”

A less visible improvement, but just as essential: the new in-slip waste pump-out feature. “At the old marina, when your holding tank is full, if you’ve got to do the inevitable chore that nobody wants to do, you’d have to pull over

The Ship Store offers easy access to cold beer, drinks and ice, as well as Point South Marina merchandise and popular retail items from brands like Yeti, Toadfish and more.

Point South Marina at Bay Point is also home to Freedom Boat Club, a separate entity that offers boat rentals through membership. If all that is not enough, there’s also the nearby Serenity Spa — for ultimate relaxing and pampering within a short walk of the marina.

Bannerman, new to the area by way of Charleston, South Carolina, had heard of the longstanding reputation of Bay Point Marina as a community pillar and a welcoming place for boaters from all over, but he is now learning just how special the marina is to the community.

Through the phases of reopening he’s found that the community spirit and bonhomie “has absolutely remained the same.” He noted that “this marina means so much to the Panhandle, and more specifically to Panama City Beach. People have spent 20, 30 years here prior to the storm and couldn’t wait to come back.”

“I kept hearing people say that they were coming home, and that is not something you hear at a lot of marinas. You walk the docks right now, and it’s like they never left.”

The marina celebrated this sense of community by welcoming a group of the most prestigious run of boats,

At the

when your holding

you’ve

known as the “front row,” as part of the first phase of reopening. This celebration, a parade of sorts, was staged out in the open water and captains returning to their home marina radioed to Bannerman to ceremoniously request permission to enter the channel. This fleet of returning marina members was a perfect way to celebrate the reopening of Point South Marina at Bay Point. With emotion showing in their voices and faces, it was more than a reopening for marina staff and the captains and crew, it was a warm welcome home.

“A lot of marinas are just a place where you dock, and then you go home to your friends and family,” said Bannerman. “For those of

us at Point South Marina at Bay Point, this is the place where your friends and family are.”

When asked about goals for the future of the newly reopened marina, Bannerman said, “fill it up, for one,” but also that he hopes to “continue the community feeling that is already in place and grow with that.”

As for the growth of the Point South Marina umbrella, the rebuild at Port St. Joe will open in phases, similar to its sister location at Bay Point, and is planning an official reopening later this year.

“We are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to help you create memories with your family and friends on the water!” said Sutter.

EXTENDED FINGER piers and widened berths make for an effortless docking experience.

THE SHIP STORE is a one-stop shop for all your boating needs, offering everything from beer and ice to sunscreen and top-branded merch.

THE HEART

OF WATERSOUND CLUB SM CUISINE

A humble chef exudes talent and leadership in his ever-evolving culinary career

Written By PAIGE AIGRET

CChef Preetam Pardeshi has been a staple for The St. Joe Company for nearly 10 years, ever since he moved to the area for a position at WaterColor Inn’s Fish Out of Water restaurant in 2013.

Pardeshi has achieved several promotions within The St. Joe Company, quickly moving up in his role at Fish Out of Water to become the chef of cuisine and then the executive sous chef. He later made the move from WaterColor Inn to the Watersound Club team, becoming the executive chef at Beach Club and, more recently, working on the development of the Club’s future Camp Creek Inn restaurants and the adjacent Club amenities where he’ll serve as executive chef upon their openings.

But Pardeshi’s experience reaches further back than his time with St. Joe. He has always felt connected to food and the art of cuisine, even from a young age, growing up around his grandparents who were farmers. Originally from Pune, India, an area known as the “Oxford of the East,” Pardeshi was lucky in the fact that educational opportunities were plentiful, and he was able to take advantage.

Seafood Pasta

THE INTERNATIONALLY trained chef Preetam Pardeshi plays an essential role as Watersound Club executive chef.

Flounder Almondine

Pardeshi was classically trained in styles including Italian, French and Indian cuisine. But he learned the nuances of Southern-style cuisine at the Grand Hotel Resort in Fairhope, Alabama.

As an internationally trained chef, Pardeshi could have landed anywhere, but the Gulf of Mexico called to him, and it’s still his favorite part of living along the Emerald Coast. Now he calls the area home, having purchased a house in 2018 and settled into his role with the Watersound Club team.

Pardeshi’s day-to-day role is eclectic as he moves between Club amenities, depending on where he is most needed on any given day. But his role will soon evolve again with the opening of the Club’s three new dining venues in the new year: 1936, ANR and Bark N’ Brine. The addition of these dining venues to the Watersound Club portfolio will equally be an addition to Pardeshi’s plate, as he is set to oversee all three. Having already accomplished so much, Pardeshi is ready and excited for what lies ahead.

“I don’t see hurdles, I see challenges,” he said. “From my perspective, unless you have those challenges, you cannot become better. There is no excitement if there is no challenge.”

1936, named after the founding year of The St. Joe Company, will be

an all-day casual dining option serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Perfect for a quick bite before tee time, to take a break from the sun or to bring the family for dinner, 1936 will be located at Camp Creek Inn.

ANR, named for the historical Apalachicola Northern Railroad of the Forgotten Coast, will offer Members an upscale dining experience with a Southern flair. Pardeshi is looking forward to this elevated dining addition, saying that “ANR will offer an atmosphere of personalized service to our Members. It will be a complete experience.”

