wsoundclub

Written by Pratt Farmer

Years in the making, phase one of the new amenity package at Watersound Club is scheduled to open in summer of 2022, adjacent to Camp Creek Golf Course. Members and guests are certain to be delighted with the new amenities, including two pools, a lazy river, waterslide and wellness center. Members will also be able to enjoy a new casual dining restaurant, a game room for the kids and massive amounts of green space surrounding the new amenities. Everyone knows that water is an essential part of leisure life, and there will be an abundance of water with the new amenities. No doubt the new 80,000-gallon, zero-entry pool and surrounding deck will become the place to be. With ample umbrellas, lounge chairs and tables, it offers the perfect spot to sunbathe, catch up with friends and family, read a book or maybe even take an afternoon nap. If you are looking for a little more activity, then the lazy river — which will flow endlessly, to the delight of young and old — will be high on your list, and the new 25-foot waterslide is certain to thrill.

One of the most talked about features is the new wellness center. An all-new staff dedicated to helping Members plan their exercise program will be a wonderful addition to member services and programming. Nowhere will that be more readily apparent than in the spin classes, according to Amy Robison, Watersound Club’s director of wellness and outdoor pursuits. “To get participants reaching new heights in their spin class, the instructor will nudge, cajole and invigorate everyone from an elevated stage area. That, combined with electrifying music and an incredible light program will most definitely have everyone energized,” Robison said. A number of fitness class offerings, such as Bootcamp, HIIT or TRX, are planned to accommodate just about any schedule. Regardless of where you might be in your fitness journey, these programs are tailored to meet your needs. Members will be able to take advantage of a personal trainer to map out a path to a healthier lifestyle. Trainers plan to offer one-on-one, couples and semi-private group sessions.

Many Members requested a lap pool, so one of the new amenities coming to the wellness center is a 19-meter pool that will be ideal for those serious about swimming. Did you know that the ancient Greeks and Romans built pools for athletic training in palaestras — ancient gymnasiums — for nautical games and military exercises? The pool just outside the wellness center won’t host any military exercises, but it will be perfect for swimming laps. No doubt that after an hour in spin class, a dip in the adult pool just outside the center will be a welcomed respite, and on chilly mornings the pool will be heated.

For kids ages 11 to 17, an approximately 2,500-squarefoot game room features television, gaming tables, comfortable seating and an outdoor space with a half basketball court, frisbee lawn and more. Adjacent to the children’s club is an incredible playground with age specific equipment for children ages 2-5 and 5-12. Disc swings, slides and a climbing apparatus will challenge and entertain children, while ample shade sails will help to cool things down on hot summer days.

With plans to open daily at 11 a.m., and with seating for up to 135 people, a new restaurant called Bark ‘N Brine will treat Members and their guests to an exquisite offering of both food and drink. Table service inside and out provides the option to take advantage of the comfort of air conditioning or enjoy the fresh air carried along on a breeze blowing between tall longleaf pines.

According to a recent news story, tennis had the highest rate of growth among traditional sports, picking up nearly 4 million new or returning players, after a decade of stagnant growth. Most attribute the pandemic for this rebounding interest in tennis. Because it is usually played outdoors and naturally allows for social distancing between players, the sport seems to check all the boxes. Likewise, pickleball is also quickly making gains in popularity. This sport combines elements of badminton, table tennis and traditional tennis; as it shares features with these other racket sports, such as, the dimensions and layout of a badminton court, and a net and rules somewhat similar to tennis. “We expect there to be additional demand for tennis instruction at the Club, so we have added another tennis pro,” says Barry Webb, Watersound Club director of tennis.

With all these new amenities scheduled to open for Members this summer, another addition is planned to open later this year. Camp Creek Inn is a boutique inn designed with a Creole-inspired atmosphere; upscale, yet approachable, in every detail. Its featured restaurant, ANR, references the Apalachicola Northern Railroad, a short-line railroad that operated in the Florida Panhandle beginning in the early 1900s. Old photographs and other memorabilia in the restaurant will help tell the story of this rail line that helped shape the history of Northwest Florida.

Members have looked forward to the opening of the pro shop housed in Camp Creek Inn. The shop will carry a variety of brands suited to the golfer shopping for new clubs, apparel or the perfect gift. To further capitalize on the natural beauty of the Club’s surroundings, a fire pit will serve as a centerpiece where Members and their guests can gather around a welcoming fire. To make certain that guest rooms at the Camp Creek Inn exceed expectations, the designers began with construction of a room completely decorated to exacting specifications. Camp Creek Inn is expected to open the summer of 2022, so Members can use the hotel as a convenient place for visiting guests to stay.

