PANAMA CITY BEACH — After changing hands last year, Bay Point Resort in Panama City Beach is undergoing a major facelift.
Now closed for renovations, the resort is receiving a "top to bottom" makeover of its 200 room hotel, spa and conference center. According to Bay County property records, the parcel at 4114 Jan Cooley Drive was purchased by CAI Investments Series 15 for $14 million last spring.
The hotel is now being managed by Fairfax, Va. company Crescent Hotels & Resorts, and officials also announced new management for the golf club earlier this week.
KemperSports, an Illinois-based golf course management company, was chosen to take over operations of the resort's two championship golf courses, which will remain fully operational during the renovation process.
“While the Resort is currently undergoing an extensive renovation, we felt that this was the opportune time to partner with a top management company for the long-term health of our two treasured golf courses,” said owner representative Chris Beavor.
Kemper Sports manages hundreds of properties, which include golf courses, recreational facilities and lodging and conference centers, across the U.S.
Bay Point is home to two 18-hole courses. The Meadows Course was designed back in 1973 and remained the only course on the 1,100-acre property until 2005 when the Nicklaus Course was constructed. Designed by Bruce Delvin and Robert von Hagge, it is the first and only Jack Nicklaus Signature Design in the region, featuring an abundance of water, marsh and sand.
“Bay Point Resort is one of the premier properties in the Southeast,” said company CEO Steve Skinner. “We look forward to working with the ownership through the renovation process and re-establishing Bay Point as a must play.”
Jody Graham, regional operating executive for KemperSports, said the company is eager to add Bay Point's greens to its lineup of courses.
Following the hotel renovations, work will commence to improve the roughly 130 golf villas on the property as well as the clubhouse.
"The new owners are looking to make great improvements," Graham said. "Everything is getting a complete facelift. It's going to be spectacular when they're done."
With more than 100 properties in its repertoire, Graham said KemperSports hopes to use its extensive reach in the golf community to help garner new customers from major U.S. markets like Atlanta.
"We're hoping to host a lot of local events to get Bay Point back to what it was," he said.