Walking Golf Gulf Shores Guide: Which Courses Let You Walk, and What It Costs

For walking golf, Gulf Shores is mostly a riding town: most courses include a cart in the green fee, and many publish no walking policy. A few welcome walkers. The Orange Beach Golf Center charges $15 to walk nine, Magnolia Grove in Mobile and Fairhope's Quail Creek allow walking, and Kiva Dunes' tourism listing says you can walk.

Below is every course we track, sorted by what is actually published about walking, plus the flattest walks and the best months to carry your bag. Policies and prices were checked in October 2026 and can change, so confirm with the pro shop.

Quick facts

• Published walking rate: only the Orange Beach Golf Center, $15 for nine, $25 for 18.
• Walking allowed: Orange Beach Golf Center, Quail Creek (not during leagues or events), Magnolia Grove, ONE CLUB, Gulf Links.
• Cart required: Gulf Shores Golf Club and Lakewood at the Grand Hotel.
• Pull carts: $3 to rent at Orange Beach; bring your own at Magnolia Grove.
• Best months to walk: October to April (coastal highs about 61 to 79°F).

Walking golf Gulf Shores policies, course by course

What each course publishes, from course sites, the RTJ Trail FAQ, GolfNow and tourism listings. Drive times are free-flow from Hwy 59 and Beach Boulevard in central Gulf Shores.

A few notes on the "not published" group. Carts are included, or appear to be, in the posted rates at nearly all of them (Perdido Bay's rate card doesn't say), and Craft Farms charges its own members a $30 cart fee for 18 holes, which suggests carts are standard. TimberCreek's online tee sheet labels its rates as a "walking" rate type with a $0 cart fee, while third-party listings say carts are included, so ask the shop which it is. GlenLakes lists the cart portion of its rate as $42 for 18, but it publishes no visitor walking policy.

Where can you walk 18 holes? Walking golf Gulf Shores options

If you want a full regulation 18 on foot, walking golf in Gulf Shores comes down to three realistic choices. All three include, or offer, a cart too, so say you plan to walk when you book.

Kiva Dunes. The tourism listing says walking is allowed, but the course publishes no walking rate and the cart is included in the green fee. It sits about 5 feet above sea level on a narrow peninsula, so it's flat, but wind is its main defense, with crosswinds on its east-west holes. Ask the golf shop (251-540-7000) before you count on walking, especially on busy spring days. The Kiva Dunes course page has the hole-by-hole layout.

Quail Creek, Fairhope. The city course is flat and open with three lakes, and walking is allowed except during league play, tournaments and outings. It's busy with senior, ladies and men's leagues and charity scrambles, so call 251-990-0240 to find a walking-friendly time. The course opens at 11 AM on Thursdays for maintenance, and city rules ask for 18 holes in a maximum of four hours. See the Quail Creek course page and our Quail Creek guide.

Magnolia Grove, Mobile. Both big RTJ Trail courses allow walking, and pull carts are allowed but not rented, so bring your own. Crossings is the hillier course, with blind shots and a 596-yard 16th; Falls is the par 71 rebuilt in 2010. They're about 96 minutes from Gulf Shores, so this is a dedicated day. Our Magnolia Grove course comparison covers which to walk.

Short courses that are easy to walk

Orange Beach Golf Center. The city's par-3 nine is the cheapest walk in the area: $15 for nine holes, $25 for 18, and $10 for each extra nine, flat all year. Pull carts cost $3, and members walk free (annual membership $250 for Orange Beach residents, $350 for non-residents, or $250 for three months). The course is open 8 AM to 5 PM with no tee times, and the lighted range runs until 9 PM. More in our Orange Beach Golf Center guide and on the Orange Beach Golf Center course page.

Magnolia Grove Short Course. Eighteen full-length par 3s over marsh and water, up to 3,140 yards. It's a walkable add-on after a morning round on Crossings or Falls.

ONE CLUB and Gulf Links. GolfNow lists both as walking allowed. ONE CLUB is a 2,298-yard executive nine next to Craft Farms; Gulf Links in Foley is a par-64 executive 18 that books by phone only (251-970-1444).

Courses where you have to ride

• Gulf Shores Golf Club. Walking isn't allowed, and posted rates include the cart. A beverage cart runs year-round.
• Lakewood at the Grand Hotel. Carts are mandatory on both Azalea and Dogwood, non-golfer riders pay a cart fee, and there are no pull-cart rentals. Every RTJ special includes the cart.
• Lost Key. The club doesn't publish a walking policy. One rental listing for Lost Key condos says walking isn't allowed, which we couldn't confirm. Cart rules can change daily, and the club says carts may be kept to the paths in late fall and winter.

If you have a walking preference on a group trip, book the riding courses for the days you want to save your legs, and plan the walks around them. The Gulf Shores buddies golf trip guide covers group logistics.

When is the best time for walking golf? Gulf Shores by month

Temperature decides it. NOAA 1991-2020 normals for the coast:

From June to August, highs run 87 to 89°F with afternoon thunderstorms on about 11 to 13 days a month, so walking 18 is a dawn-only plan. Gulf Shores Golf Club itself warns about summer afternoon heat and storm cells. Inland courses run a couple of degrees hotter by day in summer. Our Gulf Shores golf weather by month guide has the full year.

Tips for walking golf: Gulf Shores specifics

• Call first. Outside the few courses listed above, walking golf Gulf Shores rules aren't published. Ask when you book, not on the first tee.
• Pick the flat ones. The beach-side courses sit just above sea level: Kiva Dunes at about 5 feet, Peninsula about 10 and Gulf Shores Golf Club about 15. Up the Eastern Shore it gets hilly. Rock Creek's 2nd hole drops 70 feet from tee to fairway, and TimberCreek's Magnolia nine has the biggest elevation changes on that property. Neither publishes a walking policy, and both would be much harder walks.
• Bring a pull cart if you have one. Only the Orange Beach Golf Center rents them.
• Watch the wildlife. Several courses here border wetlands. Gulf Shores Golf Club asks golfers to leave alligators and snakes alone, and Peninsula borders the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge.
• Pace. Walkers on a busy tee sheet should expect to keep up with four-hour rounds, the target at Gulf Shores Golf Club and the limit at Quail Creek.

For winter walkers staying a month or more, see snowbird golf in Gulf Shores, and for a gentler senior-focused overview, senior golf in Gulf Shores.

Plan it on the map

The Gulf Shores golf map shows every course in this guide, hole by hole, with its cart and walking notes on each card. Use it to see how the flat coastal courses compare with the hilly ones up the Eastern Shore before you pick where to walk.