Craft Farms Golf Club — Local services in Gulf Shores

TL;DR, go play at Peninsula or Kiva Dunes instead if you actually want to enjoy yourself.

Ranger Glenn needs a different job. I have been playing golf for over 30 years and have never come into contact with a bigger jerk than him. We had an 8:50 am tee time, and the starter had to go get our other 2 players off the range so we started about 5 minutes late. They told us to keep pace with the group ahead of us which my father saw tee off THIRTY WHOLE MINUTES before us, and as only a twosome. So that would never happen as a foursome in a million years. We kept pace with the time expectation on the card, or ahead of it, for all but a couple of holes where our other two players had significant trouble... but nobody ever had to wait on us, and we finished in 4 hours and 5 minutes as a foursome with the other 2 people we were paired with being not very good players and refusing to pick up their ball (I don't blame them, this course cost a lot to play...) which is EXACTLY the time par listed on the card. Even still we were hassled about how fast we were going, not once or twice, but FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES. He even got snappy with me for fishing my ball out of the lake (I actually got two, they were side by side and the first one I pulled was not my ball) WHILE THE OTHER 3 PLAYERS IN MY GROUP WERE HITTING from further back. When it was my turn to hit my club was back in the bag and we were moving within 35 seconds. He comes yelling at me "y'all are behind again, you ain't got time to be fishin' no balls out the water" which really got under my skin. Every time he hassled us it actually slowed us down because we would try and rush and end up hitting the ball all over the place. When we told the guy in the pro shop about it he just laughed it off and said "well, it happens, we'll see ya later!" No. No sir you will not. Peninsula is just as nice, costs less, and they actually let us enjoy the place. This place just wants you out of there as fast as possible. I wanted to give it 2 stars because the course is great...but Glenn made me want to put my clubs away for awhile and golf is my actual favorite thing in the world to do... The staff in the pro shop and the starter were decent when we checked in, and the starter even came to ask us how it was...but he seemed to care more than the guy in the pro shop did when we told him what happened....and he obviously can't do anything about it...

We won't be back. Maybe in 10-12 years after Glenn has a chance to get fired or go somewhere else. But it seems like all they care about right now is rushing everyone out of there as fast as possible. They even tried to convince us to tee off early; but we arrived early so that we could warm up and enjoy the facility by playing our best...not so that we could hurry up and get back in the car and go do something else. But instead we were rushed at every opportunity and had our worst golf experience out of anywhere we have played, which has to be near the range of 1000s of...

The Gulf Shores, Alabama area is a beachgoer's dream: pristine white sand beaches, all kinds of beach bars, shopping and OWA, an entertainment park with a downtown area, restaurants, and an amusement park.

Gulf Shores is also known for its fantastic golf courses which are some of the nicest in the country. Honours Golf, which is part of Troon Golf, the largest and for my money, the best golf course management company in the country, has two facilities here, the 27-hole Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club and the 36-hole Craft Farms. Each course has its own distinctive coastal feel; both are must plays if you’re in the area.

There are two 18-hole championship golf courses at Craft Farms; both designed by Arnold Palmer. Cotton Creek seems to be the favorite course and features tree-lined and rolling fairways as well as large undulating greens. The course is extremely playable for all golfers, whether you’re playing the forward tees or are the tips at over 7,000 yards; it’s all about challenge and playability. Golf Digest has rated Cotton Creek 4 stars.

Cotton Creek’s 6th hole is a par 4 that plays 382-yards. It is not only a beautiful golf hole, but it’s also ranked the toughest on the course. You need to play your tee shot down the waterline and over a lake to the fairway; hit through the fairway and you may very well find the bunker. A well-placed tee shot will leave an approach shot back over the same body of water to a small green protected by sand on all sides. Par or birdie on this hole is quite an accomplishment!

If I were naming holes, the par 4, 372-yard Number 11 would be called “What Creek.” There’s a sign on the tee box that says “230 yards to the water,” however standing on the tee box, you can’t see it. Hit a good drive past the 150-yard marker and your likely to say “Oh, that creek!” But not just any creek, Cotton Creek! A good drive will leave a mid-iron into an angled green with a deep bunker on the left and a lot of undulation in the green.

With 27 holes of golf at Peninsula and another 36 holes at Craft Farms, either one is the perfect venue for your next outing or tournament. The staff at either course will help with everything from pre-planning and setup, to food and beverage and the awarding of prizes. The tournament staff will see to it you and your guests are well taken care of while the culinary team will create a menu that tempts your palettes.

Speaking of palettes, Chef Kurtis Krum heads up the culinary staff at both courses and uses his creative expertise to create delicious dishes from scratch. After all, how many golf courses bake their own bread? It makes the fresh sandwiches taste that much better!

This is just an overview of what’s in store for you and your group at either facility. For more information, check...

Have been coming to the area for the last six years and have golfed at many of the courses. Played Cotton Creek this week and was really impressed. First, I had issues with the online reservation system, so when I called the next morning to confirm, the young lady on the phone was pleasant and clarified my issues. Second, the starters I ran into were great in their directions and the use of the scorecard. Third, I played on the 13th, arrived early, and the starter sent me off early as a single walking, along with my better half for the exercise. Many top courses aren’t as flexible, so we really appreciated this. To make matters better, we only passed one group on #5 and finished in 3 hours! Fourth, I have 34 years experience working maintenance at the Kohler, Wisconsin golf courses, including Black Wolf Run and Whistling Straits. While it is “winter” here, Cotton Creek was in great shape. Tees, fairways and roughs were manicured but not overly green. The greens were outstanding, smooth and faster than any other course I have played around here and rivaling what I work on in Wisconsin. Finally, just like I do at home, the few maintenance workers we ran into while playing were courteous, tried to stay ahead of us or shut their machines down as we passed. A great experience...