► Intertwined with water and bunkers , the 9th and 18th holes at highly ranked Kiva Dunes Golf Club are the bill of fare for Gulf Shores golf just minutes from 32 miles of white sandy beaches on Alabama ’ s coast on the Gulf of Mexico .
course around the wetlands so that nine holes run east and nine west , which is very typical of links golf .” Nationally , Kiva Dunes has been honored as one of the nation ’ s top courses 16 times , including the No . 1 public course in Alabama by Golf Digest in 2019 and one of the Top 100 courses by Golfweek in 2018 . renovation and carries a 127-slope rating . And yet , it ’ s the par 3 holes that separates it from many other courses . “ We have five par 3 ’ s , and all are very different ,” says Golf Superintendence Don Dorrough . It ’ s ranked fourth among Gulf Shores golf courses behind Peninsula , Kiva Dunes , and the Cotton Wood at Craft Farms .
Craft Farms offers two 18-hole layouts , and it ’ s hard to believe highly rated Cotton Wood is better than Cypress Bend , which offers just about everything Gulf Shores offers in golf . Zach Buechner , the low amateur in our group , gave it the best of compliments : “ A lot of courses have holes that are a lot alike , but every hole on this course gives you a different look .”
Marshes , water , and sand bunkers protect the signature 170-yard 6th hole on the Cypress Bend course at Craft Farms in Gulf Shores , Alabama . ( View from the tee box .)
If diversity whets your appetite , Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club has it all . Located on the historic Morgan Fort peninsula between Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico , the 27-hole complex offers three very different and distinct courses — the Marsh , which is intertwined through wet marshlands ; the Cypress , a more traditional type course with an abundance of sand bunkers ; and the Lakes , which challenges with lakes on each of its nine holes .
Also offered at the Peninsula , carts off the path at all times . “ Even with five inches of rain , carts can be taken on the fairways , which is a huge bonus to the older crowd ,” says Chad Leonard , the busy regional director of golf operations for the Peninsula , Rock Creek , and Craft Farms courses . With Mobile Bay as a backdrop , the Peninsula is legitimately tabbed as the “ most memorable and enjoyable ” course in the Southeast .
Formerly known as the Golf Club of the Wharf , Gulf Shores Golf Club was lengthened by 300 yards to 6,856 yards in a 2005
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It took an ex-marine , David King of Golf Georgia , to beat a hungry alligator to retrieve an errant shot by Pam Shaheen at Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club in Gulf Shores , Alabama .
Alabama ’ s only Arnold Palmerdesigned courses , the two courses are located just north of the white sandy shores of Gulf Shores ’ beaches and offer a distinctly coastal flavor with dwarf Bermuda grasses and numerous lakes meandering through the property .
Of course , no round of golf would be complete without a fine dinner , and when it comes to seafood , no one does it better than Gulf Shores — whether it be red snapper at Kiva Dunes Beach Club , baked or boutique oysters at Jesses Steakhouse on the Bay , Coastal Orange Beach ’ s array of shrimp specials , or flounder at the Voyagers at Perdido Beach Resort .
Complete golf packages , including lodging , tee times , and other activities such as deep sea fishing , can be booked online with Coastal Alabama Golf at https :// coastalalabamagolf . com . Everything you want to know about Gulf Shores can be found at Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism , visit www . gulfshores . com .
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TeeTimesMagazine . com TEE TIMES GOLF GUIDE Nov . / Dec . 2023 17