Does a WaterSound or WaterColor Home Include Beach Club Membership?

It depends on the community. A WaterColor home includes WaterColor Beach Club access through the homeowners association, with no membership or initiation fee. A WaterSound home generally does not include the Watersound Beach Club. In WaterSound Beach, access takes a separate Watersound Club membership with an initiation fee and monthly dues. For WaterSound Origins, St. Joe’s materials have described an owners’ amenity membership separate from Beach Club access. WaterSound Camp Creek is the exception: club membership is mandatory with ownership.

One common misconception we see is that buying in a WaterSound community makes you a member of the beach club. Outside WaterSound Camp Creek, it does not. WaterColor works the other way. The difference changes what you pay for, what rental guests can use, and what you need to confirm before you sign.

WaterSound and WaterColor side by side

Beach club access by community, as of September 2026
Community	Included with purchase	How to get beach club access	Rental guest access	What to confirm before contract
WaterSound Beach	Not by ownership alone.	Apply to the Watersound Club: approval, background check, initiation fee, monthly dues.	No. Members’ rental guests may not use the club.	The seller’s membership status and type, and whether anything transfers, in writing from the club.
WaterSound Origins	St. Joe’s Origins materials have described a neighborhood amenity membership for owners, separate from Beach Club access.	Through a Watersound Club membership. Confirm the current path for Origins owners.	No club access for members’ rental guests.	The current Origins membership structure, in writing from the Origins membership office.
WaterSound Camp Creek	Yes. Membership of at least Beach and Sport, which includes the Beach Club, is mandatory.	Comes with the lot. You still apply and must be approved.	No vacation rentals. Leases run at least 12 months.	Approval terms, dues from the day of title, and the 0.50 percent resale transfer fee set by the community Declaration (Camp Creek Property Report, effective July 24, 2025).
WaterColor	Yes, through the community association. No membership or initiation fee.	Request homeowner wristbands. Assessments must be current.	Yes, per the association’s 2024-2025 guest materials, when the home is registered and a nightly guest fee is paid. Confirm the current rules with the association.	Assessments current, special assessment status, and access for a condo in a separate association.

Sources: Watersound Club FAQ (January 24, 2025); Watersound Camp Creek Property Report (effective July 24, 2025); Watersound Origins amenities page (March 15, 2026 capture); WaterColor Community Association wristband brochure (2024-2025).

WaterSound: owning a home and joining the club are separate

The Watersound Club is a private club owned by The St. Joe Company. As of June 30, 2026, it had 3,723 members, according to St. Joe’s quarterly SEC filing. Depending on the membership level, members use the Watersound Beach Club, which has more than one mile of Gulf frontage on Scenic Highway 30A and a private member boardwalk to the beach, plus tennis and the Camp Creek amenities. Only the Lifestyle level includes golf.

St. Joe’s website terms state the rule: owning a residence in a St. Joe community “does not grant any use of or access to any of its clubs.” Joining takes an application, approval and a criminal and financial background check. The club charges a non-refundable initiation fee when a membership is approved, plus monthly dues. It sets and may change both, and it does not publish the amounts, so any figure you see online is unofficial. It currently offers two levels, Beach and Sport and Lifestyle, and Beach and Sport is available only to Camp Creek owners.

Sources: Watersound Club FAQ (January 24, 2025); The St. Joe Company Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 and Form 10-K for 2025; St. Joe Website Terms of Use.

WaterSound Beach

Buying in WaterSound Beach, including sections such as Bridges, Peninsula and Crossings, does not make you a member. If you want the Beach Club, you apply yourself. Outside Camp Creek, the level the club currently offers is Lifestyle, which also includes golf.

WaterSound Origins

St. Joe’s Origins materials have described a neighborhood amenity membership for WaterSound Origins owners that is separate from Beach Club access through the Watersound Club. St. Joe has since redesigned the Origins site, which now calls the program the Origins Membership. Before you rely on any description of it, confirm the current Origins membership structure, and the path to Beach Club access, in writing with the Origins membership office.

WaterSound Camp Creek, the exception

In WaterSound Camp Creek, a gated community of up to 263 lots next to the Camp Creek Golf Club, club membership is mandatory with lot ownership. Owners must hold at least Beach and Sport, which includes the Beach Club, and monthly dues start the day they take title. The obligation runs with title, binds every later owner, and cannot be transferred except with the sale of the lot. Buyers still apply and must be approved, and leases must run at least 12 months. One further cost is not a club charge: the Camp Creek Property Report (effective July 24, 2025) says the community’s Declaration requires each resale buyer to pay a transfer fee of 0.50 percent of the gross selling price to The St. Joe Community Foundation.