The extensive development of these Watersound Club amenities has been an enormous task with many teams working together to bring this dream to reality. Most importantly, however, is that these new amenities answer a call from our Members for a more vibrant community with a plethora of offerings. For those Members, there should be no doubt that the wait has been worth it.

Written by Ben Blalock, PGA Master Professional and Watersound Club’s Director of Instruction

Approach every single putt in the same manner, every time you play. The fastest way to improve your score on the course is to reduce the total number of putts used per hole played. While that’s obvious, the solution might not be as apparent. Regardless of the result, most of us move the putter functionally — it might not look like Ben Crenshaw, but it gets the ball rolling just the same. What we need to do is approach every single putt in the same manner, every time you play.

The elements listed below belong in your putting game. If you don’t already do these, consider adding one or all of them to your routine.

DIRECTION

The face is “king” 

By this, I mean that nothing matters more than the angle of the clubface as to the direction your putt will roll. The “shape” of your stroke doesn’t matter; you might even have a “loop” in your stroke, but if the face of the putter is pointed in the right direction when it runs into the ball, your putt WILL roll where you mean for it to. Never forget this fact. 

Use the line on your ball

 Most golf balls these days are printed with a line of some sort on the cover. This is there to be used as an alignment aid, so use it. Before you putt, mark your ball with a coin, pick it up and replace it on the ground with the line aimed in the direction you’ve decided to play along based on your read of the green. Now stand up, and match the line on your putter to the line on your ball.

DISTANCE CONTROL

Practice strokes have a purpose, but there’s a method to it. Before you stroke your putt, step back from the ball just a bit and set up for a practice stroke. While making practice strokes, you need to focus your eyes either: 

• Beyond the hole, for an uphill putt. 

• Even with the hole, for a level putt. 

• Short of the hole, for a downhill putt.

While keeping your eye on the selected location relative to the hole, make a series of continuous practice strokes. Just get the putter swinging back and forth without stopping its flow. Stay in motion until you feel confident that the amount of force you’re providing is appropriate. Never look down to the ball throughout this process, only at your selected point.

Once you’ve got it, look down to the ball and: 

• Put the putter head behind the ball, matching the line on the ball to the line on the putter. 

• Repeat the motion you made in your practice strokes, matching the size and the rhythm.

If you will practice these steps on a regular basis and learn to trust the outcomes, your putting will improve over time.

Q&A WITH JENNIE FREY, Watersound Club Membership Amenities Manager

Jennie Frey is the membership amenities manager for Watersound Club, but what that really means is that she’s the person to talk to when you want to take the Club’s private aircraft — a Pilatus PC-12 NG — out for a spin. We sat down for a quick chat with Jennie to learn more about her and the private air charter program.

How did you join The St. Joe Company and Watersound Club? Have you always been involved in aviation?

The St. Joe Company has always been a pillar of our community, and I’ve had my eyes on this company over the years. My background was actually in public health, but I wanted to start something fresh. I landed in aviation somewhat unexpectedly — I was working on getting my pilot’s license when I interviewed for a different position with Watersound Club. That was about the time St. Joe was getting ready to announce the new plane to our membership. So that opened up an interesting opportunity. It was something we could really just take and run with — and we’ve come a long way!

When does a member get in contact with you?

If it’s someone looking at Watersound Club as a prospective member, usually they’ll get routed to me so they can learn more about member access to the Pilatus PC-12 NG. If they’re already an established member and they want to book a flight, they usually reach out to me directly. Firsttime flyers always start with a phone call; once they’ve flown, they can start texting or emailing to find out if the plane is available for a trip. I take it from there and work out any logistics that need to be handled — there are a lot of moving parts to work out when planning a flight.

What’s one of the most fun-sounding trips you’ve arranged for a Club Member?

The Bahamas flights are always so exciting. Most of the time, our members traveling there go for several days, and it’s so much fun to hear what part of the islands that they’re visiting. Abaco Island seems to be popular lately, and I love hearing their stories about what they do on their trips. Many of them play golf at Abaco Club; they do some deep-sea fishing, diving or spearfishing; and really enjoy a lot of family time. Taking our plane from our home airport (ECP) makes the trip so convenient. We fly there directly, and you don’t have to deal with any crowds. You just walk on the plane at our private hangar and go on your own schedule. If you want to leave at 8, we leave at 8. If you like a later start, we can make that happen.