Bark N’ Brine will be a familyfriendly poolside dining venue with indoor and outdoor seating, offering smokehouse favorites along with health-conscious options. Nestled between the new Wellness Center and the resort-style pool area, Bark

N’ Brine will be perfect for Members stopping by in between dips in the water or a class at the Wellness Center for a fast, yet quality meal.

Pardeshi’s goal, aligning with that of the Watersound Club experience as a whole, is to offer Members a spectrum of dining experiences so that everything they could possibly want is available to them without having to venture off Club property. He doesn’t want Members to go to just any 30A restaurant.

“I want them to come to mine,” Pardeshi said. “Our membership is growing, and my primary focus is to have a variety of options for the Members to enjoy different varieties within the Club.”

For now, Pardeshi spends most of his time at the Watersound Beach Club dining venues, where even on a slow day they serve around 500 people. On a busy day? Upward of 1,500 people. Hardly a one-man show, Pardeshi is grateful for the support of his team members and staff, especially on busy days.

“Without those teams, I’m nobody,” said Pardeshi. “I give all credit for my success to the teams I’ve worked with. They deserve more appreciation and credit for their hard work and efforts. Without them, I cannot do what I do.”

Pardeshi takes pride in supporting employees and helping them advance in their roles, just as he was able to do himself.

“I want them to come to mine. Our membership is growing, and my primary focus is to have a variety of options for the Members to enjoy different varieties within the Club.”

— Preetam Pardeshi

Signature Burger, 1936

Chef’s Featured Favorite

Blackened Grouper with Wilted Baby Spinach, Parmesan Risotto, Blue Crab and Lemon Beurre Blanc

Yields 4 servings

Parmesan Risotto

† 5 cups of vegetable stock

† 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

† 1 cup onion, diced

† 1½ cups Arborio rice, uncooked

† ¼ teaspoon salt

† 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

† ½ teaspoon white pepper

† 4 ounces parmesan, grated

† 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to the pot and swirl to coat. Add onion and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Arborio rice and salt. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add ½ cup of warmed stock. Cook for 2 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Stir in 1½ cups of stock. Cook for four minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add in the remaining stock, ¾ cup at a time, stirring nearly constantly. Wait until each portion is absorbed before adding the next, about 20-25 minutes total. Reserve 1/3 cup of stock for the last addition. Stir in the reserved stock, butter, white pepper and cheese.

Blackened Grouper

† ¼ cup smoked paprika

† 2 tablespoons dried thyme

† 2 teaspoons onion powder

† 1½ teaspoons kosher salt

† 1½ teaspoons garlic powder

† 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

† ½ teaspoon dry mustard

† ½ teaspoon ground red pepper † ½ cup butter, melted † 4 6-ounce grouper fillets † 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat a 12-inch cast iron skillet for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together paprika, thyme, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, mustard and red pepper. Pour melted butter in a shallow dish. Dip each fillet in butter, turning to coat. Sprinkle both sides of each fillet with the spice mixture, then pat gently to coat. Add olive oil to the skillet; the oil should smoke. Place fish in the hot skillet, skin side up. Cook, covered, until browned; three to four minutes. Flip the fillets and cook, covered, until the fish flakes easily with a fork, three to four minutes more. Remove from heat.

Wilted Baby Spinach

† 4 teaspoons olive oil

† 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife † 1 pound fresh baby spinach, washed and drained † Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet over high heat until hot. When hot, add the olive oil and garlic. Saute for three to four minutes, until the garlic is golden on both sides. Add the spinach to the skillet and toss with oil to coat.

Reduce the heat to medium and stir. When the spinach is just wilted, after about two minutes, remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Lemon Beurre Blanc with Blue Crab

† 1½ cups good quality dry white wine

† ½ cup fresh lemon juice

† ½ teaspoon lemon zest, minced or very finely grated

† 1 teaspoon shallots, minced † 1 teaspoon garlic, minced

† 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced † 2 tablespoons heavy cream

† 3½ sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed

† Kosher salt to taste

† ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

† 1 cup jumbo lump blue crab meat

In a heavy, nonreactive saucepan, combine the wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, shallots, garlic and thyme. Cook over medium to high heat until the liquid in the mixture reduces to 1-2 tablespoons, about four minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook until the liquid in the pan reduces to 1-2 tablespoons, about four minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter one cube at a time, whisking constantly, until all the butter is incorporated into the sauce. Each addition of butter should be almost completely melted in before adding more. This will take roughly 10-15 minutes total. Remove the sauce from heat, then whisk in the kosher salt and pepper. Add the crab meat and serve warm.

TO ASSEMBLE

Place the hot parmesan risotto in the center of the plate. Place the wilted baby spinach half on the risotto and half on the plate. Carefully place the blackened grouper on top of the risotto and spinach. Top with beurre blanc sauce with chunks of crab meat, then garnish with fresh chopped flat leaf Italian parsley.

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THE SWING OF FIT GETTING INTO

Instructional

By CARRIE HONAKER

Standing on the first tee at the Tom Fazio-designed Camp Creek ® golf course, surrounded by lush wetlands, the only thing between you and a perfect game is making the right connections with that dimpled white orb. That isn’t the golf club’s job. It’s yours — your body, balance, flexibility, strength and endurance working in unison as you grip, bend and swing.