Sources: Watersound Origins amenities page (March 15, 2026 capture); St. Joe, Watersound Camp Creek FAQ (retrieved September 11, 2026); Watersound Camp Creek Property Report (effective July 24, 2025).

Membership transfer: what is documented and what is not

In Camp Creek the answer is documented, and St. Joe’s FAQ says a buyer receives a new membership on taking title. Outside Camp Creek, no public club document we have found says whether a membership can pass from seller to buyer, whether that is the seller’s choice, or whether the buyer pays a new initiation fee. The club’s rules also still refer to older membership categories it no longer sells, so a long-time owner may hold different terms.

Our rule on WaterSound memberships

Do not value a WaterSound home as if the club comes with it until the Watersound Club membership office confirms, in writing, what the buyer will receive and on what terms. Then put the membership status and any transfer terms in the contract.

Sources: St. Joe, Watersound Camp Creek FAQ; Watersound Club Rules and Regulations (restated April 1, 2023).

WaterSound and rental guests

The club’s FAQ is direct: “Rental guests of Members may not have access to the Club.” Older coverage of a 2013 program for guests of St. Joe-managed vacation homes is out of date. The main way a non-member visitor gets in is by staying at St. Joe’s Camp Creek Inn or Watersound Inn, whose guests receive what St. Joe calls “Member for a Stay” access. Rental rules differ between Walton County, Bay County and the City of Destin, and must be confirmed for the specific property.

Sources: Watersound Club FAQ (January 24, 2025); Watersound Club homepage (April 2, 2026).

WaterColor: the Beach Club comes with the home

St. Joe established WaterColor in 1999, and the homeowners association took control in 2013. The WaterColor Beach Club, with three pools, serves WaterColor residents and WaterColor Inn guests and is not open to the public. Access comes with ownership through the WaterColor Community Association: no membership, no initiation fee, and homeowner wristbands at no additional charge, each admitting the owner and two guests a day.

Owners pay through assessments, including a special assessment homeowners approved in July 2016 for the Beach Club and Camp WaterColor expansion, which runs until 2030 and may be paid off at closing. If a payment is more than 60 days late, amenity access is suspended. Owners also have an owners-only beach access at Van Ness, a former public access that WaterColor now owns.

WaterColor rental guests

Per the WaterColor community association’s 2024-2025 guest materials, rental guests can use the Beach Club and other amenities when the owner completes an Annual Owner Certification, the rental manager or self-managing owner registers the home in the association’s Short-Term Rental Portal, and the nightly guest fee is paid. Owner-managed rentals qualify. The claim that guests who book directly with an owner are shut out traces to a 2005 forum post, and those materials contradict it. They also say the Beach Club gates open to homeowners only from 8:00 to 8:30 each morning. Confirm the current rules with the association before you rely on them.

Sources: WaterColor Community Association FAQ, Beach Club Overview and Amenity Wristband Access brochure (2024-2025), retrieved September 11, 2026; Seaside, Commonly Asked Questions (May 10, 2024).

Watersound Club versus WaterColor Beach Club

Control. The Watersound Club is a private club owned by St. Joe. The WaterColor Beach Club is governed by the homeowners association.
Cost. Watersound Club members pay an initiation fee and monthly dues set by the club. WaterColor owners pay through association assessments.
Rental guests. Watersound Club members’ rental guests may not use the club. Registered WaterColor rental guests can, per the association’s 2024-2025 guest materials; confirm the current rules with the association.
Reach. A Watersound Club Lifestyle membership includes the Gather pool at the WaterColor Inn, not the WaterColor Beach Club.

Sources: Watersound Club FAQ (January 24, 2025); WaterColor Community Association FAQ (retrieved September 11, 2026).

What “private beach” means here

Neither club makes the shoreline private. Under Article X, Section 11 of the Florida Constitution, the beach below the mean high-water line is held by the state in trust for all the people. The private part can only be the dry sand above that line and owners-only walkovers. Our guide to beach access in Walton County covers the rest.

Source: Florida Constitution, Article X, Section 11.

What to put in writing before you make an offer

Whether the seller holds a Watersound Club membership, and which type, confirmed by the club’s membership office.
Whether anything transfers to you, whether you pay a new initiation fee and how much, and whether a transfer fee applies.
For Camp Creek, the approval timeline, the contract terms if you are not approved, the dues, and the 0.50 percent resale transfer fee the community Declaration sets (Camp Creek Property Report, effective July 24, 2025).
For Origins, the current Origins membership structure and the path to Beach Club access, confirmed in writing by the Origins membership office.
For WaterColor, that assessments are current, whether the special assessment is paid off, and, for a condo, its association’s Beach Club access.
If you will rent, the association’s current guest process and fee, and the rental rules for that property.
Membership status and any transfer terms, written into the purchase contract with your attorney or title company.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Watersound Beach Club included when you buy a home in WaterSound?

