Southern author William Faulkner, who may or may not have been much of a golfer, once wrote regarding the South, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” That’s another way of saying classics endure.
For a late-summer golfing road trip that is easily accessible to all, there is nothing more classic than a trip to the golf-laden Alabama beaches, headlined by the coastal cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
There are 36 miles of beaches, 20 miles of golf and plenty of choices all over the region, including the legacy of the No. 1 public course and a testing 18-hole challenge.
Need the CliffsNotes version?
You’ve got golf, gambling, good times, T-shirts and ice cream – lots and lots of ice cream.
“We have miles of beaches, miles of golf and a regional connection to nine golf courses all across the area, along with the only Arnold Palmer course in the state,” said Easton Colvin, who has the enviable job of overseeing golf and other activities for the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach CVB.
Of course, the laid-back vibe of the Alabama beaches has been around for decades, and certainly no one would judge you if you decided to walk out the back door of your hotel or condo and spend the day on the sand with a cool drink, lots of sunscreen, some shade and salt water.
But if you need a little more activity in your program and want to split the family unit between the golf, the gulf (that’s the renamed Gulf of America in these parts) and good times, then Gulf Shores has you covered as well.
There are five golf courses within 20 miles, all of which are open for public play and continue the laid-back beach vibe with drinks, Spanish moss and, of course, good times with friends.
The most popular and historic layout is Kiva Dunes, a Jerry Pate design that opened in the early 1990s and is probably the one exception to this no-worries, be-happy golf lifestyle.
The 1976 U.S. Open champion and Alabama native designed the course with a bit of an Australian twist, featuring water on many holes, plenty of trees and rough to catch any wayward tee shots, and deep, sand-filled bunkers.
Adjacent to a resort hotel and large clubhouse, it’s a very friendly place, but one that is happy to kick your teeth in after a less-than-stellar effort.
It occupies a tight, attractive property on a peninsula near Gulf Shores that’s boxed in by the Gulf of Mexico to the south and Bon Secour Bay to the north. The east-west orientation of the holes means that the constant ocean winds gust across the fairways, often making it necessary to aim shots toward interior lagoons, canals and low-lying coastal vegetation.
There are lots of holes here on which to celebrate and commiserate over your golfing fate, but that’s what makes the course so popular and legendary among locals and visitors.
Kiva, which can get its TifEagle greens to frighteningly fast speeds, has been named the top public course in Alabama and has been ranked as high as No. 57 among public courses in the nation by Golf Digest. It also has an impressive trophy case in the lobby commemorating players and events that got their start here.
It’s a superb links-style course and has a distinctive blend of signature par 3s, challenging par 4s and risk-reward par 5s. An example of one of Kiva’s signature holes is the par-4 ninth hole, which plays 428 yards from the back tee. It requires an accurate tee shot to the edge of the pond, which leaves the golfer with a challenging approach shot of 150 yards over water. Notice a theme here?
While no alligators were spotted during a recent round, searching the murky waters for a lost ball is still not seen as the best idea.
The par-4 18th finishes with more water all along the right side, as well as hotel rooms and condos to the right of and behind the green. You can show off for the regular balcony watchers or just stagger to the clubhouse’s 19th hole, but either option makes for a most memorable round.
The Gulf Shores Golf Club is a more casual option on the road to Kiva Dunes. It is popular with the locals and should greatly decrease the number of balls you’ll need for the par-71 course, which underwent a total renovation by Carter Morrish and his late father, Jay.
There are a few sharp doglegs and the occasional water hazard, but the focus here is on enjoyment, relaxation and taking in the large variety of wildlife, as well as the oak and pine trees.
Craft Farms is the most developed golf resort area locally, with 36 holes designed by Arnold Palmer that opened in 1987 (Cotton Creek) and 1993 (Cypress Bend). The property also features a large clubhouse, dining facility and newly constructed indoor-outdoor pavilion.
The horseshoe-shaped bag drop area alerts you that you’re in for a good time, with a tree-covered patio, carts, cold drinks and lots of friendly golf challenges.
The Cotton Creek course, a par 72, features its namesake water winding through more than half of the holes. The course plays 7,127 yards from the back tees.
Palmer’s legendary charging style of play is seen on several of the risk-reward holes here. A key case in point is the par-4 sixth hole at Cotton Creek. You’re forced to aim your tee shot over the water and onto a fairway that bends slightly right, followed by another approach shot over water to a large, undulating green.
Cypress Bend has more of a coastal feel, with lakes coming into play on the early holes. It’s certainly not uncommon to see gators sunning themselves on the banks between the water and adjacent houses, so ball hunting here would be a triple-bogey, Chubbs-like mistake.
The par-72 layout, which plays 6,864 yards from the back markers, ends with a stern par-5 18th hole that can sink or lift your round.
Strangely, the Cypress Bend course plays around the McCullough Institute for Plastic Surgery, whose treatment rooms look out on several of the holes. How that relates to your golf game is unclear – insert your joke here – but it is an interesting addition for sure.
If you need to travel a little farther for more golf and greater variety, there is the 27-hole Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club between Mobile Bay and the Gulf of America.
The Lakes Course offers several scenic views of Mobile Bay. The other 18 holes wind their way through the Bon Secour Wildlife Preserve, which contains more than 800 acres of lush native wilderness.
Other nearby golfing choices include Lost Key Golf Club, Perdido Bay, Rock Creek and Timbercreek.
But a great summer golf trip certainly doesn’t live by the links alone. There must be plenty of food and after-golf entertainment.
Not surprisingly, seafood is the biggest winner here, with dozens of choices featuring fresh catches that were swimming in the local waters just hours before being served.
Acme Oyster House is one of the most popular spots, located on the shores of Portage Creek in the shadow of the WC Homes Memorial Bridge, with LuLu’s just across the water. Sea N Suds, The Hangout, Zeke’s and Bahama Bob’s are all worthy choices as well.
Of course, once you’ve got the food portion of the day taken care of, no trip would be complete without a visit to the infamous Flora-Bama Bar just east of Orange Beach.
Located, as the name would suggest, on the state line between Florida and Alabama, its famous wooden building has withstood every major hurricane that has struck the area. The large bar looks out over the ocean, and legend has it that the drinking laws are slightly different between the two states. If you’ve passed the deadline to drink in one state, you simply move across the bar floor to the state with longer hours.
Of course, they sell official Gulf of America T-shirts here, along with other beach gear, but drinking at the Flora-Bama is an adult rite of passage in the region, which is better known as the Redneck Riviera to one and all.
With food and drink taken care of for the day, all that is left is ice cream. Lots and lots of ice cream. Seemingly every half-mile or so along the beach strip, you will find a local ice cream shop. Scoops, Cowbell, Cherry on Top, The Creamery and many more all have their fans, and all are good. There is nothing more quintessentially American in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach than ending a full day of golf, food, the beach and drinks with ice cream, all while knowing you can do it again tomorrow.
As Faulkner would say, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” For a classic late-summer road trip with all the popular ingredients, there is simply nothing better.