That’s where the new Watersound Club SM Golf Fit program and the abbreviated Golf Fit Express come in. Ben Blalock, director of golf instruction, and Amy Robison, director of wellness and outdoor pursuits, team up to lead Members through a regimen that combines targeted wellness and golf instruction.

“This program brings together Amy’s knowledge of flexibility and strength building with my knowledge of golf technique,” Blalock said. “The golf swing is fairly complex — it’s a compound movement that involves the whole body.”

Breaking down that movement is the first step in the six-week, intensive Golf Fit program. Using a diagnostic tool, Robison checks everything from neck, shoulder, wrist, elbow, hip, knee and ankle mobility to pelvic tilt and rotational capabilities. The score sheet reveals weaknesses in relation to degrees of movement, allowing Robison to target issues.

On the golf side, Blalock employs a computerized program, tracking data using a radar device.

“TrackMan measures every shot a player can hit across 34 different data points,” he said. “Some of those are related to the golf ball. Some are related to the club. It’s linked to video cameras that allow us to play things back to watch and analyze the movement.”

These initial assessments figure into a plan for each member. Blalock

programs tie fitness to golf proficiency

Written

YOUR swing and your health, too, with the help of Ben Blalock, director of golf, and Amy Robison, director of wellness and outdoor pursuits.

determines what the most needed areas of improvement are based on the software’s measurements and creates an individualized program for each person. Robison puts together exercises utilizing bands, kettlebells, medicine balls and mats to specifically focus on rotation, and to isolate the different movements in the body.

“When we start to break it down and focus on isolating the thoracic rotation, keeping the hips in a stationary position, you start to increase mobility and flexibility. You can really see a difference, even after one day of working with it,” Robison said.

Weekly class meetings augment the golf-specific work and exercises. Members spend 45 minutes with Robison and 45 minutes with Blalock. Between class meetings, Members get a one-on-one, half-hour session with each instructor.

“Each of the days in the program we address a specific part of the swing,” Blalock said. “It may be how the lower body works, or how the arms work, or maybe balance within the golf swing.”

Golf Fit participants often enjoy a 10% increase in club-head speed, which

translates to longer shots and lower scores. Improvement is measured by comparing end-of-course assessments with assessments taken at the start of the six weeks of instruction.

“In real terms, when you can swing the club a mile per hour faster, the shot can go three to five yards longer,” Blalock said. “So if you were to make your club go eight miles an hour faster, that translates into 24 to 40 yards longer. That makes the game much easier. The further your shot goes, the closer it gets to the green.”

Not everybody can commit to a sixweek course, and that’s where Golf Fit Express comes in. The abbreviated oneweek version of the program doesn’t include the assessment, but includes the same focus on fundamentals that participants are exposed to in the longer program.

“Amy creates a handout with exercises you can take home and put in your workout room or use at the gym,” Blalock said. “It gives you prescribed movements, number of repetitions, how many days per week to implement the program. And then I do the same with golf training. You’ll have a prescribed

practice regimen to net gains over the six weeks, three months or hopefully your lifetime as you continually work to improve your game.”

Golf Fit not only improves your game, but your functional fitness overall. Robison said she’s seen Members lose significant weight, radically improve their range of motion and regain balance.

Member John Lebowitz said, “Being a high-handicap player and just getting back into golf, I decided to join the inaugural Golf Fit program. It surpassed all my expectations. The blending of complementary fitness by Amy and instruction by Ben was spot on. It gave me a wonderful foundation to improve my game. I highly recommend it.”

Whether they opt for the full program or the express version, Members learn tools with which to hone their swing and improve physical fitness.

“It really is important for people to tie in their fitness with their game,” Blalock said. “People want to play golf forever. I teach everybody from age 6 to 86; it’s a lifetime game. The longer your body allows you to play, the more enjoyment you can get out of it.”

GOLF FIT classes focus equally on improving students’ golf technique and physical fitness.

fiber plenty of

Nicole Hemmerly turns organic materials into statement pieces

Written By PAIGE AIGRET Photography by SEAN MURPHY and KRISTIN NICOLE PHOTOGRAPHY

Reggae music is playing, and about her are three looms and a macramé station. Nicole Hemmerly floats about her studio moving from project to project and spoiling her four rescue dogs with attention.

So go the days in the life of Hemmerly, owner of MossHound Designs.

Hemmerly, who founded the business, is a fiber artisan who works with materials including macramé, cotton and wool to create unique pieces for homes, businesses and events. Hers is a one-woman business — she curates supplies, designs and creates pieces and packages her finished projects for shipping.

Hemmerly started MossHound Designs in North Carolina in 2015.

But, as a military spouse, she moves frequently and her business has had to move with her.

Hemmerly finds that she can work from anywhere. Traveling keeps her creative brain active, and she draws inspiration from whatever environment surrounds her. A lot of her work is given to earth tones — burnt oranges, mossy greens and browns. But living in the Niceville area, she has found new inspiration from Gulf waters and white sands.

THE ARTIST at work on a macramé piece. Hemmerly limits herself to using certified cotton, organic materials.

Hemmerly has begun to incorporate coastal colors into her work and plans to do more of that in the future.

