Gulf Shores Golf - Many Options for Both
the Casual and Serious Golfer

Golf Shores Golf - Plan a vacation around it, or make it a part of a beach vacation.

One of the finest venues for golfing in the United States is the Southern Greens Belt, which runs from Mississippi to South Carolina; you can literally spend years, going through each course in turn, playing each one once.

Avid golfers find some of the finest courses in the world on that stretch which includes the Baldwin County area of Alabama's Gulf Coast-- we're talking about courses that were designed by Nicklaus, Fazio and Palmer! Even some of the world famous Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail runs through this area. What this means is that if you're serious about golf – either on the friendly level, or at the championship grades, coastal Alabama is a premier golfing destination. Alabama's Gulf Coast region is also the home of many of the premier public golf courses, like the Kiva Dunes course, designed by Jerry Pate. Kiva Dunes has been top ranked in the golfing establishment for most of the last decade, and has affordable tee time packages throughout the year, with the spring season starting in late February.

There's more to Gulf Shores golf than Kiva Dunes. In a recent Sports Illustrated survey, Baldwin County (where Gulf Shores is located) was ranked number one or number two in all four of the categories used-- public courses by county, private courses by county, courses per capita, and number of courses per square mile. The Baldwin County area has over a dozen public courses, and the range of golfing options is top notch, from affordable priced courses to challenging play for all levels.

Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club is a 27-hole facility with holes winding through oak and cypress trees.

Some of the more notable signature courses include courses designed by Bruce Devlin, Earl Stone, and Robert Von Hagge. Most are strategically placed, and they are within an hour's drive of the accommodations on the beach.

There are also interesting golf courses in the Pensacola vicinity beginning just over the Alabama-Florida line at Lost Key Golf Club.

Highlights on the Gulf Coast Golf course set include both of the courses on the Craft Farms parcel, designed by Arnold Palmer. Cotton Creek is slightly longer than the Cypress Bend course, but both are par 72 courses at the championship level, with white, red, and green course options for people who're looking for something a bit more casual. Expect to cover between four and six miles on the courses as you spend your day working the full eighteen holes.

For a more affordable golfing experience, check out the Vista Dunes course at Glenlakes Golf Club, an 18 hole "links" course. This is one of several examples of the publicly maintained courses geared to get new players into the sport by giving them a challenging place to play at a price that isn't budget breaking.

For those with a fair bit of disposable income, the Gulf Shores area is close to several high end destination golf courses, where, for a(admittedly large) fee you can experience high end Gulf Shores golf with all the Southern amenities and gentility. Golf is one of the few sporting activities left where the old-fashioned Southern lifestyle can still be experienced.

Most of the golf courses in Alabama's Gulf Coast are actively maintained, and are cut into pristine woodlands and light marshlands; the views on these courses are breathtaking, and they serve as minor nature preserves and bird watching destinations. Because of the incidence of hurricanes, some courses get extensive renovations on a regular basis, and what could be taken as a disaster is used as an opportunity to install new amenities, or improve drainage patterns.

Because of the growing popularity of Gulf Shores as a tourist destination, and its proximity to golf, white sands beaches, and many museums and historical sites, there's been a surge of accommodations and tourist beds. There is a growing market for rental cottages and bed and breakfast type arrangements, as well as resort style living catering to the private courses.

A Gulf Shores golf vacation is a great way to experience the comforts and amenities of the Alabama Gulf Coast, and Baldwin County is an excellent destination for golfing.


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