Choosing a Golf Course

When you visit an area like the Alabama Gulf Coast that has several options for great golf, deciding where to play can take some thought. Of course, this is a good challenge to face—I’ve been places where the options were few and not nearly as appealing.

The different golf courses have various characteristics that may help break down your decision. For instance, if design is important to you, you might like the fact that Cotton Creek and Cypress Bend at Craft Farms as well as the Lost Key course are Arnold Palmer designs, and other courses were designed by greats such as Bruce Devlin, Jerry Pate, Earl Stone and Robert Von Hagge.

Many of the courses have unique characteristics that make them appealing, such as the scenic marshland hazards at Rock Creek, chilled apples at the first tee of all 3 nines at Peninsula, and the mango-scented ice-cold towels at Cotton Creek.

Or perhaps ratings play an important part in the decision. Golf Digest has ranked Kiva Dunes as one of “America’s Top 100 Public Courses” and rated Cypress Bend as 4.5 stars.

Book a golf vacation package and play as many of the courses as you want. Check out the Gulf Shores Golf Association website for more information.

Tournament Time

Oh, how I love a good golf tournament. Lucky for me, there a couple good ones right around the corner.

First up is the Mark Gottfried Celebrity Golf Tournament at the Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club. Basically, it’s golf with celebrities—more than 20 sports celebrities (former and current college coaches and players, former NBA and NFL stars, and several TV personalities) will be pairing up with four-player teams, with one celebrity per team. A pairings party the night before will include live music, hors d’oeuvres and, of course, the celebrities.

After that is the 17th Annual Shrimp Festival Golf Tournament on September 10th at Kiva Dunes. The per-person fee is $125 and covers green fee and cart, lunch, two mulligans, one red tee-buster, a gift bag and raffle prizes. Think of it as a prelude to the Annual National Shrimp Festival, which takes place in October. The proceeds of the golf tournament go to the Alabama Gulf Coast Educational Foundation—so it’s good fun and a good cause.

Golf Giveaway

I have a decent set of golf clubs at the moment. They’ve worked pretty well for me over the years, and they don’t cause me any problems (I’m pretty sure my recent habit of shanking drives is due to odd positioning and not my driver). All in all, I have no complaints—no reason to spend money on a new set.

But if a new set was offered to me for free, then that’s a completely different story. Wishful thinking? Possibly not, if you enter the Gulf Shores Golf Association’s Play to Win giveaway. Part of this sweepstakes prize package is a custom-fit full set of Callaway golf clubs, not to mention transportation to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach for the club fitting and a free one-night stay at one of GSGA’s partner accommodations. All you have to do to enter is, sometime between now and September 15th, book reservations for a golf vacation. (You only have to book it by September 15th; the actual vacation can take place anytime during the remainder of 2010.)

I can’t think of a better reason for a golf vacation at Alabama’s Gulf Coast—other than the excellent golf courses and beautiful beaches. Go to www.golfgulfshores.com to request a quote, and get started planning that vacation.

Where to Stay?

Deciding which golf courses to play when visiting the Alabama Gulf Coast is only half the fun. Figuring out where to stay adds a whole new level to the planning process.

Whether you want a luxury condo, a private beachside house, or a simple hotel room, there are plenty of great lodging options in the area. Maybe it’s a buddies trip or a family vacation, and a beach house would be most accommodating. Or maybe it’s a getaway with a significant other, and a romantic beach-front condo is your preferred option.

You may also want to consider which courses you plan to play while in the area, and where they are in relation to where you’re staying. A customized golf package can help simplify your plans. Click here for information on getting a customized quote.

Golf Instruction Programs

My golf game has come a long way since I first started playing as a kid years ago. Now I’m actually halfway decent—some days, I’m even pretty good. And I’m always in favor of tips, advice, and even a lesson or two to improve.

So I was pretty happy to hear that Rock Creek Golf Club in Fairhope and Craft Farms in Gulf Shores are now offering instruction programs. The clubs are offering a variety of programs, including adult developmental clinics, ladies’ clinics, and junior programs. Tips to make golf more enjoyable and instruction on swing mechanics, specialty shots, and course management are some of the topics that are covered.

It’s a fun addition to a golf vacation and a great way to improve your golf game. I’m hoping to finally straighten out my slice and clean up my short game.

For more information, visit the Gulf Shores Golf Association website.

Playing for a Cause

The 11th Annual Benefit Golf Outing for Habitat for Humanity is coming up on May 7th. I love tournaments like these. Any tournament drives up the golf competition and makes the game that much more exciting. A tournament for a good cause adds a positive, feel-good note. Plus I don’t feel so bad when I botch my game, because I know it was for someone else anyway.

The tournament will be held at Cotton Creek at Craft Farms, and will use a four-person scramble format. Prizes will be given for low gross, low net, closest to the pin, and the winner of a putting contest. And of course, there will be food.

Visit the Golf Gulf Shores website for more information.

Did You Say Free?

What could be better than playing golf in Gulf Shores? Playing golf for free in Gulf Shores during a free beach vacation. I could certainly stand to save a chunk of money while still enjoying a much-needed vacation. Thanks to the Grand Gulf Getaway contest, I just might get that chance.

Included with the seven-night beachside vacation prize are two rounds of golf for two people—courtesy of the Gulf Shores Golf Association, so you know the golf is going to be someplace really nice. That right there is reason enough to register, never mind the various other prizes included in the package.

I have never won a contest in my life, but I have a good feeling about this one. The Gulf Coast is calling my name. If you hear it too, fill out the registration form at http://www.grandgulfgetaway.com/.