What do you think is the best reason to become a Watersound® Club Member?

It’s the lifestyle, the experiences, the excitement in knowing that you have so many amazing amenities at your fingertips. When you belong to Watersound Club, everything is streamlined to be more convenient for you — even a day at the beach or a round of golf. And, of course, I am a little biased, but there’s the plane, right? That’s the golden egg that I think really seals the deal for members. I don’t know where else that a club like ours includes access to a private aircraft, and you just pay an hourly rate whenever you want to go somewhere. And that’s just part of what you get when you’re a Watersound® Club Member.

How do Club Members arrange travel on the Pilatus aircraft?

It all starts with a conversation, really! Just reach out to me and tell me what you want to do, and then we just go from there. It’s really easy. To arrange air travel visit watersoundclub.com/airplane, call 850.213.5184 or email 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 is provided by Western Aircraft, Inc. dba WestAir Charter, a properly licensed direct air carrier.

Photography of corporate airplane taken October, 2019. Photographer: Kurt Lischka – Moon Creek Studios

Just as much as golf courses, swimming pools and beach bonfires, Watersound Club dining venues are where member memories are made. Later this year, the Club will open the doors to three new dining venues. Each will feature its own unique charm and flavors, while maintaining the approachable comfort that makes Watersound Club such a special place. These new dining venues that are part of a major amenity expansion adjacent to Camp Creek Golf Course are scheduled to be completed by Summer 2022.

Our team spent much of this spring perfecting recipes and giving Members an opportunity to sample new menu items that will complement what is currently offered at Watersound Beach Club℠ and Shark’s Tooth Golf Course.

“Club Members are looking for options and variety,” said Vicki Burris, Director of Membership for Watersound Club. “With three new dining venues, we are doubling the options our Members can choose from when looking for a great meal. Adding a casual poolside spot, a cozy restaurant and lounge and a new indoor dinner concept to what we already have in place will give Watersound Club a slate of dining venues that will please every palate.”

Here’s a preview of the types of new and unique culinary experiences coming to each of these new dining venues:

ANR

An Elevated Experience in an Approachable Setting

Named to honor the Apalachicola Northern Railroad that connected the Forgotten Coast to the country at large from 1903 to 2002, this restaurant will cater to Watersound Club Members seeking an elevated dining experience. Focused on infusing dishes with regional flair and flavors, our team has crafted ANR’s menu to include tastes inspired by the culinary heritage of towns and cities stretching from Florida’s Gulf Coast to the French Creole area of New Orleans in a selection of entrees we call “Southern Town Mains.” 

From artisan meats and chesses selected daily by our culinary team to regionally sourced seafood dishes and seasonal fruits and vegetables, ANR’s comfortable yet inspired menu will offer what is sure to be a dining experience unlike any other. Guests can look forward to being welcomed to their tables with house-made skillet cornbread and creole butter. 

Watersound Club Members and their guests can visit ANR for dinner served nightly in the elegant inside dining area or on the outside patio, where a fireplace will add to the evening’s ambiance. Weekend brunches will feature live music and a delicious Bloody Mary bar.

Menu Highlights:

Stuffed Gulf Shrimp

Andouille Sausage and Pickled Vegetables, Hot Sauce Butter

Louisiana St. Joseph Salad Greens

Florida Orange, Strawberries, Blueberries, Crumbled Feta Cheese, Toasted Almonds, Poppy Seed Raspberry Vinaigrette 

Flounder Almondine 

Green Beans, Florida Corn Puree, Blistered Balsamic Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Chardonnay Beurre Blanc

Blackened Cast Iron Filet Mignon 8 oz

Potato Puree, Oyster Mushroom and Cipollini Hash, Herb-Roasted Fingerling Potato, Black Garlic Bordelaise

1936

Fittingly Upscale & Rooted in History

1936 will offer a fittingly upscale welcome to Watersound Club Members and guests as they step through the grand entryway of Camp Creek℠ Inn. Named in reference to the founding year of The St. Joe Company, 1936 boasts an elevated yet warm and comfortable lounge and restaurant. It’s designed to be the perfect place for meeting friends, stopping by for happy hour in the evening, or enjoying a casual Southern-inspired breakfast to start the day. 

