Gulf Shores Golf Resorts, Stay and Play: Where You Can Sleep Next to the First Tee
Gulf Shores golf resorts, stay and play options compared: Kiva Dunes, the Grand Hotel, Lost Key condos, Craft Farms and hotel bundles, prices seen Oct 2026.
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Among Gulf Shores golf resorts, stay and play on the property itself means Kiva Dunes on the Fort Morgan peninsula and the Grand Hotel on Mobile Bay, plus on-course condos at Lost Key and the Craft Farms Bunkhouse. Hotel bundles at the Courtyard and Hampton Inn add three rounds elsewhere. Most prices are quoted on request.
The Alabama Gulf Coast has plenty of beach resorts but only a handful where you can walk to the first tee. This guide sorts true Gulf Shores golf resorts, stay and play hotel bundles and add-on deals, lists what each one includes, and shows where the published numbers let you check the value. Drive times are free-flow road estimates. Prices were seen in October 2026 and change.
Quick facts
- Golf on site, beach side: Kiva Dunes Beach Resort, 18 holes.
- Golf on site, full-service resort: Grand Hotel, Point Clear, 36 holes.
- On-course condos: Lost Key, Perdido Key, Florida.
- On-course group lodge: The Bunkhouse at Craft Farms, 6 rooms, 12 queen beds.
- Hotel bundles: Courtyard Craft Farms and Hampton Inn Gulf Shores, 3 nights and 3 rounds.
- Gulf State Park: its golf course closed permanently in December 2018. Ignore listings that mention it.
Gulf Shores golf resorts, stay and play at a glance
| Property | Golf on site | Stay and play / perks | Drive to other golf (est.) | Price signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiva Dunes Beach Resort | Kiva Dunes | Renter golf discount and preferred tee times (not in peak season); Stay and Play for 2-100 golfers | Peninsula 13, Gulf Shores GC 20 | Quoted on request |
| Grand Hotel, Point Clear | Lakewood Azalea and Dogwood | Grand Golf Escape: room + 2 rounds (through Dec 31, 2026); range balls in resort fee | Quail Creek 18, Rock Creek 21 | Room about $591-$596 (Jan 2027) + 15% resort fee |
| Lost Key condos | Lost Key | Golf not included; some units transfer a membership (unverified) | Perdido Bay 9 | Quoted per unit |
| The Bunkhouse, Craft Farms | Cotton Creek and Cypress Bend | Bag storage; carts staged on tee-time days | Gulf Shores GC about 6 (from the nearby Courtyard) | Ask the club |
| Courtyard Craft Farms | None (Craft Farms 5 min) | 3 nights + 3 rounds: Cypress Bend, Peninsula, Kiva Dunes | Peninsula 15, Kiva 24 | Rooms about $96-$108 (snapshots); package on request |
| Hampton Inn Gulf Shores | None (Gulf Shores GC 3 min) | 3 nights + 3 rounds: Cotton Creek, Cypress Bend, Peninsula | Craft Farms 8, Peninsula 10 | 2-queen rooms from $133 (Oct 22-23, 2026) |
| Perdido Beach Resort | None | Lost Key's named lodging partner; no published package | Lost Key 18, Perdido Bay 20 | About $314-$391 (winter snapshots) |
Kiva Dunes Beach Resort: the beach-side golf resort
This is the closest thing Gulf Shores has to a classic golf resort. Kiva Lodge (23 condos) and Kiva Village (30 renovated condos) overlook the course, and beach homes, some with private pools, house bigger groups. You can walk from the Lodge and Village condos to the first tee and the Kiva Grill.
The course is the area's top-ranked public layout: Jerry Pate's links-style design, Golf Digest's #13 in Alabama (2025-26), with current USGA ratings of 74.9/142 from the 7,122-yard Gold tees. Public golfers paid $174.77 before 2 pm in late October 2026 and $130.84 in December and January. Renters who book directly get a discounted rate and preferred tee times, except during peak golf season; call the golf shop (251-540-7000) for the current renter rate. See the Kiva Dunes course guide.
The Stay and Play program (866-540-7100) handles 2 to 100 golfers. You choose bedding, mix rounds at Kiva Dunes with Peninsula, Craft Farms or Gulf Shores Golf Club, set morning or afternoon tee preferences, and add breakfast at the Kiva Grill. Groups get free Golf Genius scoring. Coastal Alabama Golf also sells Kiva-based packages. Direct bookers get Kiva Beach Club access (March to November), and you can cancel 30 days ahead for a refund.
