Ask golfers about the state of play in 2007 and they’ll tell you cost of play is becoming a growing concern. Finding an affordable golf holiday is a tougher than a cross-hill putt for par.
The Gulf Shores of Alabama are looking to fill that niche with a collection of fine courses tucked along the snow-white beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. Runnng from Pensacola, Florida to Mobile Bay, the area provides affordable play, a low-key lifestyle and a range of courses that suit every level of play. Temperatures are more temperate than Florida, but perfect for spring or fall play when Calgary courses are not open.
With prices that are a fraction of Florida, Arizona and California in the high season, the Gulf Shores area-- boyhood home to Jimmy Buffett-- has overcome the effect of Hurricane Ivan in 2004 to provide a family alternative for Canadian golfers. There are 15,000 new condo and rental units for visitors.
The jewel of the Gulf Shores golf track is Kiva Dunes, a windswept links resort just a few hundred feet from the beach that is rated the No. 1 course in the stat. Designed by Jerry Pate, Kiva Dunes runs 7092 yards from the tips through natural wildlife areas and cypress groves.
The No. 12 is a monster par-four that plays 452 yads with a long water hazard running the length of the hole. Depending on the wind off the Gulf, the hole can either be unapproachable in two or a real birdie opportunity. The sixth is another beauty, playing 428 yards bordered on one side by cypress and by marsh on the other. The heavily bunkered 18th ends in the shadow of the resort, a 458-yard test of nerve to end the par-72.
The rates at Kiva Dunes range from $75 US in low season to $98 in high season, but packages can reduce the price.
The nearby twin courses of Cotton Creek at Craft Farms were created from a former sod nursery. Designed by Arnold Palmer, the Cypress Bend and Cotton Creek layouts offer contrasting, inland styles. Cypress Bend is the more challenging 7072-yard par 72 that is rated 73.3 with a 133 slope from the championship tees. (But the red tees are a comfortable 5100 yards.) The par-four sixth is a 396-yard test that requires a skillful second shot over water to peninsula green. The 14th is an arrow-straight 435-yard par four that is bordered by a water hazard down the right side.
Cotton Creek plays long but wide open over its 6848 yards and can accomodate all levels of players. Rates range from $68 (low) to $82 (high) with discouts for twilight rates.
Among the other courses meriting the trip to the Gulf Shores are Lost Key, a tight 6841 yard Arnold Palmer design just across the state line in Perdido Key, Florida, Perdido Bay, the 7072-yard layout that hosted the PGA Tour’s Pensacola Open for 10 years, and Peninsula, a 27-hole complex alongside the Bon Secour State Wildlife Preserve, that was designed by Earl Stone.
The Gulf Shores area can be accessed from either Penscaola or Mobile airports. For more information on golf packages and accommodation, you can contact www.gulfshoresgolf.com.
Just a final word for those who get a little testy when anyone brings up the spectre of hurricane season. Locals politely but firmly point out that while Ivan was two years ago, Myrtle Beach, S.C., had three hurricanes last year alone. The Atlantic coast of Florida experienced five category storms in the 2006 hurricane season. The Carribean-- don’t even ask.
“You don’t measure people around these parts by the things that go wrong,” smiles native Kerry Teague of the Alabama Bureau of Tourism. “We’re a little bit stubborn that way.”