Great courses abound along the entire Gulf Coast, of course, and we'll look at some of the Florida courses another time. (Wait 'till you hear about Sandestin!) For now, though, we'll concentrate on Alabama.
John, my husband, makes at least one trip per year to the Gulf region to play golf with three of his friends. He loves the courses, and the fact that he can go any time from early in the spring to late in the fall and usually expect warm weather. Since this is a golf article, we won't mention the trips to Lambert's - home of the throwed rolls - to gorge themselves into oblivion. We'll visit Lambert's in the article on Foley, since that's where it's located.
In earlier articles, I got to cover my favorite places to stay and to eat, so I'll let John have his picks on the best courses in the Gulf Shores area.
John's favorite course is Woodlands. Created by PGA star Larry Nelson, the 18-hole course has lots of water in the form of lakes and marshes and great landscaping. Course length ranges from 6,600 yards from the blue tees to 5,145 yards from the red tees. John says that it is easy enough for the average golfer to enjoy playing, but challenging enough to make Doug, his buddy who shoots par, happy. They offer packages that include accommodations at The Courtyard by Marriott, located about a mile from the course. For more information, call (800) 360-9375. Next on John's "must-play" list is Peninsula, part of a coastal community featuring a multitude of recreational facilities. The golf course is a 27-hole beauty landscaped with native plants. Tall pine trees provide both privacy and difficulty as they wind around each hole. John says that the landscaping is what makes it his favorite; he thinks it's the prettiest course in the area, although he admits that many of them are spectacular. Course length is comparable to Woodlands, with an extra set of gold tees for 7026 yards. Peninsula is on Highway 180, or Fort Morgan Road. For more information, call (800) 646-5554.
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