Watch-outs: no published prices, and the renter discount doesn't apply in peak season. Our Kiva Dunes golf guide and Fort Morgan golf guide cover the course and its neighbors, including Peninsula, 13 minutes away.
The Grand Hotel: 36 holes and a spa
The Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa (Autograph Collection) in Point Clear is the area's full-service golf resort: 405 rooms, seven restaurants and two bars, a 20,000 sq ft spa, and the Lakewood Club's two Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail 18s with a free on-property shuttle. The golf side includes bag storage, club cleaning, wooden lockers and a Trackman range, with range balls covered by the resort fee.
Lakewood's own rack rate with cart is $226 through November 30, 2026, $205 from December 1 to February 28, 2027, and $249 from March 1 to November 30, 2027, with twilight $113 to $129. Azalea is the friendlier course (131 slope from the tips); Dogwood is the USGA championship venue (141). Both are cart-only. The Grand Golf Escape package (room plus two rounds, one per course) was listed through December 31, 2026, with no published price. See the Lakewood Azalea course guide and our Lakewood Golf Club at the Grand Hotel guide.
Watch-outs: the 15% resort fee on top of the room rate, valet at $32 to $39 a night, a 5-day cancellation deadline, and the drive: about 46 minutes to Gulf Shores Golf Club and 64 to Kiva Dunes. It's a golf resort on the bay, not a beach base.
Lost Key condos and the Bunkhouse: sleep on the course
Lost Key, Perdido Key. A gated 413-acre community of 2- and 3-bedroom condos on the Lost Key course, with a free shuttle to a Gulf-front beach club. Golf isn't included, and there's no official stay-and-play package, though Coastal Alabama Golf's "Pure Palmer" package includes Lost Key. Public online rates in late October 2026 were $80 in the morning and $65 after 1 pm. See golf condos in Orange Beach.
The Bunkhouse, Craft Farms. Six bedrooms with two queens each, next to the first tee of Alabama's only Arnold Palmer designs. Craft Farms stores bags and stages carts on your tee-time days. Pair it with the winter Six-Pack ($420 for six rounds, about $70 each, good on both courses; orders due November 15, 2026). See the Cypress Bend course guide.
Hotel stay and play bundles
Coastal Alabama Golf (251-968-5339) sells two hotel bundles on Hwy 59, both three nights and three rounds, double occupancy, with blackout dates and prices on request:
- Courtyard Stay & Play: Cypress Bend, Peninsula and Kiva Dunes. The Courtyard sits on the edge of Craft Farms, with free parking, guest laundry and a bar (The Bistro). Breakfast is extra.
- Hampton Inn Stay & Play: Cotton Creek, Cypress Bend and Peninsula. Free hot breakfast and parking. Renovation runs through January 15, 2027.
The Courtyard version includes Kiva Dunes, the priciest round on the coast, so ask what tee times the package allows. Compare against booking yourself in Gulf Shores golf packages vs booking it yourself.
Eastern Shore and Perdido stay and play
- Rock Creek, Fairhope: with Jubilee Suites B&B, a $160 per-person add-on to a suite includes 18 holes, a cart, range balls and a $20 food and drink card. Rock Creek's own October 2026 tee sheet ran $89 in the morning down to $41 from 3 pm on a Saturday, so the add-on is a convenience, not a discount. See Rock Creek Golf Club in Fairhope.
- Perdido Bay: Cottages On the Green sit beside the course, which hosted the PGA Tour's Pensacola Open from 1978 to 1987. No package price was found.
- RTJ Trail specials: two-day-minimum packages at Lakewood ($215 a day in fall and spring, $180 in winter) and Magnolia Grove (from $115 a day, $85 in winter), with cart and range balls, booked 48 hours ahead. They're golf only; lodging is separate.
