By Len Ziehm
With 15 beautiful golf courses in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama, located between Pensacola and the eastern shores of Mobile Bay, the area offers a lot more than just great golf.
“We’ve got an island that is 32 miles long in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach,’’ said Easton Colvin, public relations coordinator for Gulf Shores-Orange Beach Tourism. “In it there’s 32 miles of pretty, white sand beaches and 20 miles of golf, if you add the yardages of the courses there together. All of our courses are public. You can schedule a tee time on your own at every one of them.’’
Kiva Dunes
Kiva Dunes, a links-style layout, designed by Jerry Pate and Jim Edgemon, has earned the most accolades.
Pate was a hot commodity as a player before Kiva opened in 1995. He starred for the University of Alabama golf team, winning the U.S. Amateur in 1974. His pro career started with a bang, too. In 1976, his rookie season on the PGA Tour, he won both the U.S. and Canadian Opens. Six years later he won The Players Championship.
Kiva Dunes hosted the PGA Tour Qualifying School three times and was named the No. 1 public course in Alabama in 2017. Located on the Fort Morgan peninsula the facility has condominiums and beach houses to rent, four swimming pools, two restaurants and over a mile of waterfront.
Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club
Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club opened in 1995, with Earl Stone designing its 27 holes on 800 acres. Peninsula has three nine-hole layouts, the Lakes, Cypress and Marsh. They also have an 8,000 square foot fitness center, eight tennis courts, plus indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
Golf Shores Golf Club
The third course on the island is Gulf Shores Golf Club, the oldest course at the destination. It was built by the father-son team of Jay and Carter Moorish in the early 1960’s and they returned for a full-scale renovation in 2005. The course was hit by Hurricane Sally in 2020 and is still somewhat in recovery mode but its sharp doglegs and numerous water hazards make for a challenging test.
Full-service golf packages for these three courses, owned and operated by Troon, can be booked at: Coastal Alabama Golf.
Craft Farms
The largest golf complex is a short five-minute ride across the bridge to the mainland. Craft Farms offers two 18-hole Arnold Palmer Signature Designs, Cotton Creek and Cypress, plus a nine-hole par-3.
Palmer was just starting to dabble in course design, when he developed a close friendship with Robert Craft Jr. They worked together for the 1987 opening of Cotton Creek and the 1993 debut of the Cypress course.
“Gulf Shores in November is as good a place to play golf as you’ll find anywhere,’’ said Dan Dorrough, now the head superintendent at Gulf Shores Golf Club after stints as an assistant at Kiva Dunes and Craft Farms.
We made our first trip to Gulf Shores in 2012, but the community has grown drastically since then, with new and expanded attractions.
Dining & Attractions
The 6,150-acre Gulf Shores State Park is a haven for hikers, cyclists and Segway tours. The Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail spans the park’s 28 miles and connects Gulf Shores and Orange Beach to the park. There’s also a nature center, over two miles of uninterrupted pristine beachfront and the lodge, a 350-room Hilton hotel featuring the Perch Restaurant.
Other local dining options include, Big Fish, featuring seafood and sushi bar, with steak, pasta and sandwiches also available. Lucy Buffett’s LuLu’s, located on the Intracoastal Waterway, also has good food along with live music, a fun arcade, a three-story climbing ropes course and children’s activities. The owner is the sister and piano player for one of my all-time favorite singers, Jimmy Buffett.
Don’t overlook Sassy Bass Cookout Tiki Bar, it’s somewhat hidden between Kiva Dunes and Peninsula, but the food, served in hot iron skillets, was delicious, in addition to having a unique presentation.
The sprawling Flora-Bama Yacht Club is world famous for its Package & Oyster Bar, plus open-air waterfront dining. This legendary facility appeals to all ages with live music, interesting decor and numerous bars. Though it has weathered several hurricanes over the years, Flora-Bama remains a must visit no matter the duration of your stop in Gulf Shores-Orange Beach area.
But Wait There’s MORE!
Other attractions include, miniature golf indoors, at the glow-in-the-dark Jurassic Dinosaur Adventure. The unique 5,000 square-foot prehistoric setting was a nice diversion for even the most serious golfers in our group.
While in Gulf Shores be sure to take the relaxing ‘Sail Wild Hearts’ two-hour sunset cruise on a 53-foot open-ocean catamaran.
To learn more and plan your next getaway to Coastal Alabma visit: gulfshores.com.
