The email usually arrives the day after the contract is signed. It comes from the Watersound Club Membership Office, not the closing attorney, and it asks the buyer to complete an application within 24 hours. Miss that window and the purchase agreement itself is at risk of termination. Most buyers reading a Camp Creek listing for the first time assume the club is an amenity, something like a pool pass that comes bundled with the HOA. It isn't. It's a second contract, running on its own clock, with its own approval process, and it attaches to the property in a way the purchase price never fully discloses on its own.
That distinction is the thing worth understanding before an offer goes in, because it changes what "buying in Camp Creek" actually means financially.
A Membership You Apply For, Not One You're Handed
Watersound Camp Creek is a St. Joe Company community built around Camp Creek Golf Club, and the developer's own FAQ is direct about the terms: club membership is mandatory with lot ownership, and once you take title, you're obligated to pay monthly club dues. This isn't a marketing flourish. It's a condition baked into the purchase.
The mechanics matter as much as the requirement. When a buyer submits a purchase agreement, the Membership Office sends a separate application, and that application has to go back at the same time as the contract paperwork. The developer's FAQ states plainly that failing to submit within 24 hours of receiving it can result in the purchase agreement being terminated, because membership is a requirement for Camp Creek lot owners, not an option layered on top. The Watersound Club's own FAQ adds another layer: every applicant goes through a full criminal and financial background check, and if two people hold title, both have to apply individually for privileges. None of this is unusual for private club communities generally, but it is the kind of detail that catches buyers off guard when they assumed the club was something they could opt into later, on their own timeline.
What the Membership Actually Costs, Separate From the House
The purchase price on a Camp Creek listing and the cost of living there are two different numbers, and conflating them is where most of the surprise happens. Here's how the pieces actually stack, based on current club and HOA structures:
| Cost Bucket | Who Sets It | What Buyers Should Know |
|---|---|---|
| HOA dues | RCAM Florida, the community's management company | $300 per quarter, billed separately from the club |
| Club initiation fee | Watersound Club | Reported in the neighborhood of $75,000 for the Lifestyle tier, paid upon approval |
| Lifestyle monthly dues | Watersound Club | Runs near $1,200 a month as of mid-2026, with cart and green fees for member play included |
| Beach & Sport monthly dues | Watersound Club | Ownership-only tier for Camp Creek owners, lower cost, no championship golf access |
| Guest green fee (non-member rate) | Watersound Club | $295 per golfer per round at Camp Creek, Shark's Tooth, or The Third |
The HOA line is modest and predictable. The club line is the one that actually moves the math, and it's also the one the club won't put in writing until a buyer asks. Initiation fees and dues are set by the club and can change over time, which is exactly why a written quote before going under contract matters more here than in almost any other 30A community.
There's a way to read that $295 guest rate that makes the dues easier to evaluate honestly. A Lifestyle member paying roughly $14,400 a year in dues breaks even on golf alone at under fifty rounds a year, close to one round a week. For a golfer who plays that often across Camp Creek, Shark's Tooth, and The Third, the math works in the member's favor before the beach club, tennis, or wellness center even enter the picture. For a buyer who plays twice a season, the same dues are a much larger line item attached to amenities they'll rarely use. The membership isn't a flat cost. Its value depends entirely on how a household actually intends to live there, which is a conversation worth having before the 24-hour clock starts, not after.
The Obligation Follows the Title, Not the First Owner
One assumption trips up resale buyers specifically: that a mandatory-membership rule is a developer-era quirk that fades once a community is built out. It isn't. The requirement is written into ownership of the lot itself, which means a resale buyer inherits the same obligation the original purchaser accepted. Nobody closes on a Camp Creek home and skips the club by virtue of buying secondhand.
This is also why club membership needs its own line item in any offer strategy, separate from negotiating the purchase price. A buyer who successfully negotiates $50,000 off a list price hasn't touched the club obligation at all. The two numbers move independently, and only one of them is visible on a listing sheet.
No Rental Income to Offset the Dues
In several 30A communities, buyers manage carrying costs by leasing the property short term when they aren't using it themselves. Camp Creek closes that option. The community is rental restricted by design, a deliberate choice meant to keep the neighborhood functioning as primary and secondary residences rather than a rotating cast of vacationers. That's a lifestyle feature for buyers who want a quiet, resident-first street. It's also a financial fact for anyone hoping to lease their way to a lower effective cost of ownership. The dues get paid out of pocket, every month, with no built-in offset.
What's Actually Open Right Now
Camp Creek in 2026 is not the community it was when lots first went on the market. The Third, an 18-hole course designed by Davis Love III, opened in the spring of 2025, completing a three-course lineup alongside Tom Fazio's Camp Creek Golf Course and Greg Norman's Shark's Tooth. Camp Creek Inn, a 75-room boutique property built into the golf course setting, is open and operating, giving prospective buyers and their guests a way to experience the club before committing to membership.
The broader Watersound footprint is filling in around it. A St. Joe press release from November 2025 reported more than 1,500 completed homes, townhomes, and apartment units across the combined Watersound Origins and Watersound Camp Creek communities, with continued retail leasing at Watersound Town Center just up the road. Inside Camp Creek itself, the developer's own site lists 263 total lots at buildout, with fewer than 50 remaining as of its most recent update. That inventory number is worth sitting with. It means the negotiating leverage buyers had when the community was mid-construction is largely gone, and the decisions left to make are less about whether to buy in and more about which lot, which builder, and which membership tier actually fits.
None of that changes the membership math. It just means there's less time to work through it before the remaining inventory clears.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I decline membership if I already belong to another private club? No. Membership is a condition of taking title to a Camp Creek lot or home, not an optional add-on tied to personal preference or existing memberships elsewhere.
Does the club membership transfer automatically when I sell? The obligation attaches to ownership of the property, so a new buyer takes on the same membership requirement. It is not something a seller can carry forward or a buyer can waive.
What happens if my application is denied after I'm already under contract? The developer's FAQ notes that if an applicant doesn't meet qualifications, the purchase agreement can be terminated and the deposit returned, which is why getting a sense of approval likelihood early in the process matters.
Is the Beach & Sport tier enough if I don't play golf? Beach & Sport is available only to Camp Creek property owners and includes beach club access, racquet sports, wellness, and dining, without the three championship courses. For a household that isn't golf-focused, it's worth pricing against Lifestyle before assuming the higher tier is necessary.
Buying into Camp Creek means underwriting two obligations at once, the home and the club that comes with it. Getting both numbers in writing before an offer goes in is the difference between a smooth closing and a scramble against a 24-hour clock. If you're weighing a Camp Creek lot or resale against other options along 30A, The Lauderdale Group can walk through the current membership terms, HOA structure, and available inventory with you directly. Request a personalized 30A consultation to start with a clear-eyed look at what ownership actually costs here.
