Is SoWal ready for it's own miniature golf course?
- Thread starter wrobert
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I agree GW. a community pool would be great. but I'm not dying without it, or a playground, or a marina, or a goofy golf place. because we have enjoyed ALL of these things for many years - they just don't happen to be right here in SoWal (except we do have tons of playgrounds throughout including beautiful parks, tons of preserved land, beautiful communities to explore/bike/hike/play, and the beach!). most of the other recreational places (swim, goofy golf, etc) are about 20-30 minutes away in PCB, Destin, Freeport, etc. and that is fine with me. we have some excellent swimming opportunities, between Frank Brown Park and Destin YMCA, and some local (sowal) swim instructors who have been around forever. I hear outstanding things about our local swim teams in Destin and PCB - both community-based programs - enjoyed by tons of sowal kids.
and we have outstanding soccer, baseball, basketball and other community-based sports here in SoWal - along with fields (but we do need more fields I hear). I'm thrilled with all the recreation we have now (and even more thrilled to enjoy putt putt and water parks in nearby communities). I'm not pushing to create a big town here with all the trimmings - people can go to any old city for that. at least that is my own little tiny opinion anyway! as much as I like to see our county progress politically (lord they have a long way to go), I also like to see it keep its unique character: very well preserved natural beauty with unique residents who aren't out to create yet another Atlanta suburb, thank you very much! I know its all coming (people pushing for all kinds of city programs and things they MUST have or die) but why rush it? we've come a long way baby just in the last 5-10 years... a very long way.
[don't get the wrong idea - I won't complain if and when we do get a community pool!] and if we get a goofy golf - we'll go and have a total blast as often as we can! but I don't mind going over to PCB for that - truly.
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The putting area at WaterSound is classy. It is just a putting course. No fake statues, etc. and is surrounded by native vegetation. A screened porch is nearby for picnics. Nice bathroom and staging area for special events. Very low key, but a jewel of an asset for the resident or visiting family looking for an off beach activity. This could work well in a number of places.
Puttering Park at WaterSound. Putting area surrounded by native vegetation. Off of 30A and inside of resort. Could be copied in a number of areas in South Walton. This little building houses bathrooms and also is useful for staging catering for eclectic events held in this beautiful native area surrounded by conradina, palmetto, slash and loblolly pines and scrub oak.
Screened Porch area at WaterSound next to Puttering Park. A good off beach activity, can be used even during the rain. Slightly larger screened porch built in a number of native areas still available in South Walton and close to 30A would be useful for a number of activities from family reunions to casual lunch meetings.
well hidden would be ok but is there artificial turf
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I hear ya, and agree. at least to an extent. I am just about getting tired of all the "fancy schmancy" around this place. enough already. bring on the goofy sheet.not really. good common sense and sound design for all things, including putt putt, always best.
I vote we MAKE our own goofy golf holes and have a ninja competition!
I've got a couple hundred extra golf balls and a couple putters!
I've got a couple hundred extra golf balls and a couple putters!
I vote we MAKE our own goofy golf holes and have a ninja competition!
I've got a couple hundred extra golf balls and a couple putters!
okay. perfect!
we just played goofy golf in Fernandina Beach last week (amelia island). twice. it was a riot and I definitely need more practice. nothing fancy but really funn. speaking of which, it was so refreshing to be in a town where there is way more old than new. and I mean real old. we're talking home of pirates and home of the shrimping industry. and just oozing with history and character. but, not a single tacky touristy building or place to be seen. not a single high rise. and almost not a single fancy home or building to be seen anywhere. certainly no monster houses on the beach. just plain good old beach houses, mixed in with some B&B's and condos (some ugly ones). one smal end of the island of Amelia contains Amelia Plantation - and while its a nice resort with restaurants and shops and golf, its not over the top - and you don't see it unless you go out of your way to go. we enjoyed the whole island, from beach to state parks, to river to historic downtown and in between neighborhoods and tons of really wonderful restaurants (much seafood), but never even glimpsed the resort.
one of the goofy golf places at a huge wide-open public beach/park was as plain as you can imagine, but with many little whacky angles and dips - even more challenging than the other more fancy one with waterfalls and such.
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I love miniature golf - putt putt, but I can live with it being in PCB. Same thing with waterparks (no, I don't go down the slide, I'd slosh all the water out of the wave pool), but I can be at Shipwreck in 35-40 minutes.
The one thing that others have mentioned would be a public swimming pool with evening / afternoon swim classes. Yes, there are classes in the area, but 10:00 on weekday mornings is not accessible for many of us - and every kid that grows up in SoWal needs to be able to swim.
I was fortunate in that my aunt was taking my cousin's kids to semi-private classes at Seaside and Carillon Beach back in the day and offered to take/pick up ShallowsSquirt and pay for his classes as well. He had an excellent swim teacher and as a result swims very well. Had it not been for my aunt, I could not have taken him as I work during the day and my schedule is fairly inflexible.
The one thing that others have mentioned would be a public swimming pool with evening / afternoon swim classes. Yes, there are classes in the area, but 10:00 on weekday mornings is not accessible for many of us - and every kid that grows up in SoWal needs to be able to swim.
I was fortunate in that my aunt was taking my cousin's kids to semi-private classes at Seaside and Carillon Beach back in the day and offered to take/pick up ShallowsSquirt and pay for his classes as well. He had an excellent swim teacher and as a result swims very well. Had it not been for my aunt, I could not have taken him as I work during the day and my schedule is fairly inflexible.
I don't want anything fancy- just normal community stuff. Even small communities (like Freeport) have a pool- it would be great for the high school and middle schools to have swim/dive teams. The pool is just one example of what many people consider basics. I know people survived without these things before, but now more people live here, and meeting the needs of the community as a whole enhances property values.
The reality is that we need more community "stuff" to enhance our property values- plenty of people have become full-timers, have kids, contribute to the local economy, and now need basic community infrastructure like sports/rec facilities, arts, excellence in education, etc. Adding to the community infrastructure is good growth.
The reality is that we need more community "stuff" to enhance our property values- plenty of people have become full-timers, have kids, contribute to the local economy, and now need basic community infrastructure like sports/rec facilities, arts, excellence in education, etc. Adding to the community infrastructure is good growth.
If the county does in fact have a permanent population of 57K, I wonder what other areas we could find, similar in size and tax base, and see what community features and programs that they have. A lot is being said that the Parks and Rec programs were cut due to tax issues, but I have also been told that participation had really fallen off. I also have heard that we lost the $100K contribution to a new park in sowal when we did the lease for the 9000 sq ft building for the D5 commissioner that is now costing us around $9K a month instead of the $1300 we were paying. Who in the world needs 9K sq ft for an office for three people.