Hemmerly is the product of a conservative upbringing who entered upon adulthood convinced that she needed to get a degree and follow a career path. She earned a master’s degree in athletic training and felt that she had followed the script perfectly.

“But after 10 years, I was completely burnt out,” she said. Her husband gave her the time and space she needed to explore alternatives. She happened upon a book on the history of fiber arts, then went looking for a book on macramé. Soon, she found herself stocking up on materials at craft stores.

“It was so fun and soothing and meditative; it was exactly what I needed at that point in my life,” Hemmerly reflected.

Fiber art had become for her a fulfilling hobby when people started asking her to create something unique for their own spaces. The demand for her creations surprised her. People were snapping up existing creations and placing orders for

custom pieces. Magazines were reaching out to feature her.

Hemmerly permitted herself to believe that “people like what I do.”

Three years later, however, she found that she was merely replicating rather than creating. She decided to switch to a more sustainable business model, opting to use vintage and natural fibers and stay away from buying supplies from big businesses. She began incorporating wool from her family’s sheep farm in Pennsylvania. Her success had given her the financial freedom to overhaul her business.

“I did reach a point where it was feasible, and I decided to dive all in with it,” Hemmerly said.

Hemmerly began to use packaging made from compostable and recyclable materials. She researched suppliers whose missions aligned with hers. “I only work with suppliers who offer certified cotton, organic materials,” she explained.

Hemmerly uses materials from the garment industry, vintage rugs and mill ends. Her supplier breaks them down, reducing them to fibers, which are then repurposed as rope, string or yarn. This approach enables Hemmerly to create pieces that not only are made of natural materials, but that in many cases would have ended up in landfills.

A PIECE CALLED

Mountain Modern Landscape #2 makes a bold statement.

Artist Nicole Hemmerly departed a 10-year career as an athletic trainer to launch her business, MossHound Designs.

In addition to her love of art and sustainability, Hemmerly has a passion for animals, specifically for senior dogs. The name of her business sprung from this passion, with “moss” referring to her love of earthy colors and “hound” referring to her love of dogs and a hound named Maycie, in particular. She donates a portion of the proceeds from MossHound Designs to helping animals by giving money to shelters, donating supplies to shelters, sponsoring a dog or in many cases fostering several at a time.

“I always joke that I either donate or adopt a dog,” Hemmerly said with a laugh. “It’s hell to do, but it’s so rewarding.”

Hemmerly’s most popular pieces include her Ethereal Woodland Macraweave, Jewel Tone Macraweave and her Terracotta Table Runners. She sells a lot of macramé chandeliers, which work perfectly as stand-alone statement pieces or in numbers when hung from the ceiling over a dance floor at a wedding or other events.

Hemmerly’s work can be seen in person at the Maxine Orange Gallery at 21A Eglin Parkway in Fort Walton Beach. Orders and inquiries can be placed through her website, MossHoundDesigns.com, or her social media pages.

HEMMERLY’S dog Bo was malnourished and scared when he was dropped off at an animal shelter, but he has become a “sweet and loving dog,” her owner says.

PHOTO SPREAD-3

TIPS FROM

THE PROS

Ball Striking: What’s Required for Success?

Written By BEN BLALOCK

The term “ball striking” refers to the golfer’s ability to routinely send the ball toward the target at the proper direction, distance and trajectory. Good ball strikers are those players who retain this skill week after week and season after season. Of course, some days are

better than others, but these golfers don’t need to get lucky to move the ball from tee to green with consistency and predictability.

If you feel like you need luck to get your shot in the fairway or on the green, incorporate the practice drills below to begin improving your ball striking.

CENTER CONTACT

Making contact with the center of the clubface is always the goal on full swings. Striking on the heel or toe, shanking, topping or chunking shots is less efficient and definitely less fun. The two drills listed below will help you make center contact more often:

1 INSIDE TEE AND OUTSIDE TEE

If contact on the club toe or heel is your challenge — shanks are just extreme heel contact — do this:

† Place two golf tees in the ground on the driving range tee, or backyard, so that they are in a line and perpendicular to the target line. They should be about 2½ inches to 3½ inches apart and at the same height.

† If you hit the toe, adjust your stance and posture so that you are in place to hit the closer of the two tees. Now swing and strike the farthest of the two tees. Repeat 25 times.

† If you hit the heel, or shank, adjust your stance and posture so that you are in place to hit the farthest of the two tees. Now swing and strike the closer one. Repeat 25 times.

† Lastly, hit some iron shots at a comfortable level of effort and speed.

GOLF DRILL EXAMPLE

GOLF SPACING

2 CLIP THE TEES

If you struggle hitting behind the ball or topping or thinning the ball, do this:

Stage 1:

† Grab a handful of tees — you might need 20–25.

† Place five tees in a line perpendicular to the target line. Each tee should be placed at a shallow depth so that the tee itself is sitting rather high out of the ground. If you use club tees with the stripes painted on them, allow three stripes to be above the level of the grass for this first stage.

† Begin by addressing the tee at the far left of the line if you’re right handed, vice versa if you’re left handed.

† Make a real, full size and speed swing with the goal of striking the tee only — no grass — and repeat until each tee has been struck. Should you

have a mistake in which you hit the ground or miss the tee, start over. If you encounter continuing struggles, reduce the effort that you’re using for the swing until you find success. Once complete, move on to the next stage.

