A Beginner’s Guide to Gulf Shores Golf
Golf is one of those lifelong sports you can play when you’re 8 or 88, and no age is too old to begin the journey of learning to play the game.
Gulf Shores is a great place for beginning golfers for several reasons. The sub-tropical climate proves perfect nearly year-round, there are plenty of great courses and clubs offering lessons from PGA pros, driving ranges for practice and beautiful views as a bonus.
Gulf Shores Golf for Beginners
The Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club offers three different nine-hole courses – Marsh, Lakes and Cypress – creating a nice atmosphere to introduce a new golfer to different challenges within the same venue. Designed by Earl Stone and located on Mobile Bay, The Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club has been given 4 ½ stars by Golf Digest and was selected as one of the “most memorable and enjoyable” courses in the southeast. Golfers will find a recently remodeled clubhouse with a restaurant and a bar, an 8,000-square-foot fitness center, eight tennis courts, and indoor and outdoor pools.
While it’s a tough course for beginners, the stunning design and beachside setting makes Kiva Dunes a course every golfer longs to play. Kiva Dunes is located on the Fort Morgan peninsula of Gulf Shores and is the No. 1-ranked golf course in the state of Alabama. Developed by Jim Edgemon and U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate, this course saw 2015 renovations that make it more playable for average golfers yet challenging for better golfers. Golf lessons (individual or group) are available from Rea Schuessler, an award-winning PGA golf instructor with more than 25 years of experience and there is a full-service, full-swing practice facility at Kiva Dunes – perfect for beginners. Additionally, there is a full-service clubhouse with a fitness center and the Kiva Beach Club. Onsite bonuses of four pools and luxury accommodations makes Kiva Dunes a fantastic choice for any golfer.
Built in 1967, The Gulf Shores Golf Club was the first one to call Gulf Shores home. A 2005 renovation lengthened the Jay and Carter Morrish-designed course, added water tests and bunkers, and enhanced fairways. This golf club, complete with stately oaks and lots of wildlife, has a plantation-style clubhouse, a restaurant and pro shop. The driving range and practice putting green will be of particular interest to beginning golfers.
Golfers can have a unique experience at The Refuge Golf Course at Gulf State Park by playing a championship course within a state park venue close to the beach. Earl Stone designed this 18-hole course chock-full of natural beauty and wildlife. Beginning golfers can look forward to a practice range, putting green and a pro shop.
Cotton Creek at Craft Farms is a traditional course designed by Arnold Palmer, and actually his first course on the Gulf Coast. Challenging, but not intimidating, the tree-lined fairways, doglegs and smaller greens make it a nice course for beginners who are spreading their wings into “real” courses. Golfers enjoy the Cotton Creek clubhouse and on-site lodging.
Join other beginning golfers and increase your skills with exciting courses, unique amenities, driving ranges and professional lessons on the courses of Gulf Shores.
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