Brunch Menu Highlights:

Rice Crispy and Pecan Crusted French Toast

  • Seasonal Fresh Berries, Meyers Rum and Banana Compote, Sugarhouse Vermont Warm Maple Syrup, Whipped Cream

All-Day Menu Highlights

House-Made Pretzels

  • Dijon Aioli

Signature Burger

  • Painted Hills Blend, Butter Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Avocado, Smoked Bacon-Jalapeno Jam, Brioche Bun

Seafood Pasta

  • Clams, Mussels, Shrimp and Crab, Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Shellfish Fumet, Cornbread Crumb

Bark ‘N Brine

Southern Barbecue with a Health-Conscious Twist

This new dining venue will offer a casual, laid-back setting. With exposed brick décor and a mix of indoor and outdoor seating, Bark ‘N Brine will offer tastes reminiscent of food prepared outdoors in the company of good friends and family. The menu will feature health-conscious twists on Southern smokehouse fare, gluten-free options, and casual comfort food for eating on the go. 

Located adjacent to the new wellness center and family pool complex, Bark ‘N Brine will feature daily chalkboard specials created by our talented culinary team.

Menu Highlights

Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail

  • Artisan Mix, Smoked Shrimp, Celery Slaw, Smoked Bacon Lardons, Bloody Mary Aioli and Crostini

Pimento Cheese Sandwich

  • House-Made Pimento Cheese, Pulled Pork, White Bread

Quinoa Salad

  • Mixed Greens, Smoked Carrots and Cauliflower, Walnuts, Shaved Aged Parmesan Sweet Onion Vinaigrette (V, GF)

Written By Abigail Abesamis Demarest

A tribute to the past now provides a memorable mid-round snack destination for Club Members. Near the 12th tee at Camp Creek Golf Course, you’ll find a restored 1958 Chevrolet Viking — a throwback to The St. Joe Paper Company’s fleet of work trucks of years past with one key update: It has a woodfired oven built into the chassis.

As golfers approach the 12th tee, the truck is impossible to miss. With smoke billowing out its chimney and positioned alongside a satellite bar, this comfort station provides a midround experience not found on any other golf course. When you visit the truck, you’ll be greeted by the smiling face of a member of Watersound Club culinary team tending to the fire or providing details on that day’s wood-fired treat. The daily offering is constantly evolving and always complimentary. On a recent day, it was an individual-sized flatbread pizza. Members and their guests can look forward to discovering what small bites will be awaiting them as they pull away from the 11th green. 

“One week, we had chicken pesto pizzas,” explained Food and Beverage Manager, Laurel Orgiefsky. The culinary team isn’t limited in what can be created with the unique piece of cooking equipment. “In November, we did a ‘fixings flatbread’ topped with Thanksgiving sides, and turkey sliders.” If there’s one thing to know about the menu, it’s that it is not definite, which is part of the fun. Who knows what the team will be firing up when you get to hole No. 12?

Manny Belete, Camp Creek general manager, explained that the Club is always looking for ways to enhance the Member experience and create memories that simply can’t happen at other clubs. “We worked with a company that takes these old trucks and converts them into wood-fired ovens,” Manny said. “Most golf courses have a snack bar or small grill out on the course, but we always want to go one step further. To see the looks on our Members’ faces when they see it for the first time, and then learn that their hot snack is on the house, has been the best part.”

The truck arrived in 2021, and Manny and his team spent some time familiarizing themselves with the oven and experimenting with recipes. They did demos and practice runs to get feedback from Watersound Club members before moving the truck to its current location where it has been delighting golfers ever since. Since the oven operates at 800 degrees, it can typically crank out a small, fresh bite to eat in a minute or less so golfers can carry on with their round. THE DAILY The course’s 5th offering is hole has another constantly spot for golfers to evolving fuel up. Much like and always complimentary. the satellite bar at No. 12, the exterior of this comfort station is wrapped in reclaimed wood — another nod to the logging and timber past of the company and the area.This one is a grab-and-go station with refrigerated sodas and water, plus snacks like potato chips, popcorn and granola bars. Just like the food coming out of the wood-fired oven, these snacks are complementary to Members and their guests.

Manny and his team continue to look for ways to exceed Member expectations. “It’s the little details that people remember,” he says. “Whether that is being referred to by name when you arrive or being treated to unique food and beverage offerings on the golf course, this is how we deliver an unmatched experience and help Members make lasting memories with their families and friends.”