† Stage 2: same drill, but with two stripes showing above the grass.

† Stage 3: same drill, but with one stripe showing above the grass.

† Stage 4: same drill, but with no stripes showing above the grass.

† Stage 5: same drill, but with no stripes and a ball sitting on top of the tee.

† Stage 6: normal shots.

Creating center contact on every swing will go a long way toward improving your distance and trajectory on full swings, but you need to know how

to practice. As with any practice routine, just thinking about practice isn’t actually practice! You’ll need to carve out some time to spend working on these concepts. In most cases, tendencies within the golf swing are stubborn and take a long time to change permanently. The best players in the world know this to be a fact, and they practice accordingly. Professional male and female golfers share a certain mentality. They try to:

† Practice the strengths of their game every day and play the game in a way that plays to those strengths.

† Check in on regular challenges every day in practice; but ignore them when they play.

In the next issue of Watersound Lifestyle, I’ll outline methods to improve your ability to control the direction of your full-swing shots.

If you’d ever like personal guidance on your game, I’m here and eager to help. Please reach out via email at Ben.Blalock@StJoe.com, or call (850) 231-6442 to schedule an appointment at the beautiful, new Camp Creek Golf Performance Center.

DORTC H

Membership Accountant

Cassie Dortch is as full of energy and personality as anyone you’re likely to find, but because her job keeps her working behind the scenes she’s also someone that most of our Watersound Club SM Members never meet face to face. That’s a shame, because spending time with Cassie always seems to leave everyone feeling a little bit happier, but Watersound Club Members are quite fortunate to have her working diligently in our accounting department to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

For those of you who haven’t met Cassie, we sat down for a quick Q&A so you can get to know her a little bit better.

How did you start working for Watersound Club?

I was actually working at a bank, and one of my customers, Daniel Fussell, worked for The St. Joe Company as the general manager of Point South Marina at Bay Point. He saw me deal with a really uncomfortable customer situation while he was waiting in line and I was helping these people. At the end of it, honestly, I thought Daniel was going to rob me. He’s very tall, and the way he put his arms up on the edges of the teller window blocked my entire view. There was nothing I could do to see around him or make eye contact with anybody else in the bank, and he started looking around like he was casing the joint, and I was thinking, “There is no

way this guy is going to try to rob me … I know his social security number!” But he just asked me, “How happy are you here?” So that’s how I started working at the marina for The St. Joe Company.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

I feel like it’s really important for me to bridge the gap between the accounting department on the back end and our Memberfacing team on the front end.

I want our Member-facing team to feel supported by the accounting team, because I’ve also worked on their side and I know how important that support can be in helping you make the best decisions.

I want to be a bridge between those groups — that’s part of

the reason that I do spend a lot of time in the membership department. I’ve even worked at the Beach Club greeter stand. I would like to know it all!

Did you enjoy working at the marina?

I liked it! At the marina I was in office management, so I did a lot of administration stuff like contracts, proof of insurance and that kind of thing. I would take reservations on the phone; I would screw down dock boards if that’s what needed to be done. It didn’t matter — I could do it all! The marina was a really interesting job because there was so much to do.

What do you do now?

Hurricane Michael destroyed the marina, and we knew it was going to be some time before

we’d be back — we knew it would take a complete rebuild. I was feeling really unsure about what was going to happen, and our accounting department said they’d gladly find something for me to do. For a while I was resort cashier for all of resort operations, which was like an internal banker and auditor position.

Later, I started doing accounts receivable for our Watersound Club department and that allowed me to really focus on building rapport with Club Members and supporting our Member-facing team. The “contact us” address that the Members email — That’s

me! I’m back there taking care of their questions or concerns.

How do you spend your time when you’re not at work?

My family and I enjoy all kinds of things. It often seems that we only have time for football and marching band because that’s what we do a lot, from at least August until November.

My daughter is 16 years old and involved in marching band, and my 9-year-old son plays football.

I also serve on the board for our recreation league football program, The Southport Patriots.

I serve as the treasurer, of course.

Friday nights, it’s like “Friday Night Lights,” the TV show, for us. We’re at the high school football game, watching the halftime show, cheering, and having fun. My son’s football is rec league since he’s still young, but not only do we play rec league tackle football, we also play about three different seasons of flag football throughout the year.

Things we enjoy doing but don’t always have the time? We’re outdoor people — we enjoy camping, hunting and fishing, and we just try to enjoy life in Northwest Florida. We like the beach, we like the rivers and creeks, but usually we’re busy with the kids’ extracurricular activities.

How long have you lived in the area?

I’ve been in Northwest Florida for my whole life.

As a long-time local, what’s something someone new to the area should definitely do but might not know about?

I don’t think a lot of people know about the natural springs in the area, along the Econfina Creek and in the Econfina Creek Water Management Area. There’s a lot of beauty in the area beyond the Gulf of Mexico. We all love the Gulf — as a Florida girl I certainly do, too — but there are other things to see!

MEMBERSHIP accountant

Cassie Dortch is the smiling face behind the "contact us" email address.

