Perdido Bay Golf Club, Pensacola: The Former PGA Tour Course 22 Minutes From Orange Beach

Perdido Bay Golf Club, Pensacola, FL, is a public 18-hole course that hosted the PGA Tour's Pensacola Open from 1978 to 1987, about 22 minutes from Orange Beach. It plays 7,052 yards at a 138 slope from the Gold tees, and its 2026 rate card charges $85 in the morning, $65 from 1 PM and $50 at twilight, tax included.

It is the Florida-side value course for Orange Beach golfers: long, flat and full of water, with fair prices and a local rate that covers Baldwin County. This guide covers the history, the tees, fees, booking rules and where to stay.

Quick facts

• Address: 1 Doug Ford Dr, Pensacola, FL 32507. Golf shop 850-492-1223. Central Time, same as Alabama.
• Course: 18 holes, par 72, 5,176 to 7,052 yards.
• History: opened 1963 (Bill Amick); 2001 redesign by Amick and Bill Bergin; PGA Tour Pensacola Open host 1978-1987.
• Tips: 74.3 rating, 138 slope (USGA).
• 2026 rates (tax included): $85 morning, $65 from 1 to 3 PM, $50 twilight, $70 local rate.
• Booking: 14 days ahead; no singles or twosomes before 10 AM.
• From Orange Beach / Gulf Shores: about 22 / 35 minutes.
• Reviews: GolfPass 4.2 from 891 reviews; Google 4.1 from 351.

Find it on the Gulf Shores golf map and in the Perdido Bay course guide.

Perdido Bay Golf Club Pensacola history: the PGA Tour years

Perdido Bay opened in 1963 as a Bill Amick design. Some listings give 1962, and one names it Sportsman Golf Resort originally; it was also once Perdido Bay Country Club. From 1978 to 1987 it was the home of the PGA Tour's Pensacola Open.

In 2001 Amick and Bill Bergin redesigned it and stretched it past 7,000 yards (one listing dates the work to 2000). The club also says it was a Golf Digest "Best New Public Course" nominee, without giving a year.

Today it is a public daily-fee course with memberships and an annual pass, and you don't need to be a member or a guest to play.

What is the course like?

Flat coastal parkland, long and narrow, with more than half a dozen lakes, mounding, and raised greens and tees. Water is in play on most holes. The scorecard difficulty is real from the back: 74.3 with a 138 slope from the Golds, and the women's slopes run 127 to 144.

The back nine is where it bites. From the Gold tees the back slopes 146 against 129 on the front, and the men's nine-hole slopes from the Blue and Gold tees run 141 to 146. On our map's hole data the back nine measures about 3,650 yards against about 3,370 on the front.

• No. 10, par 4. GolfNow lists it at 450 yards with a lake down the left. It is the No. 1 handicap hole and the start of the harder nine.
• No. 15, par 5. The longest hole on our map's data at about 572 yards.
• Par 3s. Two of the four, the 4th and 13th, run about 210 yards on the map.

If you like long, watery tests, our hardest golf courses in Gulf Shores ranks Perdido Bay against the rest by slope.

Perdido Bay tees and ratings

USGA ratings, which match the course record exactly (checked October 2026).

Most visiting men will be happiest at the Whites (6,081 yards, 128 slope) or the Blacks (5,562, 118). Note the colors: here the Black tee is a forward tee, not the tips.

How much does Perdido Bay Golf Club Pensacola cost?

These are the official 2026 Spring-Summer rates, valid March 2 to November 2, 2026, with tax included. Seen October 22, 2026; rates change.

The rate card does not say whether a cart is included; GolfNow sells its Perdido Bay rates as cart-included, and reviews mention GPS carts. The walking policy is not published.

After the posted season ends on November 2, the live tee sheet for November 4, 2026 still showed $85, $65 and $50. Winter rates were not posted.

The $70 local rate is worth knowing. Baldwin County includes Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, so condo owners and long-stay snowbirds with proof of residence qualify. Our cheap golf in Gulf Shores guide lists the other local and late-day deals.

How does Perdido Bay compare with nearby courses?

Prices were seen October 2026. Drive times are from central Orange Beach where published, otherwise from central Gulf Shores.

Perdido Bay and Lost Key are neighbors on the Florida side (the Lost Key condos are 3.6 miles from Perdido Bay) and both open 14 days ahead, so they pair naturally. Lost Key is tighter and drew top conditioning marks in fall 2026 reviews; see the Lost Key course guide. If you want the area's headline course instead, the Kiva Dunes course guide has it at roughly double the price. Our Perdido Key golf post covers the two Florida courses together.

How do you book Perdido Bay tee times?

• 14 days ahead for the public, online through TeeItUp or by phone.
• Groups of four or more can book further out by contacting the golf shop.
• No singles or twosomes before 10 AM. Solo players and pairs should look at late morning.
• Afternoon savings: the price drops $20 at 1 PM and another $15 at twilight.

The Gulf Shores tee times booking guide shows how that window compares with every course in the area.

Conditions: what to expect

Reviews of Perdido Bay Golf Club, Pensacola, are generally solid (GolfPass 4.2 from 891 reviews), but two things come up:

• Slow greens. Reviews from September and October 2026 call the greens slow.
• Winter color. No overseed or aerification schedule is published. Google's review summary quotes winter golf as dormant grass and hard greens, which suggests the fairways are not overseeded. That is low confidence, but plan for tan fairways and firm, bouncy conditions from about December to March. Our post on winter overseeding in Gulf Shores explains the pattern across the area.

On pace, one September 2026 GolfPass reviewer reported 3.5 hours; otherwise it isn't published.

Practice, food, lodging and dress code

• Practice: a large driving range, putting green, chipping green, and greenside and fairway practice bunkers, open to the public seven days a week.
• Food: Legends Bar & Grille serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with all-day happy hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays. No outside food or drink.
• Lessons: through Perdido Bay Pro.
• On-site lodging: Cottages On the Green sits beside the course, so a stay-and-play is possible. No package price is published.
• Dress code: collared shirts for men (golf mock collars are fine); no T-shirts, cutoffs or swimwear. GolfNow adds no denim and soft spikes only.

Where to stay near Perdido Bay

Drive times are free-flow road estimates without traffic.

Hotel prices are single-night snapshots from October 22, 2026, not quotes. Orange Beach is the natural base for Perdido Bay; our Orange Beach golf trip guide covers basing there and splitting rounds between the Florida courses and Gulf Shores.

Is Perdido Bay Golf Club Pensacola worth it?

For a golfer who likes length and water, yes. You get a real 7,000-yard championship test with tour history for $85 in the morning or $50 late, and $70 if you can prove Baldwin County residence. Expect slow greens and, in winter, dormant fairways. If conditioning matters more than price, Lost Key down the road is the better-kept course for a similar online rate.

Plan it on the map

Open the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach golf map, click Perdido Bay and your Orange Beach hotel, and check the drive to Lost Key next door. Perdido Bay Golf Club Pensacola fits best as one half of a Florida-side golf day.