Gulf Shores Golf Club: The Original Course Near the Beach, With Fees, Tees and Twilight Deals

Gulf Shores Golf Club is the original Gulf Shores course, a public par 71 that opened in 1964 and sits 1.7 miles from the beach, about 7 minutes from Hwy 59 and Beach Blvd. It plays 6,856 yards from the Gold tees (72.9 rating, 127 slope) with water on many holes, and on the tee sheet seen in October 2026 a round with cart cost $139 in the morning and $79 to $99 at twilight.

It is the easiest regulation round to fit around a beach day, and its fall and winter twilight rates are among the better deals in Gulf Shores golf. This guide covers the course, the tees, fees, booking and the hotels closest to it.

Gulf Shores Golf Club at a glance

Find it on the map and in the Gulf Shores Golf Club course guide. The scorecard still uses the name Gulf Shores Country Club.

History: 1964 course, 2005 rebuild

The course dates to 1964. GolfPass credits Earl Stone with the original design, but we could not confirm it. What is clear is the rebuild: the club closed in November 2005 for a full renovation by Jay and Carter Morrish, which added about 300 yards plus new water features, fairways and bunkers. The ratings were last revised on January 24, 2017, and the club finished upgrades to the 18th hole in summer 2026.

The holes to know

The club describes the course as traditional coastal parkland with water in play on most holes. These are the ones it singles out:

• #4, par 3, 208 yards. Over water to a large green. The club's tip is to play to the right-center.
• #7, par 5, 601 yards. Bunker right and water left off the tee. The club calls it the toughest par 5 in Baldwin County.
• #17, par 4, 470 yards. Water down the entire right side.
• #18, par 5, 528 yards. A risk-reward finish over water that guards the whole front of the green. This is the hole upgraded in 2026.

The closing stretch is the test: a 470-yard par 4 with water all the way down one side, then a reachable par 5 where going for it means carrying water. The club says it targets a four-hour round and uses rangers.

Keep an eye out for fox squirrels, raccoons, alligators and snakes. The club asks you to leave them alone.

Tees and ratings

These are from the club's scorecard (ratings revised January 24, 2017) and match the current USGA database, which calls the Teal tee Green.

The club's About page gives 123 for the Gold slope, but its own scorecard says 127, which we use. The forward tees are easy (slopes of 107 to 114), so this is a comfortable course for a mixed group or a couple.

Gulf Shores Golf Club fees and twilight

All prices are public riding rates from the foreUP tee sheet for specific dates (October 27 and 31, November 17 and December 5, 2026), seen October 22, 2026. Rates include the cart; tax may be extra. Peak (February to April) and summer rates were not yet visible on the 46-day sheet. Rates change, so check yours.

The twilight start moves with sunset, which is why it starts as early as 12:30 PM in December. A $79 winter afternoon round this close to the beach is one of the better values on the coast.

Compare third-party sites too. GolfNow hot deals for October 23-28, 2026 were $74.99 to $79.99 for afternoon times, below the club's own $99 twilight.

A range-only pass is $25 per person with unlimited balls. For more ways to save, see cheap golf in Gulf Shores.

The Shore Club membership

If you are in town for a while (or come back every winter), the optional Shore Club membership costs $199 a year. It gives 25% off rack rates every day, twilight one hour early and six guest passes at 25% off. At the $139 October morning rate, 25% off is about $35 a round, so it pays for itself in about six rounds. Snowbirds should look at it alongside the Craft Farms Six-Pack; our senior golf in Gulf Shores guide covers both.

Booking Gulf Shores Golf Club tee times

• 46 days ahead online through foreUP for the public.
• Credit card required, with a maximum of four players per booking.
• Groups larger than four should call the pro shop.

Our Gulf Shores tee times booking guide puts this next to the other courses' windows, which run from 14 days at the Perdido Key courses to 120 days at Kiva Dunes.

Cart, practice, food and dress code

The cart is included and walking is not allowed. A beverage cart runs year-round. There is a driving range and putting green.

The clubhouse restaurant and bar has a deck over the course. The grill opens at 7 AM for breakfast, with lunch specials, happy hour and dinner. Callaway rental sets cost $50 for 18 holes and $25 for nine, and lessons are through the Schuessler Golf Academy.

Dress code: collared shirts with appropriate shorts or pants for men, no cut-offs or swimsuits, soft spikes only.

When to play

The course is open year-round. The club calls fall (September to November) one of its best stretches, and warns about heat and thunderstorms on summer afternoons, so play summer rounds before 9 AM. At the Pensacola reference station, July highs average about 89°F with rain on about 13 days, while October averages about 79°F with about seven rain days. No overseed or aeration dates are published, so call the pro shop. See our best time to golf in Gulf Shores for month-by-month detail.

Where to stay near Gulf Shores Golf Club

Drive times are road estimates from our routing.

All hotel prices were seen October 22, 2026 for single nights and will change. For the full comparison, see Gulf Shores golf hotels.

One thing to know if you stay at the Lodge: the state park's own golf course closed permanently in December 2018, so ignore older listings that mention a Gulf State Park golf course. Gulf Shores Golf Club is the nearest regulation course to the Lodge.

Pairing it with other Gulf Shores golf courses

Gulf Shores Golf Club works as the easy round of a trip. The Craft Farms courses (Cotton Creek and Cypress Bend) are a few minutes up Hwy 59, and Peninsula and Kiva Dunes are down Fort Morgan Road. Kiva Dunes also builds Stay & Play packages that can include Gulf Shores Golf Club. See all of them in our Gulf Shores golf courses guide.

Plan it on the map

The Gulf Shores golf map shows Gulf Shores Golf Club a few minutes from the beach, with the Hwy 59 hotels and their drive times around it. Click the course to see its tees, then plan the rest of the trip around it.