(GULF SHORES, Alabama) – The Gulf Shores Golf Association with 10 signature golf courses and 32 miles of sugar-white-sand beaches today announces that eight of its member courses are now open for business in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan, which made landfall along the Alabama coast in mid-September.
Kiva Dunes Golf & Beach Club – which recently garnered the distinguished status of being named to “The Sublime 75: The Best Golf Resorts In North America” by Golf Digest magazine (November 2004) – is the latest Gulf Shores Golf Association member course to re-open. Kiva Dunes resumed play on Friday, October 22.
.
“We were very fortunate that the eye of the storm passed directly over Kiva Dunes, otherwise we would have been hit much harder,” says Mark Stillings, Kiva Dunes Director of Golf and President of the Gulf Shores Golf Association. “Likewise, while all our association’s member courses experience varying degrees of damage, we are grateful things weren’t worse and that we’re renewing business on a daily business.”
The golf courses as a whole suffered little-to-minor damage, mostly downed trees and debris. Many courses took the opportunity to complete fall golf course maintenance projects, especially over-seeding, in Ivan’s aftermath.
All indications are that 90 percent of the area’s signature golf courses will be open by November 1. Lost Key, a WCI-managed facility, is the only course in question with regards to a projected opening date as access to Perdido Key is still very limited.
In addition to golf courses, many other businesses in this popular resort area have made significant strides since the storm in mid-September.
“The renewal program is progressing daily for us and our tourism partners and we’re confident that our golf and beach visitors from around the country will find the Gulf Shores-Orange Beach area better than ever as they return,” says Mike McArthur, Executive Director of the Gulf Shores Golf Association.
“We’re very proud that we have become one of the most popular destinations in the United States and we’re working hard to ensure resort visitors are provided with the same great course conditions, customer service and the other amenities to which they’ve become accustomed.”
The area’s lodging and accommodation inventory is also re-opening on a daily basis and increasingly accepting check-ins and future reservations.
Of the Alabama Gulf Coast’s more than 13,800 rentable units, 6 percent were destroyed. Of that percentage, a good majority were already scheduled for demolition to make room for new developments. That leaves 94 percent intact or under renewal.
The area’s lodging partners expect to have 63 percent of all units back online by Dec. 31, 78 percent by March 1, 2005, and 83 percent by next summer. They and the area’s other tourism partners are progressing such that the 20th Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival will be held Nov. 11 to Nov. 21 with 15 of the 23 entertainment venues open for business.
Currently, 35 percent of the area restaurants are open and more than 50 percent of retail stores are open for shopping. Similar to the golf courses, the charter fishing fleet faired well with 95 percent of boats intact and ready to fish.
The re-opening of Kiva Dunes, designed by former U.S. Open Champion and Alabama native Jerry Pate, is particularly welcome news. The luxurious resort-residential community was rated the No. 2 public-access course in the state by Golfweek magazine and No. 58 in Golf Digest’s “100 Greatest Public Golf Courses, 2003-2004.” Kiva Dunes is part of the multi-amenity resort-residential community that offers both private condominiums and rental lodging opportunities.
For more information about the Alabama Gulf Coast, please contact the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-745-SAND (7263) or www.gulfshores.com.
About Kiva Dunes Golf & Beach Club
The Kiva Lodge Clubhouse and Condominium, which opened in 2000, is the centerpiece of this truly unique seaside golf and residential community. Kiva Dunes offers a full-service clubhouse, meeting facilities, fitness area, three swimming pools, 3,000 feet of private gulf beach, and on-site rental management of luxurious condominiums and beach homes. Kiva Dunes represents a most exceptional and unforgettable golf experience and is definitely to be included on your must-play list while visiting the Gulf Coast. For more information about Kiva Dunes, call 1-888.TEE.KIVA or visit www.kivadunes.com.
About Gulf Shores Golf Association
The Gulf Shores Golf Association is comprised of 10 exceptional signature golf courses that offer 198 holes of variety and beauty and which challenge serious golfers from the championship tees while delighting fun-loving resort golfers of all skill levels. Gulf Shores Golf Association-member courses have joined forces with numerous hotel and resort accommodations to offer very affordable, yet truly unforgettable “stay-and-play” experiences.
Gulf Shores Golf Association’s lodging partners offer a broad selection of accommodations, from a world-class resort and beachfront condominiums, to on-site golf villas and affordable national-chain hotels. In addition to superb golf, the area has clean, safe beaches, thousands of acres of nature preserves, historic sites, deep-sea fishing, great shopping, and fine restaurants. Whether it’s an annual trip with the guys, a romantic getaway weekend for two, or a week with the entire family, the Gulf Shores Golf Association offers easy golf vacation planning at www.golfgulfshores.com or by calling 1-888-815-1902.
