Destination Golf: Kiva Dunes

Jerry Pate and Jim “Scrappy” Edgemon first met almost fifty years ago as undergraduates at the University of Alabama. The future friends and business partners met on the golf course, not in the classroom.  The chance encounter was memorable because of a shot that was hit, not by the man who would go on to win the US Open, but by Edgemon.

“When we got to 16th, these guys were pushing us, so I waved them up,” Pate remembers. “One of the guys hit a 6-iron and I thought, ‘Man, that looks pretty good.’ It took one hop and started rolling at the hole, so I pulled the pin and it went in for a one. That was my introduction to Scrappy Edgemon.”

A chance encounter? Destiny? Who’s to say? Whatever the case, the payoff was big for golf.

Two decades later, the two came together to design what would ultimately become one of Alabama’s best golf courses, and a world-class resort – Kiva Dunes.

The development is located on the western end of the Fort Morgan Peninsula, an unspoiled strip of land between Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. 

The links-style course runs mostly from east to west along the peninsula. The layout features wide fairways and large undulating greens that are pristinely manicured. Avoid the areas of exposed sand and the gnarly scrub oaks, and pars and birdies are there for the taking.

Kiva Dunes doesn’t dictate the shots the golfer must play.  It gives you choices.

The invisible (and almost always constant) hazard at Kiva Dunes is the wind.  Holes can play drastically different from day to day based on the direction the breezes are blowing.  And they will be blowing.  

“One thing I learned playing in the British Isles and Ireland is that great links courses have balance,” Pate says. “There’s a balance of short and long holes that play into and against the wind. At Kiva Dunes I went to painstaking depths to route the golf course around the wetlands so that nine holes run east, and nine holes run west, which, again, is very typical of links golf. The summer wind typically moves with the sun, and the winter wind comes out of the west, so you get a different look depending on the time of day and time of year that you play.”

It’s hard to pick a favorite, or “signature” hole at Kiva Dunes. The track is a wonderful mixture of memorable par threes, challenging par fours, and risk/reward par fives.

Because of the different wind directions, you can play Kiva Dunes three days in a row and feel like you’re playing three different golf courses. You’ll always be faced with new challenges and rewards. What doesn’t change is the beautiful setting, the peaceful feeling, and the immaculate conditions.

Kiva Dunes is a masterpiece painted on a perfect canvas, but with raw edges. That, like everything at Kiva Dunes, is by design, and it’s Pate’s tribute to links golf.

In addition to the fabulous golf, Kiva Dunes offers vacation rentals ranging from coastal homes to fully-furnished condos – each offering varying access to the resort’s four pools, two restaurants, and over 3,000 feet of private beachfront!

The golf course and restaurants are open to the public, but Kiva Beach Club is available only to property owners and guests of the resort. The club offers a salt-water pool, access to the pavilion, and full restaurant service. Food and drink delivery are available, as well as massage and yoga services.

Whether you’re looking for a getaway that is all about the golf, or if you want to mix in some beach and pool time, you can’t go wrong with a visit to Kiva Dunes.

Visit www.kivadunes.com for more information, or to book your stay and play vacation.