Lakewood Azalea vs Dogwood: Which Grand Hotel Course Should You Play?

Lakewood Azalea vs Dogwood comes down to how much challenge you want. Dogwood is the harder Grand Hotel course, 7,104 yards at 75.2/141 from the back, with three water par 3s and a USGA championship history. Azalea is friendlier, 7,156 yards at 74.4/131, with a peninsula-green par 5. Both cost the same, so pick by handicap, day and month.

Our full Lakewood Golf Club at the Grand Hotel guide covers history, booking and the hotel. This one answers a narrower question: if you only have one round at the Grand, which course should it be? Prices were seen in October 2026, are plus tax, and change.

Quick facts

• Both courses: Lakewood Azalea and Lakewood Dogwood, par 72, at the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa in Point Clear, on the RTJ Golf Trail since 2005.
• Original design: Perry Maxwell, 1947, reworked and expanded to 36 holes by Bobby Vaughan in 2004-05. Which original holes ended up in which course isn't clearly documented.
• Latest renovations: Dogwood finished summer 2018; Azalea reopened November 2019 after about 18 months.
• Turf: both have TifEagle ultradwarf greens and Celebration bermuda fairways, per the Grand Hotel.
• Fee: identical for both, $205 to $249 with cart depending on the date.
• Walking: not allowed on either.
• Shop: 251-990-6312. Google rates the club 4.4 from 225 reviews (one listing for both).
• From central Gulf Shores: about 51 minutes, 30.2 miles.

Lakewood Azalea vs Dogwood at a glance

Which is harder, Azalea or Dogwood?

Dogwood, clearly, from the back. Ten slope points separate them at the Purple and Orange tees. But the gap isn't the same at every tee, and that's the most useful thing to know when you choose.

Dogwood also has a Purple/Orange combo at 6,952 yards (74.6/140).

What this means in practice:

• From about 6,350 yards and up, Dogwood is a much bigger test. Long hitters who want the harder course should play it from the Orange or Orange/White tees.
• From the Whites and White/Teal, the two courses rate almost the same: 3 points and then 1 point apart. Dogwood is shorter at both. A mid-handicapper playing about 5,700 to 6,100 yards can pick on looks, not difficulty.
• From the forward tees, the gap opens again to 7 points. Short hitters will find Dogwood's water-guarded par 3s harder, even though the course is shorter.

For women, Dogwood rates 78.6/139 from the Orange tees and 75.7/131 from the Whites; Azalea's Whites are 74.7/128 at par 73. From the Reds, Azalea is 66.5/109 and Dogwood 67.3/114.

To see where Dogwood's 141 sits among every course near the beach, read our hardest golf courses in Gulf Shores ranking. For the gentler end, see easy golf courses in Gulf Shores for high handicappers.

Which course has the better holes?

Azalea's best holes

• #14, par 5, 538 yards from the tips: a peninsula green in a four-acre lake. The club calls it Lakewood's signature hole. Lay up to a full-swing yardage rather than a half wedge.
• #4, par 3, 62 to 176 yards: over water to a wide green, where the pin side changes the shot.
• #15, par 3: over marsh and sand with little room short.

The rest of the card is about framing: azaleas, pines and live oaks along the fairways, with bay breezes off Mobile Bay. The Azalea course page has the full tee list.

Dogwood's best holes

• #17, par 3, 119 to 209 yards: water down the entire right and in front of a bulkheaded green.
• #3, par 3, up to 217 yards: a carry over marsh and sand to a large green.
• #4, par 4: to a green on a peninsula in the pond.
• #7, par 4, 310 yards: drivable, but the yardage book advises laying up short of the center bunker.
• #13, par 3, 238 yards: the longest par 3 on the course.

The par 3s at 3, 8 and 17 all carry water or marsh, which is where much of Dogwood's extra difficulty lives. The Dogwood course page shows the routing.

Lakewood Azalea vs Dogwood: which should you play?

For couples, our couples golf trip to Gulf Shores guide covers the rest of the trip.

Do Azalea and Dogwood cost the same?

Yes. The Grand Hotel's golf page lists one rate for both courses (18 holes with cart, plus tax, seen October 2026):

The table doesn't separate guest and public rates. RTJ's two-day-or-more special was $215 a day in fall 2026 and spring and summer 2027, and $180 in winter, with cart and range balls.

Can you play both in one day?

Yes. RTJ's unlimited-play day at Lakewood was $260 in winter (Nov 16, 2026 to Mar 7, 2027), $345 in spring (Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays only) and $360 in summer (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays). Note that the spring and summer unlimited days include Mondays and Tuesdays, when one course has its maintenance day, so ask the shop which course will be in play before you book.

The other way to play both is the Grand Hotel's "Grand Golf Escape" package: a room plus two rounds covering Dogwood and Azalea, valid July 28 to December 31, 2026. Later dates and prices weren't published. Our Gulf Shores golf resorts guide compares it with the beach stay-and-play options, and 36 holes a day in Gulf Shores covers pacing a double.

Play Dogwood first if you're doing both, while your swing and concentration are fresh.

When is the best time to play Lakewood?

Point Clear is on the Eastern Shore, which is colder than the beach on winter mornings. NOAA normals for Fairhope show January lows of about 37°F (frost delays are possible) and highs near 62°F. October (about 81°F highs) and March to April (72°F to 78°F) are the prime months. July and August highs run about 91°F with rain on 14 to 15 days a month.

Winter is the cheapest time: $205 on the hotel table and $180 a day on the RTJ special. Avoid early June for Dogwood and August for Azalea.

Lakewood Azalea vs Dogwood by month

Outside the two aerification windows, the calendar doesn't settle Lakewood Azalea vs Dogwood; your handicap does.

Pairing Lakewood with other courses

• RTJ Swing special: one round at Lakewood and one at Magnolia Grove in Mobile, $216 in winter, $295 in fall and spring, $265 in summer (no Saturdays). Magnolia Grove is about 66 minutes from the Grand. See our Magnolia Grove Crossings vs Falls comparison.
• Fairhope: Quail Creek is about 18 minutes from the Grand and Rock Creek about 21. Our Eastern Shore golf guide covers both.

Plan it on the map

For Lakewood Azalea vs Dogwood, both courses sit 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 Point Clear, then use the tables above to pick Azalea or Dogwood for the day you have.