PHOTOS BY DAVE BARFIELD(1-10) AND SAIGE ROBERTS (11)

Golf Club Head Cover, $85 Available at Shark's Tooth or Camp Creek

Ball caps with Watersound Club logo, $25 Available at Shark's Tooth or Camp Creek

Timber Crew — Vanilla, $64 Available at WaterColor Store

Theo The Turtle (With WaterColor Logo), $24 Available at WaterColor Kids

Yeti Seafoam 20-ounce Rambler, $50 Available at Point South Marinas

Gun Magazine Clips, $41 (ammunition not included) Available at The Powder Room

Stitch Golf Bag, $388 Available at Shark's Tooth Store

Yeti 10-ounce — Navy, $26.99 Available at The Powder Room

2022 Clock Tower Ornament, $44 Available at WaterColor Store

Smathers & Branson Light Khaki Coaster Set, $72 Available at Watersound Beach Club

WHERE EVERYTHING COMES TOGETHER

An extraordinary national brand, an established local presence.

We are a luxury vacation home management company that pairs the finest on-site service teams with an unparalleled marketing reach.

Our reach is global. Our teams are local. 888.329.6866 MANAGEMENT@360BLUE.COM

Oh, the PLACES you’ve gone!

Afavorite amenity for Lifestyle Members of Watersound Club is access to flights on the Club’s Pilatus PC-12 NG aircraft. This type of plane is known in the industry for its comfortable cabin, high speed and long-range capability, but Watersound Club Members love it for the convenience that private air travel affords.

Whether for business or pleasure, Members are taking advantage

of the aircraft (made available by Watersound Club through Western Aircraft) to make their lives easier and replace the chore of commercial air travel with a touch of luxury instead.

We peeked into the Captain’s Log to find out exactly how Watersound Club Members are using this exclusive amenity, and to provide a glimpse at some of the noteworthy trips they’re making.

Take a look — Perhaps you’ll be inspired to take flight as well!

July 17–24, 2021

Distance and Duration 1,000 nautical miles, four hours, one-way

A Watersound couple enjoyed this direct flight on the way to spending time with family.

October 26–28, 2021

Distance and Duration 494 nautical miles, two hours

One lucky Member took a trip to see the first game of the 2021 World Series between the Atlanta Braves and the Houston Astros!

November 6, 2021

Distance and Duration 195 nautical miles, one hour

Four couples hopped aboard to see Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team take on LSU in Bryant-Denny Stadium for what turned out to be a nail-biter, with Alabama coming out on top 20–14.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Houston, Texas

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Watersound Club Members chartered private flights to 81 unique destinations last year — from the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas to Westhampton, NY. Below are five of our favorite examples of the fun you can have flying with us.

Indianapolis, Indiana

Nashville, Tennessee

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport

Houston, Texas

Nashville, Tennessee

PILATUS PC-12 NG

Maximum Passenger Capacity: 8 *

Maximum Range: Up to 1,800 Nautical Miles *

Maximum Altitude: 28,000 feet

* Range and capacity dependent on passenger load.

January 8, 2022

Distance and Duration 562 nautical miles, three and a half hours

Seven Watersound Club Members were brought together, traveling to the 2022 College Football National Championship where Georgia defeated Alabama 33-18, leaving one couple victorious amongst five Alabama fans.

May 21, 2022

Distance and Duration 349 nautical miles, two hours

Two Watersound Club families flew to Music City to enjoy a Kid Rock concert in the Bridgestone Arena as part of Rock’s “Bad Reputation Tour!” Special guest Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening opened the show.

HOW TO BOOK THE WATERSOUND CLUB PILATUS

Contact Membership Amenities Manager

JENNIE FREY at (850) 213-5184 or jennie.frey@stjoe.com

In arranging flights in the aircraft, St. Joe Resort Operations, LLC (the “Club Owner”) acts solely as an air charter broker. The Club Owner is not a direct air carrier or a direct foreign air carrier in operational control of aircraft. The air service referred to herein will be provided by Western Aircraft, Inc. dba WestAir Charter, a properly licensed direct air carrier. Refer to Western Aircraft, Inc.’s Terms and Conditions of Transportation for Members of Watersound Club. Membership subject to the Membership Plan, the Membership Agreement and addendums thereto and the Rules and Regulations of Watersound Club. Flights subject to availability.

Indianapolis, Indiana

AND KEEPING IT

KEEPING IT Fancy, Real

Ashley Lastovica’s move to 30A is more than the next move for her brand, it’s the right move for her family

Written By DON J. DEROSIER

WATERSOUND CLUB MEMBER

ASHLEY LASTOVICA, BETTER KNOWN TO MORE THAN 100,000 OF HER SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS AS “FANCY ASHLEY,” IS NO ORDINARY BLOGGER.

With two fancy kids, three fancy hounds, a fancy husband and her newly rebranded business, “The House of Fancy,” Lastovica seems to have life all figured out. But the key to her success might just be the peeks behind the curtain that she provides to her followers — because while “Fancy Ashley” might be the headline, the real Ashley is the heart.

WORKING FROM HOME as a blogger and entrepreneur offered flexibility to wife and mother of two Ashley Lastovica, but now she's ready to put down roots, opening her House of Fancy on 30A.

At first glance, a visitor to one of Lastovica’s social media sites is sure to find deals on dresses, shoes or accessories — access to a fancy look at often less-than-fancy prices is what draws people in. But those who stay notice a lot more than deals — and they keep coming back because Lastovica isn’t afraid to be vulnerable as she delivers on her other brand promise: to be “Your virtual BFF.”

