Golf Insider

Windswept Dunes Credit: VISIT FLORIDA

Northwest Florida has long had some of the state's best golf options. Now, it appears more out-of-state golfers will have easier access, giving a boost to golf courses across the entire region.

Southwest Airlines announced recently it will operate up to flights a day to the Northwest Florida International Airport in Panama City, scheduled to be completed in May of next year.

The airport is being constructed on land donated by St. Joe Co., one of Florida's largest private real estate developers. The company has entered into a business agreement with the low-cost carrier. The current Panama City-Bay County International is scheduled to close once the new airport opens.

Landing the airport was a region-wide effort; discussions had been in the works for more than a decade.

The region has around 15 million visitors a year, mostly tourists driving in from nearby areas. The airline said it will announce connecting cities sometime in December.

"Whereas we used to market almost exclusively to the southeast, now we can advertise nationwide knowing the Southwest Airlines can easily get travelers here," ResortQuest VP Lino Maldonado said in a press release.

The new flights will impact courses from Pensacola to Destin to Panama City Beach and even beyond. South Walton alone has more than 200 holes of golf, including such well-known courses as Emerald Bay, Santa Rosa Golf and Beach Club, Seascape and Windswept Dunes.

Click here for a video of Henderson Beach State Park in Destin.

Click here for a video of fishing in Destin.

Click here for a video of the Emerald Coast.