Top 5 Reasons to Plan a Gulf Shores Golf Getaway

Why choose Gulf Shores for your next golf getaway? Here are five outstanding reasons, in no particular order.

1. Signature courses

The Alabama Gulf Coast is known for its golf, and a lot of that has to do with the champion courses designed by names such as Jerry Pate, Bruce Devlin, Robert Von Haage, Earl Stone, and, of course, Arnold Palmer.

2. Variety

There’s not just one type of course in Gulf Shores. A tour of the different courses gives you views of beaches, bays, woods, and refuge areas. You’ll tee off surrounded by oaks and pines, cruise your cart along creeks, over marshland, and on rolling terrain, and putt surrounded by the sounds of sea birds and woodland chirpers.

3. Beautiful weather

This one seems obvious, but it’s such an important part of making Gulf Coast golf the blissfully pleasant experience that it is that it can’t go unmentioned. The Gulf weather makes golf extremely enjoyable year-round: the warmth keeps our winters mild, the sea breezes keep our summers pleasant, and everything in between seems to hover around that perfect weather sweet spot.

4. Beach town atmosphere

When we talk about the warmth of a beach town, it doesn’t just mean the temperature. Locals and visitors alike are infected by the friendliness that comes from the intersection of Southern culture and laid-back beach life. You’ll never find yourself stressed when you know you’re minutes from white sands, and a day out on the courses is sure to be as congenial a day of camaraderie as it gets -- whether it’s with life-long or brand new friends.

5. Entertainment for non-golfers in your life

Don’t fret if you dream of a golf getaway but don’t know what to do with the non-golfers in your party. Gulf Shores is the perfect golf destination, but it’s also the perfect vacation destination in general. Non-golfers can shop, hike, fish, participate in watersports, pamper themselves, and, of course, enjoy our white-sand beaches. There are endless events, endless activities, and you can be certain you’ll never hear any of your companions complain about boredom.

How to Celebrate Mardi Gras After Golfing

Mardi Gras is February 17 this year, and for something exciting to give you an extra reason to visit the Gulf for a few rounds of golf at your favorite courses, there’s no more festive Gulf tradition than Mardi Gras! If you aren’t from the area, you might not know that Mardi Gras originates in Mobile, not New Orleans, and locals celebrate it with pride. Celebrations begin long before Fat Tuesday itself, and the Alabama Gulf Coast tends toward a more family friendly atmosphere for the festivities, so if you have a family, don’t be afraid to take the kids to the parades. They’ll have a blast!

There will be parades and celebrations just about any time you’re there, so you can very easily fit them around your golf schedule. You can pick and choose from a whole calendar of events, from cities close to Gulf Shores - Daphne, Fairhope, Foley, Dauphin Island, Orange Beach - that will have our events as well, scattered throughout the days leading up to the 17th and on the 17th itself. If you’d rather stay close to home, start Fat Tuesday off with the Gulf Shores Mardi Gras parade at 10 a.m., leaving you time to head off afterward for an afternoon round of golf, or to head over to LuLu’s at Homepoint Marina for a Mardi Gras Boat Parade and some live music. However much you feel like embracing the Mardi Gras season, you can find something that allows you just as much as golf fun and Mardi Gras fun as you like.

Last Minute Golf Gift Ideas

Have you made your list and checked it twice? If you still have some last minute shopping to do, we’ve got have some suggestions on how you can hit a hole-in-one with your favorite golfer this holiday season.

• Craft Farms boasts two courses, Cotton Creek and Cypress Bend, each designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer. The golfer on your list will relish the opportunity to be able to step out on the magnificent greens at either of these unique courses. Their golf gift cards, available online, can be used for golf, dining, or at their golf shop. 

• How about giving that special someone on your list a golf experience at Alabama’s only beachfront golf resort? Breathtaking views at this spectacular seaside links layout await golfers lucky enough to play at Kiva Dunes. A variety of gift options are available for purchase online. 

•  With its premiere grass Sea Dwarf Paspalum from tee to green, any golf enthusiast will delight in the quality playing surfaces and green speeds at Lost Key. Gift cards to this championship course may be purchased at the Golf Club. The cards may be used for rounds of golf, at the golf shop, dining in the restaurant or at the Lost Key Marina Ships Store.

•  Nestled beside the Bon Secour Wildlife Preserve, Peninsula offers incredible views of live oaks, cypress and other native natural vegetation. The challenging course provides a playable and enjoyable layout that will please the avid golfer on your list. Gift card purchases can be made online.

•  Some of the area’s highest elevations overlooking stunning topography are available at Rock Creek Golf course. The golfer in your life will appreciate the challenging course designed for both amateurs and professionals. Shop on their online store for gift cards to be used for golf, merchandise in the golf shop, or for dining. 

•  TimberCreek Golf Club near Mobile Bay offers scenic views of spacious, rolling fairways carved from a forest of Dogwoods, Magnolias, and Pines. Surprise your golfer with a TimberCreek Golf Club gift certificate that can be used for merchandise in the golf shop or for world class golf. Gift Certificates may be purchased in the Golf Shop or call 877-621-9900 to make the transaction over the phone.  

