The hardest golf courses in Gulf Shores, Alabama
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Gulf Shores, Alabama, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 8 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Mobile, Point Clear and Fairhope.
Lost Key Golf Club
Pensacola, FL, USASlope rating 145, 73.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,801 yds
PublicArnold Palmer
- 3.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Value
- 4.5Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
It is a good value, has some fun holes, good layout and views. If I was really good and could hit it straight then I would likely rate it much higher. My recommendation is that if you happen to be a golfer that struggles to hit fairways then you need bring about two dozen extra balls.
Written by
@CCHitman
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Pristine
Cotton Creek
Craft Farms Golf Resort
Gulf Shores, AL, USASlope rating 133, 73.3 course rating, Gold tees, 7,072 yds
PublicArnold Palmer & Ed Seay
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
Azalea
The Lakewood Club
Point Clear, AL, USASlope rating 132, 75.3 course rating, Purple tees, 7,504 yds
PrivatePerry Maxwell & Ron Garl
- 4.5Conditions
- NRLayout
- NRScenery
- NRFacilities
- Driving range
- Strategic
- Restaurant
Kiva Dunes Golf Course
Gulf Shores, AL, USASlope rating 132, 73.9 course rating, Gold tees, 7,092 yds
PublicJerry Pate
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.1Value
- 3.3Scenery
- 3.2Facilities
Kiva Dunes is a hard course for me to rate. It ranks high on the must play list for Alabama, but in my opinion some of the other courses in the area were as good if not better. The course was in decent to good condition, but just didn't love it especially at the green fee price.
Written by
@CCHitman
- Driving range
- Must play
- By water
Dogwood
The Lakewood Club
Point Clear, AL, USASlope rating 128, 72.9 course rating, Purple tees, 7,063 yds
PrivatePerry Maxwell & Joe Lee
- 3.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.3Facilities
- Putting area
- Restaurant
- Bar
Rock Creek Golf Club
Fairhope, AL, USA
Slope rating 128, 72.9 course rating, #1 tees, 6,920 yds
Gulf Shores Golf Club
Gulf Shores, AL, USA
Slope rating 123, 72.6 course rating, Tee 1, 6,812 yds
(Cypress Bend) Craft Farms Golf Resort
Gulf Shores, AL, USA
Slope rating 122, 71.8 course rating, Gold tees, 6,964 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Gulf Shores, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Lost Key Golf Club is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Gulf Shores, Alabama at Slope 145 (73.9 course rating · Black tees · 6,801 yds). 8 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Gulf Shores, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Gulf Shores, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 4:26 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
