Lake Forest Golf Club, Daphne, AL: Fees, Tees, Booking and Whether It's Worth the Drive

Lake Forest Golf Club in Daphne is a public-access, 18-hole Earl Stone course owned by the Lake Forest Property Owners Association. Non-members paid $55 for 18 holes with cart (seen October 2026). It's short and tree-lined, 6,324 yards and slope 123 from the Blues, and about 63 minutes from Gulf Shores, so it suits golfers already on the Eastern Shore.

That's the honest summary. Lake Forest is a neighborhood course with a fair price, not a destination. This guide covers what it costs, how it plays, how to book, and how it stacks up against the other Daphne and Fairhope options if you're deciding where to spend an Eastern Shore day. Prices were seen October 22, 2026 and change. Drive times are free-flow road estimates without traffic.

Quick facts

• Name on the map: Lake Forest Golf Club (the USGA lists it as Lake Forest Yacht & Country Club, Forest Course)
• Address: 1 Golf Terrace, Daphne, AL
• Phones: tee times 251-626-9324; pro shop 251-626-0788
• Access: semi-private; open to the public at a non-member rate
• Designer: Earl Stone
• Holes: 18, par 72 (the old Lake nine is closed)
• Length: 4,840 to 6,324 yards
• Greens: Champion ultradwarf bermuda; bermuda fairways and tees
• Fee seen: $55 with cart (non-member), $30 for Lake Forest homeowners
• Public play: Tuesday to Sunday, 7 am to 4 pm
• From central Gulf Shores: about 63 minutes, 38.8 miles
• Google rating: 3.9 from 177 reviews (October 2026)

How much does Lake Forest Golf Club in Daphne cost?

The Lake Forest POA golf page posts one flat non-member rate: $55 for 18 holes, cart included. It gives no season dates, so we've treated it as the current year-round rate. Lake Forest homeowners pay $30 with cart, and yearly memberships are handled by the golf director.

GolfNow sometimes undercuts the posted rate. Hot Deals were seen at about $32 to $41 with cart during 2026. A twilight rate and a booking window aren't published.

For context, here's how that compares with the other Eastern Shore public courses (all seen October 2026):

At $55 any time of day, Lake Forest is cheaper than a morning tee time at TimberCreek or Rock Creek, but those two drop below it in the late afternoon. Our cheap golf in Gulf Shores guide has the full list of twilight and local deals.

How does Lake Forest Golf Club in Daphne play?

Rolling, tree-lined residential parkland with some elevation change. At 6,324 yards from the tips, it's the shortest public regulation 18 on the Eastern Shore apart from Quail Creek. The Lake Forest course page has the full tee list. Accuracy off the tee matters more than length, because the trees frame the holes and the course runs between homes.

The club doesn't name signature holes, and we don't have a hole-by-hole card, so we won't invent one.

Tees and ratings

USGA ratings for the Forest Course (checked October 2026):

The White/Green combo is the useful one. At 5,667 yards and a 112 slope, it splits the difference for players who find the Whites a bit long. Most visiting men will be comfortable at the Whites.

Choosing tees at Lake Forest Golf Club in Daphne

Because the course is short, the tee choice is simpler than at most Baldwin County golf courses:

• Low handicaps: the Blues are the only set over 6,000 yards, and at 123 they're still gentler than the Blue tees at TimberCreek (128 to 132) or Rock Creek (132).
• Mid handicaps: the Whites (5,984 yards, 69.6/118) are about 340 yards shorter than the Blues and 5 slope points easier.
• High handicaps and seniors: the White/Green combo (5,667, 112) or the Greens (5,391, 111). The two are only one slope point apart, so pick by length.
• Women: the Reds rate 69.6/112 and the Golds 68.6/111, so the shorter Golds give up little in difficulty.

A mixed group can spread across the Blue and Red tees, a gap of 1,340 yards, and still share carts at the same flat $55 rate.

Lake Forest vs the other Daphne and Fairhope courses

Lake Forest is about 900 yards shorter than TimberCreek from the back and 14 slope points easier. If you want a challenge on an Eastern Shore day, TimberCreek or Rock Creek is the better pick. If you want a relaxed, quick round with a cart included at a flat price, Lake Forest fits. The TimberCreek course page has the tees for all three combinations, and our TimberCreek in Daphne and Rock Creek in Fairhope guides cover those two in detail.

How do you book a tee time at Lake Forest?

Two ways:

1. GolfNow. Lake Forest lists its tee times there, including the occasional Hot Deal.
2. Phone. Call the tee-time line at 251-626-9324, or the pro shop at 251-626-0788.

The POA page lists tee times Tuesday to Sunday, 7 am to 4 pm, so plan on no regular public play on Mondays. No public booking window is published. If you're driving over from the beach, call a day or two ahead to confirm the tee sheet. For booking windows at every course in the area, see our Gulf Shores tee times guide.

Practice, food and lessons

• Range: a large driving range, open seven days, with an automated ball dispenser.
• Short game: putting green, chipping green and practice bunker.
• Food: the 19th Hole Grill.
• Lessons: with Golf Director Todd Bailey, PGA. The POA page lists $85 for a 45- to 60-minute lesson or $450 for six.
• Dress code: collared shirts required.
• Walking: the walking policy isn't published; the posted rate includes a cart.

The range being open daily is useful if you're staying on the Eastern Shore and want a practice session on a Monday, when the course itself isn't taking public times.

When is the best time to play Lake Forest?

Daphne is inland on the Eastern Shore, and it's colder than the beach on winter mornings. NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for Fairhope, the nearest Eastern Shore station, show:

Frost delays are possible on December and January mornings, so a mid-morning tee time is the safer choice in winter. October and April are the sweet spots. Summer is hot and wet, with rain on 14 to 15 days a month in July and August. Overseeding and aeration dates aren't published, so call before booking in late spring or summer.

Is Lake Forest Golf Club in Daphne worth the drive from Gulf Shores?

Not on its own. At about 63 minutes each way from central Gulf Shores, it's the farthest public Eastern Shore course from the beach, and Lakewood, Quail Creek, Rock Creek and TimberCreek are all closer.

It makes sense in three cases:

1. You're staying on the Eastern Shore. From the Grand Hotel it's about 33 minutes, a fair hop for a $55 round after a day at Lakewood Azalea.
2. You're pairing it with TimberCreek. Both are in Daphne and roughly the same distance from the beach (57 versus 63 minutes), so an Eastern Shore 36-hole day can put a harder round at TimberCreek and an easier one here. Check the drive between them on the map before you commit.
3. You want a cheap, low-stress round for a mixed group. A short, tree-lined course with cart included at one flat price is easy to plan for players of different levels.

From the inland hotels the drive is shorter: about 49 minutes from Hampton Inn Foley and 56 minutes from the Courtyard at Craft Farms. Our Eastern Shore golf guide shows how a Fairhope and Daphne day fits around the beach courses, and the 5-day Gulf Shores and Eastern Shore itinerary splits a week between the two.

What we couldn't confirm

• The opening year: directories give 1969 and 1971.
• A booking window, twilight rate or walking policy: none are published.
• Overseed and aeration dates: not published.
• The club's "course of the year" award for 2014 from Golf Today is the club's own claim.

Plan it on the map

Lake Forest Golf Club in Daphne sits off the beach map with the other Eastern Shore courses. Open the Gulf Shores golf map and click your hotel to see the drive to Lake Forest next to TimberCreek, Rock Creek and Quail Creek, then decide whether a Daphne day is worth it for your group.