Traveling along Alabama's coast reveals an undiscovered wealth of great golf in Gulf Shores.

There's treasure hidden among the woods, water and sand along the coast, near Gulf Shores in Alabama. Is it some forgetful pirate's treasure chest full of jewels that dazzle like sunlight glinting off the Gulf of Mexico waters?

No, but for the traveling golfer, the bounty is every bit as rewarding.

The neighboring cities of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Ala., are an under sung golf destination, and the word is rapidly spreading.

With miles of white sand beaches, a hospitable community of locals and transplants, a superb list of finely conditioned and challenging golf courses, and a user friendly website (www.golfgulfshores.com), Gulf Shores provides an ideal golf vacation experience all year.

The destination includes nine golf courses ranging from playable and affordable to challenging and opulent. Snowbirds traveling from northern climes have caught on to Gulf Shores, filling tee sheets from October to April.

You may be thinking, "Golf in southern Alabama? Isn't that the place USA Today called the 'Redneck Riviera,' where characters from Jimmy Buffet songs while away their lives?"

Quite the contrary says Duncan Millar, Executive Director of GolfGulfShores.com. "We are a contemporary people, with great golf courses in a beautiful location. We have a wonderful niche here that people are just beginning to discover."

The Play

The GolfGulfShores.com courses boast an impressive list of architects - from Arnold Palmer to Jerry Pate and under rated local legend Earl Stone. The variety of designers has led to true golf destination variety.

Immaculate conditioning is the most common attribute of the nine courses. Their unique layouts are what distinguish each.

Take Kiva Dunes, for instance. Designed by former U.S. Open winner Pate, Kiva Dunes is considered one of the nation's best.

"You don't want the course to be vanilla, but on the other hand this is not supposed to brain surgery either - playing golf is supposed to be recreation," said Pate. "You want to challenge the best players in the world and also enable the highest handicappers to come out and have an enjoyable experience."

A test for a golfer's nerves but a feast for the senses, Kiva Dunes will entice you to play it again and again. And while you are there, GolfGulfShores.com offers eight more challenges for your game:

Cotton Creek: This Craft Farms course is the original Arnold Palmer design of southern Alabama. It features rolling hills and undulating greens, plus, in the tradition of Palmer designs, offers numerous risk/reward shots to engage rather than intimidate the golfer.

Cypress Bend: The newest Arnold Palmer design on the Alabama Gulf Coast is Cypress Bend at Craft Farms. It was rated the "No. 1 Most Playable New
Course in the U.S." by Golf Digest magazine after it debuted.

Glenlakes Golf Club: Considered by many to be the best value among the courses of Gulf Shores, Glenlakes is also the most distinctively links-style course among the group. This Robert Von Hagge and Bruce Devlin design features 27 holes of challenging and memorable golf.

Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club: The Peninsula is local designer Earl Stone's unique creation on the shores of Mobile Bay. Surrounded by the Bon Secour Wildlife preserve, the Peninsula offers a stroll in a beautiful garden. But the golf doesn't allow much time to relax. With several long and challenging par 3's, you can't afford to get distracted by the surroundings.

The Golf Club of the Wharf: Formerly known as the Gulf Shores Golf Club, this was Gulf Shores' first course. Opened it 1960, it was redesigned by Jay and Carter Morrish in 2005 and features a gorgeous, dramatic course and cozy 19th hole.

Lost Key Golf Club: A tight, demanding and gorgeous course with an excellent, full-service clubhouse, Lost Key's concern for the surrounding environment has earned it signature status with Audubon International.

Rock Creek: Earl Stone's Rock Creek offers significant elevation changes for interesting golf, with fairways designed to funnel the ball towards the center. Freshwater wetlands and the tall pines lining every hole are both beautiful and treacherous at the same time.

TimberCreek: Earl Stone designed three distinct nines here - the Pines, Magnolia and Dogwood courses - with names describing the trees through which each travels. They have it all terrain-wise - flat, rolling and major elevation changes - keeping golfers' keen and alert.

The diversity of topography and course styles is matched by the variety of wildlife - and your golf shot doesn't need to stray to experience it. Our group of first-time visitors was warned that local snakes were on the move, "So you don't want to be hunting very deep for a lost ball." To prove it, a water moccasin did a mating dance for us in the pond just off a tee box.

And a bobcat walked the tree line near one hole with the disinterested attitude reminiscent of any domestic feline. At one point my ball landed near a rotted tree stump, coming to rest atop an active fire ant hill. Thankfully, I was given relief because, as I learned, if I didn't take a drop, the fire ants were liable to drop me. We also met an alligator, which hid in a pond near one of the clubhouses. We were told that many of its brethren are not always so standoffish.

Not all the area's wildlife adds such a fearsome element to a round. The sheer number of different birdcalls makes one think that golf video and computer games record their wildlife sounds in southern Alabama. It's wonderful to hear while awaiting your next shot, quite another experience when putting to save par.

The People and the Place

You'll immediately notice the great service you receive at the GolfGulfShores.com courses and you'll also notice who is offering it. Club personnel wear name tags that include their hometown because so many people have traveled to Gulf Shores and stayed. The locals also have their own unique charm, whether they are greeting you with an icy cold, mango-scented towel on the course during a heat wave or directing you to the perfect nightspot. Many times those directions lead to the Flora Bama.

Situated on the borderline between Florida and Alabama, Flora Bama is a honky tonk of epic, funky grandeur. This one-time package store has grown into a maze of rooms and bars - indoor and out - with live music and a palpable buzz throughout.

Orange Beach and Gulf Shores retain the character of small beach towns, where the grass shooting up through the sand dunes are windswept reminders of the area's primary tenant and high-rise condominiums blend in with the shoreline so well that they almost appear as rows of sand castles. Cool ocean breezes at night soothe sun-baked skin and rhythmic waves bring serenity.

While you can find many national restaurant brands in Gulf Shores, there are charming, sensationally good, fun eateries with names like Tin Top, Cobalt and Lulu's that should not be missed.

Locate a map if you travel here because the small islands and inter-coastal waterway can turn you around quickly, but the courses are all within an easy, scenic drive of one another. After your trip, keep that map and save it for next time - you don't want to lose the hidden treasures of Gulf Shores.

For more information:
www.golfgulfshores.com
888-815-1902.

Reprinted courtesy of the Minnesota Golf Association