Life hasn’t always been designer dresses and fancy style for Lastovica. Married early in life, with a husband who often traveled for work, she wanted to be present for her children, but desired something more.

“I was living in California and was solo every weekend with a toddler and a newborn,” Lastovica said. “I sometimes struggle to say this because I never want people to think that it’s a bad thing, but I never wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I enjoy having a job.”

She began an online business in 2012, sewing and monogramming kids’ clothes. It quickly started to take off, and she established an Instagram account.

“I signed up and the next thing I know I was growing on there — back then you could grow way easier than you can now,” Lastovica said.

The business soon became something much bigger than a breezy sideline.

“Doing this monogram stuff took off to the point where I was literally running a sweatshop, but I was the only person working there!” Lastovica said.

She resolved to focus on activities that brought her joy, and the Fancy Ashley persona was born.

“We were deciding how could we talk about who I am in two words,” Lastovica said. “I’ve always been a little fancy, a little casual, a little of everything, and so it was just one of those things that stuck.”

Throughout her career as a social media influencer, Lastovica has at times struggled in telling people what exactly she does. She’s been

LIFE ON THE BEACH offers a welcome respite to the Lastovica family, as they settle into the Watersound Club lifestyle and all the amenities that come with their membership.

described as “wife, mom, blogger, fashionista, foodie, home project addict, wine enthusiast, entertainer and, sometimes, DIY Queen,” but even that barely scratches the surface.

“I’d tell people I’m a blogger and they’d be like, ‘OK, whatever, sure,’” she said. “Eventually, I just accepted that I don’t actually care if people understand what I do because I’m the one who’s running the business. I know what it’s capable of.”

But what she’s capable of is ever-growing. By sharing her real life struggles, whether that’s trying to be a “cool mom” or just trying to keep it all together in a world where none of us are immune to stress or dark times, Lastovica is a friend and confidant to her online followers. She’s there to share where to find a great deal on a fantastic swimsuit, yes, but she’s also the friend who’s there when you need a glass of wine and a good cry.

In a recent blog post Lastovica shared the news with her friends and followers that she and her family were moving to Florida, full-time. While she revealed that it wasn’t an easy decision, and certainly wasn’t one that everyone in

her life understood right away, she said that after a lot of reflection she realized that the “move to the beach has been a God thing all along,” and that it was something she could do to make life better for her kids while they’re all still under the same roof. After living in California and Texas, Lastovica and her family are happily settling into life at the beach, where they fully appreciate the family time that’s made possible by the Watersound Club ® events and amenities.

Although “settling” probably isn’t the right word, because “Fancy Ashley” is nothing if not ever-evolving. Next up? Lastovica wants to open her own home store along Scenic 30A. She plans to call it “The House of Fancy,” a place that people can visit to find inspiration, buy furnishings and get help with home design.

It may seem like a bit of a departure, but really this next vision is just a continuation of what she currently offers: the guidance of a good friend who’s there to help you navigate the next season of your life, and do it with a dash of fancy.

“My goal is to branch into more home renovation and home sales,” Lastovica said. “I want to be your virtual best friend next door, someone you can buy a house from, buy that dress from and decorate your house with.

“I feel like those are all the things that I am good at. Why not share them with the world?”

SARAH

EVENTS UPCOMING

OCTOBER 2022–MARCH 2023

October

October 1

Watersound Club Senior MemberGuest Tournament Camp Creek & Shark’s Tooth Golf Courses

October 2

Animal Encounters Beach Club

October 11

Watersound Womens Invitational

Shark’s Tooth Golf Course

October 12

Watersound Club Book Club Beach Club

October 14 Nine & Dine Shark’s Tooth Golf Course

October 21

Pumpkin Patch Party Beach Club

October 27–29

Sharkfest Member-Guest Shark’s Tooth Golf Course

October 28

Doom at the Dunes Beach Club November November 3 Date Night Beach Club

November 12 Family Bingo Night Beach Club

November 20

Third Annual Turkey Bowling Championship Beach Club

November 24 Thanksgiving Day Brunch Beach Club

November 24 Thanksgiving Day Brunch Shark’s Tooth Clubhouse

November 26

Breakfast with Santa Beach Club December December 6 Cocktails & Canvases Beach Club

December 9

Frosty Frolic

Shark’s Tooth Clubhouse

December 10 Holiday Market Beach Club

December 14

Watersound Club Book Club Beach Club

December 18 Brunch With Santa Beach Club and Shark’s Tooth Clubhouse

December 23

Winter Wonderland Movie Night Beach Club

January

January 1 New Year’s Day Brunch

Shark’s Tooth Clubhouse

January 1 Polar Plunge Beach Club

January 6

First Friday Feast Shark’s Tooth Clubhouse

January 7

Bingo Night

Shark’s Tooth Clubhouse

January 10 Trivia Night Beach Club

January 21 Bingo Night Beach Club

January 28 Open That Bottle Date Night Beach Club

February February 3

First Friday Feast Shark’s Tooth Clubhouse

February 9

Tennis and Pickleball Sweetheart Social Camp Creek Racket Center

February 11

Galentine’s Ladies Luncheon Shark’s Tooth Clubhouse

February 14

Valentine’s Day Mixology Night Beach Club

February 18 Bingo Night Beach Club

February 21

Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday Game Night Beach Club

March

March 3

First Friday Feast Shark’s Tooth Clubhouse

March 4

Movie Night Beach Club

March 7

Trivia Night Beach Club

March 11

Trivia Night Shark’s Tooth Clubhouse

March 12

Date Night Beach Club

March 14 Trivia Night Beach Club

March 16–18

Shootout at the Creek Golf Tournament Camp Creek March 17

Tennis/St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Camp Creek Racket Center