Usually not. In WaterSound Beach, owning a home does not make you a Watersound Club member, and Beach Club access takes a separate membership with an application, background check, initiation fee and monthly dues. St. Joe’s Origins materials have described a neighborhood amenity membership for WaterSound Origins owners that is separate from Beach Club access, so confirm the current structure in writing with the Origins membership office. WaterSound Camp Creek is the exception: membership is mandatory with ownership there.

Does a Watersound Club membership transfer with the house?

In WaterSound Camp Creek, the mandatory membership runs with title and cannot be transferred except with the sale of the lot. Elsewhere in WaterSound, no public club document says whether a membership can pass from seller to buyer or what the buyer pays. Confirm membership status and transfer terms in writing with the Watersound Club membership office, and in the contract, before closing.

Can renters use the Watersound Beach Club?

Not as rental guests of a member’s home. The Watersound Club’s FAQ states that rental guests of members may not have access to the club. The main way a non-member visitor gets access is by staying at St. Joe’s Camp Creek Inn or Watersound Inn, whose guests receive temporary Member for a Stay access. In WaterSound Camp Creek, leases must run at least 12 months.

Is the WaterColor Beach Club included with a WaterColor home?

Yes, for homes in the WaterColor Community Association. Beach Club access comes with ownership, with no separate membership or initiation fee. Owners receive homeowner wristbands at no additional charge, and each admits the owner plus two guests a day. Owners pay through association assessments, and access is suspended when a payment is more than 60 days late. Condo owners in a separately managed association should confirm their access.

Can WaterColor rental guests use the beach club?

Yes, per the WaterColor community association’s 2024-2025 guest materials. Under them, the owner completes an Annual Owner Certification, the rental manager or self-managing owner registers the home in the association’s Short-Term Rental Portal, and a nightly guest fee is paid. Homes rented directly by the owner qualify as well as homes managed by a rental company. Confirm the current rules with the association before you rely on them.

What is the difference between the Watersound and WaterColor beach clubs?

The Watersound Beach Club belongs to the Watersound Club, a private club owned by The St. Joe Company, with an application, initiation fee, monthly dues and no access for members’ rental guests. The WaterColor Beach Club is a homeowners association amenity: ownership includes access, owners pay through assessments, and, per the association’s 2024-2025 guest materials, registered rental guests can use it for a nightly fee. Confirm the current rules with the association.

How much does a Watersound Club membership cost?

The Watersound Club does not publish its prices. It charges a non-refundable initiation fee, due when a membership is approved, plus monthly dues, and it sets and may change both. There is no food and beverage minimum and no assessment for capital improvements. Figures that circulate online are unofficial, so ask the club’s membership office for current numbers before you make an offer.

Is club membership mandatory in WaterSound Camp Creek?

Yes. According to St. Joe, club membership is mandatory with lot ownership in WaterSound Camp Creek. Owners must keep at least a Beach and Sport membership, which includes the Beach Club, and monthly dues start at title. Buyers still apply and must be approved. Separately from the club, the Camp Creek Property Report, effective July 24, 2025, says the community Declaration requires each resale buyer to pay a 0.50 percent transfer fee to The St. Joe Community Foundation.

Who owns Watersound Club, and what does each membership level include?

The St. Joe Company owns Watersound Club, which operates through St. Joe Resort Operations, LLC. St. Joe’s quarterly SEC filing reports 3,723 members as of June 30, 2026. The club currently offers two levels. Beach and Sport, open only to Camp Creek owners, includes the Watersound Beach Club, tennis, the Camp Creek wellness center, pools and pickleball, and club dining, but no golf. Lifestyle adds the Shark’s Tooth, The Third and Camp Creek golf courses, the Sporting Preserve, Origins Golf Course and the Gather pool at WaterColor Inn.

Is the beach at WaterSound and WaterColor private?

Only in part. Under Article X, Section 11 of the Florida Constitution, the beach below the mean high-water line is held by the state in trust for the public, along every part of 30A. When WaterSound or WaterColor describes a private beach, the private part can only be the dry sand above that line and owners-only walkovers, such as WaterColor’s Van Ness access.

Related guides from The Beasley Group

Know what comes with the home before you offer

Tell us which WaterSound or WaterColor home you are considering. We will find out what club access, if any, comes with that specific home, and what needs to be confirmed in writing before you write an offer.

Ask us to confirm a home’s membership status