Perdido Key Golf Guide: Lost Key, Perdido Bay and Where to Stay on the Pensacola Side of Orange Beach

Perdido Key golf means two public courses on the Florida side of Orange Beach: Lost Key Golf Club on Perdido Key itself, and Perdido Bay Golf Club just inland at a Pensacola address. Lost Key is the better-conditioned, tighter test with paspalum from tee to green; Perdido Bay is a long, former PGA Tour course with fair prices. Both are about 20 minutes from central Orange Beach.

This guide covers both courses, the cheaper Alabama-side options nearby, and where to stay on the Pensacola side of Orange Beach golf. Drive times are free-flow road estimates without traffic. Fees were seen in October 2026 and change.

Perdido Key golf at a glance

Both Florida courses are on Central Time, the same as Orange Beach.

Lost Key Golf Club

Lost Key opened in 1997 and was redesigned in 2006 by Arnold Palmer Design Group after hurricane damage, when it was regrassed tee to green with Sea Dwarf seashore paspalum. That grass is unusual for the area, and the course drew a 5 out of 5 for conditions in each of its last ten GolfPass reviews (September to October 2026). Our research rates it the best-conditioned course in this group.

It's also tight. Water and marsh line many holes, with heavy sand and waste areas, and the slope is 143 from the Black tees. Most visitors should play a tee forward:

Women's ratings run from 78.1/150 on the Blues to 64.6/113 on the Orange tees (4,071 yards).

Holes to know. The club calls the par-3 13th its signature hole, with three distinct pin zones. The 2nd is a long par 3 with a 64-yard-deep green, so check the pin: front to back is about 18 yards of club. The 4th is a short risk-reward par 4 (292 from the Blues) with water on both sides and behind the green. The 16th green sits in a wind tunnel; the club says aim right-middle. The 17th is the longest par 4 (430 from the Blues) with the longest forced carry, and the 18th is a dogleg-left par 5 you can reach in two.

Booking and fees. The posted rack rate (effective August 21, 2026) is $95 for 18 before 1 pm and $75 after, but online TeeItUp prices for late October and early November 2026 were lower: $80 before about 1 pm and $65 after. Add 7.5% Florida sales tax and a 3% card fee. Cart appears to be included for golfers; a non-golfing rider pays $15. Military rates are $65, juniors $55. The tee sheet opens 14 days ahead at midnight. Carts may be kept to paths in late fall and winter.

Grille 625 in the clubhouse serves breakfast and lunch with a bar, and is open to the public seven days. Rental clubs are $79 for 18. See the Lost Key course guide and our Lost Key Golf Club review.

Perdido Bay Golf Club

Perdido Bay opened in 1963 as a Bill Amick design and hosted the PGA Tour's Pensacola Open from 1978 to 1987. A 2001 redesign by Amick and Bill Bergin took it past 7,000 yards. It's flat, long and narrow, with water on most holes and raised greens and tees.

The back nine is the harder half: from the Gold tees it slopes 146 against 129 on the front. The 10th, a 450-yard par 4 with a lake down the left, is the No. 1 handicap. Most players will want the Blues (6,556 yards, 72.0/134) or Whites (6,081, 69.7/128).

Fees. The 2026 spring-summer rate card (March 2 to November 2, tax included) was $85 for 18 from 7:30 am to 1 pm, $65 from 1 to 3 pm, and $50 twilight. The online sheet still showed $85 / $65 / $50 for November 4, 2026; winter rates weren't posted. Residents of Escambia, Santa Rosa and Baldwin counties pay $70 with proof, which covers anyone living in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach.

Rules and conditions. There are no singles or twosomes before 10 am, so solo players should go late morning. Groups of four or more can book beyond the 14-day window by calling the shop. Recent reviews (September and October 2026) call the greens slow, and a review summary suggests the fairways go dormant in winter, which is unconfirmed. Legends Bar & Grille serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and outside food and drink aren't allowed. Cottages On the Green beside the course offer stay-and-play lodging.

Cheaper options on the Alabama side

Soldiers Creek in Elberta is wide and easy (119 slope from 7,001 yards, water on only two holes) and cheap at $65 with cart, $49 after 1 pm. Recent reviews from August to October 2026 report weedy greens and hard, bare fairways, so play it for the price and read the latest reviews first. Its rating and slope come from the club scorecard and aren't in the USGA database.

Orange Beach Golf Center is the city's par-3 nine off Canal Road: $15 walking or $20 with cart for nine, $30 for 18 with cart, flat all year. The lighted range (30 grass tees, 10 covered mats) is open until 9 pm and costs $5 a bucket.

Where to stay for Perdido Key golf

The Lost Key condos are the only way to wake up on a course on this side; a 3-bedroom unit sleeps 6 to 9, so a foursome fits in one. Golf isn't included, and some units transfer a family membership (unverified), so ask the manager.

Perdido Beach Resort is the full-service choice, but check dates for winter golf: it has usually closed for most of December, and it's moving to a Marriott Tribute Portfolio brand in early 2027. Island House showed about $137 to $160 a night for a mid-January 2027 weeknight and $309 to $335 for mid-March (seen October 2026). Our Gulf Shores golf hotels guide covers the whole coast.

Adding the Gulf Shores courses

From an Orange Beach base, the Hwy 59 courses are about 17 to 22 minutes west: Gulf Shores Golf Club is 20 minutes from Perdido Beach Resort, and Craft Farms 20. Kiva Dunes, the area's top-ranked public course, is the far end of the map at 37. See our Orange Beach golf courses guide for the full picture.

When to play Perdido Key golf

The reference climate station for the whole coast is Pensacola NAS on Pensacola Bay, about 15 miles east of Orange Beach, so its numbers fit this side of the beach best. October averages highs of about 79F with about 7 rain days; January about 61F; July about 89F with rain on about 13 days. Spring is peak season.

A few events matter here more than in Gulf Shores:

• Flora-Bama Interstate Mullet Toss, the last full weekend of April (2027: April 23-25, not yet confirmed), brings heavy traffic near the state line and fills Perdido Key and Orange Beach lodging.
• Blue Angels air shows at Pensacola Beach (July) and NAS Pensacola (November 6-7, 2026) bring traffic on the Perdido Key side.
• Frank Brown International Songwriters' Festival (November 5-15, 2026) adds a modest lodging bump in Orange Beach and Perdido Key.

Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, with the main risk from August to October. More in best time to golf in Gulf Shores.

Plan it on the map

Lost Key, Perdido Bay and every Orange Beach hotel are on the 3D map of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach golf. Click a hotel to see its drive to each tee, and decide whether Perdido Key golf is a day out or the center of your trip.