Rocky Bayou Country Club

Rocky Bayou Country Club is a private club serving the Twin Cities of Niceville and Valparaiso, Florida, combining an 18-hole golf course with a swimming pool, tennis courts and a clubhouse built to host area-wide social gatherings. The course is laid out to test golfers of varying abilities.

The club grew out of community efforts in the early 1970s to create a shared recreational and social gathering place for the two neighboring cities. Jack Nichols, then representing the Twin Cities area on the Okaloosa County Commission, held a series of conversations with residents about the need for such a facility; alternatives such as a yacht club were considered before the country club concept took hold. Nichols brought the idea to Frank Edge, the area's best-known amateur golfer, and together they assembled a list of more than 115 local golfers and citizens. The favorable response led to an informal planning group that met regularly and set the project in motion.