It’s About More than Golf

“We love Gulf Shores,” says Bill Gaut from Springfield, MO. “Good food, good golf courses, and it’s easy to find everything.”

Friends Mike and Charlie seconded Bill’s thoughts as we sat at the Tin Top restaurant snacking on fried pickles, baked oysters and grilled tuna. Members of the 41st Annual Bratton Brothers Invitational golf tournament, these gentlemen hailed from Oklahoma, Missouri and Alabama. Just a few of the 80+ members of this group, their sentiments were repeated throughout the night by others in attendance, who traveled from all over the country to play golf for four days straight, dine in local establishments and enjoy the gulf views from their condominiums in Orange Beach.

Joe Bratton and his younger brother Bobby brought a group of seven golfers (the eighth cancelled at the last minute) to Gulf Shores in 1970. Forty-one years later, the group has grown exponentially as each golfer began bringing one friend beginning in the second year. The group has ebbed and flowed in size, at one point swelling to almost 150 golfing friends. Now more limited so that the group can all play at one course together simultaneously, this annual gathering is about more than a few rounds of golf.

“It’s about way more than golf,” says Jimmy Lee of Andalusia. It took me years to get invited, and it was something I waited and waited for. Now I would not miss it. This is about fellowship and long-term friendships that have endured over time.”

As soon as I first met the group, that sentiment came through quite clearly. These guys like each other. They wait all year to take this trip, and they make the most of the time they spend together. While many of them see each other on a regular basis—playing golf, attending church—some of these friendships allow for “face time” only once a year. So they make the most of it. Laughter, shouts, and back-slapping are prevalent and ongoing. This group is no stranger to a good time, and they clearly enjoy each other’s company.

At dinner last night, there was some reminiscing, some story-telling, some commiserating over the day’s round, and a lot of appreciative comments about the delicious food being served up. The Midwestern contingent was enjoying the seafood they can’t get at home. Everyone was in good spirits and looking forward to more great golf. Their next round is at The Golf Club of the Wharf, with their final round at Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club on Saturday. Sunday is a day of recreation or travel, and then the group will begin looking forward to next year’s trip.

Photos below: Greg Waldrop, from Birmingham, AL, greets the BBI golfers with a big smile at the Tin Top Restaurant. Greg plays a key role in promoting the group on their annual excursions and was a tremendous help as the area prepared for the group’s arrival.

Good food is definitely a priority for this group. Members commented consistently that one of the reasons they love Gulf Shores is the great food and the variety. Several noted how many great restaurants have opened up over the years they’ve been visiting here. Favorites include The Tin Top and Nolan’s.

Gulf Shores Golf Association Releases 2010 Golf Vacation Planner

The opening comments of the 2010 Golf Vacation Planner from the Gulf Shores Golf Association capture the mission of the organization and their new planner. "The challenging part of a great golf vacation should be on the course, not in the planning," says Mark Stillings, association president.

In one convenient 48-page package, the planner provides golfers with exactly the information they need to plan a golf vacation, whether it is a buddies' weekend, a couple's getaway or a family vacation.

Page after page highlights the important details of ten area courses. Handy charts showcase the vital stats for yardage, slope and rating for each of their Red, Silver, White, Blue and Gold tee options.

With each course description comes hints about the play like "postage stamp greens," " numerous risk/reward
opportunities," " area’s largest white-sand bunkers" and " magnificent seaside links layout."

To ensure the golfers are in the know, the planner provides all the necessary policy information on attire, check-in, carts, equipment, pace of play and weather.

After completely whetting the golfer's appetite for playing the Alabama Gulf Coast, the planner offers everything else needed to realize the experience. Because at some point even the most avid golfer has to leave the course.

For those times, the planner delivers accommodation information from select area providers. These hotels and resorts have partnered with the association to offer tailored Play and Stay packages and all are within an easy drive of the courses.

And when the appetite for golf turns into the appetite for a great meal, the planner serves up a sampling of area restaurants where the greens come on the salads and the clubs are sandwiches.

To receive a copy of the 2010 Gulf Shores Golf Vacation Planner, visit www.GolfGulfShores.com, or download a copy here on our blog.

Signature Courses

I have a renewed appreciation for professionally designed golf courses after playing golf with a friend at a "regular" course last weekend. It had been a while since either of us had played--life just gets too much in the way sometimes. We chose a nearby course with a fairly low green fee. We played. And it was fine; we got our golf fix.

But it just wasn't as satisfying an experience as I've had in the past. Sure, we got to hit the ball around and we both had decent scores; I had some good drives and even came close to breaking 100 (I consider that decent). But where was the creativity in the course layout? Where was the challenge? Where were the sand dunes and wildlife?

Ok, maybe the expectation of sand dunes is too much--it probably didn't help that the last time I played golf was during my last visit to Gulf Shores. But the array of signature golf courses in the Alabama Gulf Coast area has spoiled me. Courses designed by golf greats like Arnold Palmer, Bruce Devlin, and others offer so much more originality and beauty. These guys know the game, and they know how to create a course layout that presents a playable challenge.

Check out the Gulf Shores golf courses at http://www.golf.gulfshores.com/play/default.aspx.

Dreaming of the Greens

Holiday festivities are over, the decorations have been put away, and all I'm left with on this cold winter day is a little leftover fudge and a slightly rounder belly to remind me where the rest of the Christmas goodies went. The post-holiday blues get me every year.

But the promise of a new year, like the green grass of a golf course in the spring, brings hope of fresh beginnings, new adventures--and golf.

After I reing in the new year and spend a few days sulking in the return to everyday life, I start planning my first escape to Gulf Shores: where I'll stay, which courses I'll play. I pull out pictures from past trips, and I check out the photos and golf vacation deals at www.golf.gulfshores.com. For a little while I forget the gloom of January and warm my mind to thoughts of spring, summer, and Gulf Shores golf.

May your year be filled with birdies and long drives. Happy New Year.

Spending Green versus Spending Time on the Green

While everyone else was out shopping on Black Friday, I was hitting the golf course. I'm not big on shopping, particularly the day after Thanksgiving: crowded stores full of frenzied shoppers scrambling to get the best deal on the hottest Christmas gifts--no thank you. I saved the shopping for another day and spent a peaceful day playing golf and working off my Thanksgiving dinner (with the help of a golf cart, of course).

One of my shopping-crazy relatives asked me how I could play golf this time of year when there is so much to do. But that's exactly why. It's a stress release. It helps keep me centered during this hectic season. 'Tis the season to be jolly, right? Golf keeps me jolly.

Not to mention the weather in Gulf Shores this time of year, which is mild and perfect for golf. It's no wonder the snowbirds fly south for the winter.

You can find affordable fall/winter and year-round deals on Alabama Gulf Coast golf vacation packages at http://www.golf.gulfshores.com/plan/hot_deals/default.aspx.

Cool weather is definitely on the way now. The heat has already come on in my house, and the summer wardrobes have been put away. As for golf...well, I'm not putting the golf shorts away yet.

Fall is by far my favorite time of year for golf. The heat of summer has subsided, but it's far from cold--at least, in Gulf Shores it is. Temperatures average in the 70s during the day in October, which can make that golf swing feel warm and effortless. Combine this ideal weather with the scenic landscape of the area golf courses and you've got yourself a relaxing game of golf.

Late-fall golf rates and vacation package deals make it a great time of year for a buddies golfing trip or even a fall break family vacation. You can check out some of these deals at www.golf.gulfshores.com.

Golf Digest Ambush hits Gulf Shores

Check out this Golf Digest ambush of the Bratton Brother Invitational at the Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club Gulf Shores.