Pensacola/Panama City

Western Florida has been dubbed the Emerald Coast because of a unique phenomenon. At certain times of the day, the Gulf of Mexico waters just off the Panhandle shimmer with a pure, mesmerizing green hue.

Thousands of families visit the stretch of Florida between Panama City Beach and Pensacola each spring and summer to indulge in the powdery sand and consistently ideal weather.

Those folks familiar with the South will kindly explain to you that Florida is not a "Southern" state. Miami has as much in common with rural Mississippi as day does with night.

Tallahassee, however, is a different story. If there's one city in Florida that could blend seamlessly into Georgia or Alabama, it's this one (it's closer to the Georgia border than it is to the white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico).

The debut of SouthWood Golf Club, which held its grand opening in November 2002, upgraded Tallahassee's golf reputation. But the golf bug has long since spread outside the friendly confines of Tallahassee. Once a quiet enclave of fishermen and naturalists, Destin has blossomed into a choice drive market destination for golfers throughout the South.

The beaches, convenience, reasonable lodging rates, and endless assortment of outdoor activities are the principle reasons for Destin's expanding popularity. Golf, too, must be considered on that list.

"We've got as many golf holes here as Hilton Head does," says Emerald Coast Convention & Visitor Bureau President and CEO Darrel Jones. "We've got more than 1,000 holes to play. There's as much variety in the kinds of courses as well, if not more."

Although the Emerald Coast's golf courses are spread out over a larger geographic area than other golf markets in the South, the caliber of play is certainly worth sampling.