Is a golf resort worth it in Gulf Shores?
| Question | Golf resort or on-course stay | Regular hotel or condo |
|---|---|---|
| Walk to the first tee? | Yes (Kiva Dunes, Grand Hotel shuttle, Lost Key, Bunkhouse) | No |
| Golf discount? | Kiva renters off-peak; RTJ and hotel bundles | Twilight and winter cards |
| Mix many courses? | Kiva and Coastal Alabama Golf packages mix 3-4 | Any course, any day |
| Beach access? | Kiva Beach Club (Mar-Nov); Lost Key beach club shuttle | Beachfront hotels |
| Price transparency | Mostly quoted on request | Published nightly rates |
Among Gulf Shores golf resorts, stay and play pays off most at Kiva Dunes: if you'll play it three or more times, the on-site condos are hard to beat. If your list is spread from Fort Morgan to Perdido Key, a central hotel and your own tee times are simpler. For couples, the couples golf trip Gulf Shores guide weighs the Grand Hotel against the beach. For every hotel and condo, see Gulf Shores golf hotels.
Questions to ask before you book stay and play
- Which courses and tee times are included, and are any blacked out?
- Is the renter or package rate valid in peak season (February to May)?
- Are carts, range balls and taxes included?
- What are the resort fee, cleaning fee and parking charges?
- What's the cancellation deadline, and what happens in a hurricane evacuation?
Plan it on the map
Click any resort on the 3D map of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach golf to see its drive to every course. The right choice among Gulf Shores golf resorts, stay and play or not, is the one closest to the rounds you'll play most.
Courses in this guide
Questions golfers ask
What is the best golf resort in Gulf Shores?
For golf on site at the beach, Kiva Dunes Beach Resort: its condos overlook the course that Golf Digest ranks #13 in Alabama, and direct renters get discounted golf and preferred tee times outside peak season. For a full-service resort, the Grand Hotel in Point Clear has 36 holes and a spa, about 51 minutes from Gulf Shores.
Does Kiva Dunes offer stay and play packages?
Yes. Kiva Dunes sells Stay and Play packages for 2 to 100 golfers by phone (866-540-7100), with rounds at Kiva Dunes or a mix with Peninsula, Craft Farms or Gulf Shores Golf Club, tee-time preferences, optional breakfast at the Kiva Grill and free Golf Genius scoring for groups. Prices vary by season and are quoted on request.
Which Gulf Shores hotels have stay and play packages?
Coastal Alabama Golf sells a three-night, three-round package at the Courtyard by Marriott at Craft Farms (Cypress Bend, Peninsula and Kiva Dunes) and at Hampton Inn Gulf Shores (Cotton Creek, Cypress Bend and Peninsula), both double occupancy with blackout dates and prices on request at 251-968-5339.
Is there a golf resort in Orange Beach?
Not with a course on site. Perdido Beach Resort is Lost Key Golf Club's named lodging partner, about 18 minutes away, but no package price was published. The nearest on-course lodging is the Lost Key condo community on Perdido Key, Florida, where golf is not included in the rentals.
How much does the Grand Hotel golf package cost?
The Grand Golf Escape (a room plus two rounds, one on each course) was listed on Marriott through December 31, 2026, without a published price. For reference, a January 2027 room snapshot was about $591 to $596 a night before the 15% resort fee, and Lakewood's rack rate with cart is $205 from December to February.
Can you stay on the golf course at Craft Farms?
Yes, in The Bunkhouse, a six-bedroom lodge next to the first tee with two queens in each room. Craft Farms says it stores bags and stages carts on your tee-time days. It's built for golf groups; ask the club for rates.
Are stay and play packages cheaper than booking Gulf Shores golf yourself?
Sometimes. Rock Creek's $160 per-person add-on at Jubilee Suites in Fairhope includes 18 holes, a cart, range balls and a $20 food and drink card, while Rock Creek's own October 2026 rates ran $41 to $89. Compare the package against the course's tee sheet for your dates, since several courses price dynamically.
Keep reading
PlanningGulf Shores Golf Packages: What They Include and When Booking It Yourself WinsGulf Shores golf packages checked October 2026: Kiva Dunes Stay & Play, Coastal Alabama Golf, RTJ specials and the Grand Hotel, and when DIY is cheaper.7 min read
CoursesThe Best Golf Courses in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, RankedThe best golf courses in Gulf Shores ranked: Kiva Dunes, Craft Farms, Peninsula, Lost Key and more, with rankings, slopes, fees seen October 2026 and tips.8 min read
CoursesGulf Shores Golf Courses: The Complete List, With Fees, Slopes and Drive TimesEvery Gulf Shores golf course and nearby Orange Beach, Perdido Key and Eastern Shore option, with green fees seen October 2026, slopes, drive times and tips.9 min read