The Raven's Restoration Begins in January. Where Sandestin's Golfers Play Until It Returns

How many rounds at The Raven are left on your 2026 calendar? From November 2 through December 31, the public rate at Sandestin's championship course drops to $109, and resort guests pay $95. That is $50 below the $159 public rate that ran from September 1 through November 1. A full restoration begins in January 2027, and Sandestin expects the course to close for it during the first nine months of the year. The cheapest rate tier of the fall is also the last one on The Raven's published calendar before the work begins.

For Golf Club of Sandestin members, the math of 2027 points somewhere else. Their membership already makes Baytowne and The Links the courses they play without a greens fee. The Raven is the only one they pay to play. While The Raven is closed, the club's everyday golf moves to the two courses where members have always played free, and the course that held the professional events goes quiet.

The Raven's Rate Calendar, Season by Season

The Raven's 2026 public pricing tracks the year in tiers. Read together, the tiers show where this final window falls.

Only the two post-aeration stretches in May and August came in lower, at $89. Those weeks follow aeration of the greens, tees and fairways, so the course was still recovering. November and December don't have that tradeoff. Sandestin notes that its rates can change without notice.

Who Can Book December, and When

Your booking window depends on how you're connected to Sandestin. The resort's published rules break down like this:

1. Resort guests can book tee times up to six months in advance.
2. Golfers who aren't staying at Sandestin, and Club Members, can book up to 14 days in advance.
3. Florida golf packages and group tee times can be booked up to 13 months in advance.

For a member who wants a Raven round with friends before the restoration begins, the 14-day window means December tee sheets open one rolling day at a time. Guests in rental units can book much further ahead. The golf staff takes calls at 850-267-8144 and can explain availability and discount rates.

What the Restoration Changes, and What It Keeps

The firm leading the work is Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects, the same firm that designed The Raven in the first place. The firm's own portfolio gives 2000 as the course's opening year. Robert Trent Jones Jr. built it as a 6,900-yard par 71 through the marshes and pines of Sandestin and called it "a true modern traditional."

Sandestin's announcement lists the scope as modernized greens, strategically redesigned bunkers, upgraded drainage and irrigation systems, and enhancements to playability for golfers of all levels. The resort says the towering pines, winding fairways and wetlands that define the course will stay at the heart of the experience.

The greens matter most to anyone who has played the course for years. Sandestin describes The Raven's putting surfaces as large and undulating, with club selection essential on every approach. "Modernized greens" on a course known for its greens means the familiar breaks may not survive the work. A round this December could be the last one on the original surfaces.

Sandestin expects The Raven to close for restoration during the first nine months of 2027. It says more project updates and reopening information will come as plans progress. So the resort hasn't yet set a last day of play, a reopening date or a project cost.

The Member Math for 2027

The Golf Club of Sandestin's owner membership is built around a split that most members won't think about until the closure makes it plain. Owners get unlimited access to Baytowne and The Links with no greens fees, and they play The Raven for a $10 greens fee. Public members, who don't own property at Sandestin, get the same course access. Both tiers come with $22 member cart fees, guest greens fees starting at $47, unlimited no-fee use of the practice facilities, and access to member-only tournaments.

So during the restoration, members keep the two courses they never paid greens fees on and lose the one they did. For a group that plays Baytowne midweek and saves The Raven for weekends or visiting guests, those Raven rounds move to Baytowne or The Links for as long as the course is closed.

Members with questions about how the closure affects their membership can reach the club at [email protected] or (850) 267-8208.

Burnt Pine Golf Club stays outside this arrangement. It is a separate country club with its own Full-Resident, Executive and Social memberships, and the Social tier doesn't include full golf privileges.

The Sandestin Owners Association's September 3, 2026 project update reported six pond aerators going into ponds next to hole 18 at The Links, hole 6 at Baytowne and hole 5 at Burnt Pine. GolfPass dates Baytowne's last extensive renovation to 2005, when original designer Tom Jackson did the work. The published rate tables for The Links, Baytowne and Burnt Pine all end in 2026, so 2027 pricing for the courses absorbing The Raven's play hasn't been posted.

Why Sandestin Is Taking Its Best-Known Course Offline

The resort ties the restoration to one goal. Sandestin calls the project "an exciting step toward Sandestin's vision of welcoming professional tournament golf back to the Emerald Coast."

The Raven hosted the Boeing Championship at Sandestin, a PGA Tour Champions stop, in 2006 and 2007. During the 2006 Champions season, its 18th hole was rated the toughest hole on the tour. In 2021 the course hosted the Korn Ferry Tour's Emerald Coast Classic at Sandestin. The PGA Tour reported that Stephan Jaeger won it in a playoff on April 4, 2021.

The restoration also comes under new resort leadership. Get The Coast reported in July 2026 that Todd Felsen took over as Sandestin's vice president and managing director in May. His responsibilities include golf, the marina, owner relations and capital improvements.

Sandestin hasn't named a tournament, a tour or a year. The stated plan is to rebuild the course so it can host professional events again. For members, the cost is time without it in the rotation, for a stretch the resort hasn't yet dated.

The Weeks Before the Work Begins

The last stretch before the restoration overlaps the busiest part of Sandestin's holiday calendar. At the Village of Baytowne Wharf, Santa arrives on November 28 for the Village Christmas tree lighting and fireworks, from 6 to 9 p.m. Nights of Lights runs every night from December 1 through December 31, with shows at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. Through February 28, 2027, the resort tram runs its winter schedule from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with two loops and stops about every 30 minutes. A morning on The Raven and an evening at the Village can be one day, with no car needed between them.

The Raven's published 2026 calendar ends on December 31, at $109 for the public and $95 for resort guests. Sandestin has said only that the restoration begins in January.

A Raven-front home or a property near the Golf Club may see its year shaped by this restoration and by what Sandestin decides to do with the course afterward. If you're weighing a sale or purchase around the project, The Fitzpatrick Group can tell you how the course-side market is reading it, starting with a complimentary market valuation.