Kiva Dunes Golf Club

Jerry Pate (1976 U.S. Open champion and University of Alabama alum) co-designed Kiva Dunes with Jim Edgemon, opening in 1995 on the Fort Morgan peninsula southwest of Gulf Shores. The course was an immediate hit, voted Alabama's Best Place to Play and #2 Best New Public Course in the U.S. by Golf Digest in its inaugural year, with Golf Magazine adding a Top 10 You Can Play designation in 1996. The course remains the marquee public option in coastal Alabama. Recent rankings include #5 in Alabama (2018) and #1 Alabama Public by Golf Advisor, #58 on Golf Digest's America's 100 Greatest Public, and #48 on Golf Pass Golfer's Choice (2021). Resort-tier pricing in the $$ band, significantly less than equivalent Florida-Panhandle options. For Gulf Coast trips, Kiva Dunes is the destination round.