The Holidays and Golf Make a Great Combination

Treat yourself to an early Christmas present by making it a golfer’s holiday season in Gulf Shores Orange Beach. There is still time to plan a last minute getaway down south for plenty of holiday entertainment in between rounds of world class golf.

Throughout the month of December, daily holiday ice skating and horse & carriage rides will both be at The Wharf in Orange Beach. Christmas performances like the Baldwin Pops Christmas Concert at the Foley Civic Center on December 9 will be taking place. Another fun way to celebrate on the Gulf Coast is to watch the lights illuminate against the water when the 29^th Annual Christmas Lighted Boat Parade begins at LuLu’s at Homeport Marina on December 13. For more information on these and other events, check out the calendar of events.

The shopping is second to none here on the Alabama Gulf Coast, which makes it the ideal spot for finishing up some holiday shopping. This area boasts everything from souvenir shops to unique boutiques, as well as the Tanger Outlets in Foley.

Amidst all of the fun-filled holiday festivities, there is top notch golf to be played on our seven magnificent signature courses. The best part about a golf trip to the Alabama Gulf Coast is that the Gulf Shores Golf Association’s website to get a quote today.

Which Impressive Course Will You Choose to Play?

With designer names like Arnold Palmer, Jerry Pate and Earl Stone, our seven signature courses give golfers a variety when it comes to challenging golf, spectacular scenery and breathtaking views. Depending on your travel plans, you can choose to play at one or all of our pristine courses near the Alabama Gulf Coast. Wherever you choose to play, one thing is certain, these incredible courses will not disappoint.

Craft Farms boasts the only two courses in Alabama to be designed by Arnold Palmer. The first design by the golf legend is Cotton Creek. Featuring tree-lined, rolling fairways surrounded by lakes, this 18-hole course is a true championship challenge. 

Cypress Bend, the second course created by Palmer, features wide fairways, large undulating greens and a unique system of cord-grass accented by beautiful lakes throughout. Together, these magnificent courses give you 36-holes of pure Palmer golf. 

Former U.S. Open Champion Jerry Pate designed Kiva Dunes, which sits on a secluded piece of land lying directly on the Gulf of Mexico, making it Alabama’s only beachfront golf resort. This extraordinary 18-hole course is surrounded by the property’s native sand dunes, lakes and natural wildlife areas.  

Lost Key Golf Club is conveniently located minutes from the white sandy beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. The Arnold Palmer Design Group reinvented this 18-hole signature championship course in 2006. It features the premiere grass, Sea Dwarf Paspalum, for optimum playing surfaces from tee to green.

Masterfully designed by Earl Stone, Peninsula is a little slice of heaven right here along Alabama’s Gulf Coast. The unique course winds through live oaks, cypress and natural vegetation, plus more than thirty lakes. This 27-hole layout is situated on beautiful Mobile Bay. 

With some of the area’s highest elevations, Rock Creek comes with stunning topography overlooking freshwater wetlands and the Rock Creek basin. The tall pines and hardwoods line nearly every fairway of this 18-hole, Earl Stone creation. 

Earl Stone also crafted the TimberCreek Golf Club. With flowing fairways and a forest of flowering Magnolias, Dogwoods, and Loblolly Pines, this 27-hole championship facility features terrain suggestive of the inland Carolinas.

What is your favorite course to play in the Alabama Gulf Coast area?

Plan Your Spring Getaway Today

November is a pleasant time of year to pack up your golf clubs and head to the less crowded beaches on the Alabama Gulf Coast. With our seven signature courses and spectacular scenery, you'll want to swing back down south as soon as you return home to the colder weather. Start planning the next time you can step back on one of our beautiful courses, golf clubs in tow. Spring may not be near but it is a wonderful time of year to tee off on another golf excursion.

With seven golf courses to choose from, you can have a variety of options depending on your travel plans. Our signature courses feature beautiful topography designed by names that include Arnold Palmer, Jerry Pate and Earl Stone. Unforgettable views, such as, a resort style coastline to rolling hills are available at any one of the unique courses along the Alabama Gulf Coast. The warm gulf breezes and an abundance of sunshine will surround you as you play your rounds, so let's start planning your trip now! You'll have something to look forward to after the cold subsides. 
 


The Gulf Shores Golf Association offers golf packages so you can plan your stay and your play all at once, making planning easy and fun. Our participating lodging partners offer a wide range of accommodations, including condos, beach houses and hotel rooms. All conveniently accessible to the courses, as well as many dining and nightlife choices for post game food and excitement.

Since we know everyone will have their own specific wants and needs when it comes to their golf vacation, we can customize your golf packages. You can swing on over to our website for a customized quote, or if you would prefer, you can speak with us live by calling 877-293-0852. Now is the time to start planning, so head on over to the Gulf Shores Golf Association website to book your vacation now.