community
Bay Point
Bay Point is a large gated community on Grand Lagoon, between the lagoon and St. Andrews Bay. Mornings can start on a tee box and evenings on a boat toward the pass.
Gated golf and a marina on Grand Lagoon.
Bay Point sits on the north shore of Grand Lagoon, on the point where the lagoon meets St. Andrew Bay, a short run by boat from the pass to the Gulf. It's in unincorporated Bay County, outside the city limits of both Panama City and Panama City Beach, though most mailing addresses read Panama City Beach.
What it's like
Bay Point is a gated community of more than 1,400 homes and about 400 timeshare units, organized as more than 20 sub-associations under the Bay Point Community Association. Homes range from golf villas to canal- and bayfront houses. Social life runs through the men's and women's golf associations, the Bay Point Women's Club, the Bay Point Yacht Club and the tennis association, and Neons at Bar 72 handles casual dinners. Hilton's Bayside Resort and Marriott's Legends Edge vacation clubs are inside the gate too.
Golf
Bay Point Golf Club's Nicklaus Design course premiered in fall 2005: par 72, more than 7,100 yards, routed through scrub oak, pine and salt marsh with views across the bay. The club bills it as the only Nicklaus Design course in Northwest Florida. Memberships are non-equity and separate from owning a home, and the club also sells public tee times.
The marina
Point South Marina at Bay Point, on Grand Lagoon, dates to 1965. Hurricane Michael destroyed it in October 2018, and it fully reopened in 2022 with 127 slips, a fuel dock and a ship store. Every summer it hosts the Bay Point Billfish Open, revived in 2023 after a decade off. The 2027 tournament is set for June 22–27.
Getting around
Magnolia Beach Road and Navy Boulevard connect Bay Point to US 98 at the Hathaway Bridge. St. Andrews State Park is about 15 minutes away by road. Pier Park and downtown Panama City are each about 25 minutes, HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital about 20, and the airport about 45.
Before you buy
Because Bay Point is unincorporated, permits and zoning go through Bay County. Read both the master association and the sub-association documents: dock and lift rights vary by lot and sub-association, and golf membership is separate. Zoned schools depend on the street address. Check it with the Bay District Schools zone lookup.
Explore nearby
- Grand Lagoon — The east end’s boating water, off Thomas Drive near the pass and Shell Island.
- St. Andrews — Panama City’s historic bayfront of shrimp boats and marina lights.
- Downtown Panama City — Harrison Avenue, the civic core, and a walk along the bay.
- Wild Heron — A gated preserve on Lake Powell, in Bay County west of the beach.
Gated community, unincorporated Bay County