March 17 St. Patrick’s Day Family Day Beach Club

March 18

Bingo Night Beach Club

March 23 Kids Art Class Beach Club

March 28 Trivia Night Beach Club

HOW TO BECOME A WATERSOUND CLUBSM MEMBER

LIFESTYLE MEMBERSHIP

Experience unlimited golf at Camp Creek and Shark’s Tooth Courses, as well as access to Watersound Beach Club amenities. Find private air charter on the Watersound Club Pilatus PC-12 NG. You’ll enjoy fitness facilities, tennis and a robust calendar of social events throughout the year. Topping things off are a multitude of dining options and an extensive list of outdoor amenities the whole family will enjoy!

Visit WatersoundClub.com, call 850.213.5181 or email Membership@StJoe.com to start your application. Information in this Membership section provides a summary of the Watersound Club Membership program. As this information is only summary in nature, you should read the Membership Plan and Rules and Regulations for a complete understanding regarding Membership rights and privileges. Membership privileges and benefits are subject to change from time to time.

Cutting edge technology with a personal touch.

TrackMan analytics meets expert instruction at the Golf Performance Center.

WATERSOUND CLUBSM

PHONE DIRECTORY

CONTACTS

WATERSOUND CLUB STAFF

Membership Office 850.213.5181

Vicki Burris, Director of Membership ..... 850.213.5182

Mike Jansen, Vice President .................... 850.249.3045

Hollie Parker, Membership Sales & Relations Manager 850.213.5185

Betsy Grinstead, Membership Sales & Relations Manager 850.213.5179

Jennie Frey, Membership Amenities Manager 850.213.5184

Membership Accounting 850.641.0009

Barry Webb, Director of Tennis 205.903.8743

Patrick Richardson, Director of Golf 850.249.3017

Josh Parker, Director of Agronomy 850.249.4168

Lynn Pardeshi, Director of Club Events 850.213.5186

CAMP CREEK GOLF COURSE

Camp Creek Golf Shop 850.231.7601

Adam Devine & Lee Moran, Head Golf Professionals 850.231.7602

Manny Belete, General Manager 850.213.5281

Amy Robison, Director of Wellness & Outdoor Pursuits 850.213.5282

Ben Blalock, Director of Instruction 850.231.7607

SHARK’S TOOTH GOLF COURSE

Golf Shop

850.249.3041

Todd Rogers, General Manager 850.249.3048 Grille/Lounge/Reservations 850.249.3015

Paul Zeuschner, Head Golf Professional 850.249.3046

WATERSOUND ORIGINS GOLF COURSE

Golf Shop 850.213.5090

Watersound Origins Real Estate ............ 850.213.5092

WATERSOUND BEACH CLUB

Watersound Beach Club 850.534.2500

Kyle Davis, General Manager 850.534.2078

Watersound Reservations 877.568.9340

Watersound Inn 850.534.2040

WATERCOLOR INN & RESORT

WaterColor Bike Barn (Bike Rentals) 866.651.1869 WaterColor BoatHouse (Canoe/Kayaks/SUPs) 850.419.6188 FOOW 850.534.5050

THE PEARL HOTEL

Havana Beach Bar & Grill 850.588.2882 Havana Beach Rooftop 850.588.2882 Spa Pearl 850.460.9041

REHEARSAL DINNERS/ WEDDINGS/MEETINGS

WaterColor Inn 850.231.7773

Watersound Beach Club 850.213.5186

Shark’s Tooth Golf Club 850.213.5186 The Pearl Hotel ............................................. 850.460.9040

CONCIERGE

Concierge Service 850.534.5008

FIND MORE INFORMATION AT: WATERSOUNDCLUB.COM

Obtain the Property Report required by Federal Law and read it before signing anything. No federal agency has judged the merits or value, if any, of this property. © 2022 Camp Creek Residential Development, LLC. All Rights Reserved. “J The Clubs by JOE®”, “JOE®”, “St. Joe®”, “St. Joe Club & Resorts®”, “WaterSound®”, “Camp Creek®”, Air, Land & Sea. United.®, are registered service marks of The St. Joe Company or its affiliates. The information included herein is intended to provide general information about the proposed plans of the Watersound Camp Creek community and does not constitute an offer to sell real estate. All proposed plans are subject to change or cancellation (in whole or in part) at any time without notice. We are in compliance with Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. We have not and will not discriminate against you because of your race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or handicap. St. Joe Club & Resorts (the “Club”) is a private club. The mandatory Club membership permits members the use of the club facilities developed by the Club in accordance with the community governing documents and the Club Membership Plan, Membership Agreement and addendums thereto, and the Rules and Regulations of The Clubs by Joe.