Gulf Shores Golf Club, the original golf course in the beachside community of Baldwin County, AL., has new ownership. Tim Dunlap, founder of Regent Golf Partners and the owner of The Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg, S.C., recently concluded a purchase of the golf course, clubhouse and some surrounding real estate from the family of the late Larry Tomlinson, Jr. of Fairhope, AL.
“This is a wonderful place, and Gulf Shores Golf Club offers a tremendous opportunity to serve golfers in this region,” Dunlap said. “Everyone recognizes Gulf Shores as one of the best places to live and one of the friendliest and prettiest vacation destinations in America. Owning and operating what I consider to be the best course in the area is an honor and a responsibility I take seriously. We expect to provide the best golf experience and the best value.”
The first course in Gulf Shores originally opened in 1964 as Gulf Shores Country Club. It appealed to locals because of its challenging layout, beautiful tree inventory and the fact that the property was self-contained. The holes did not meander through a real estate development. In 2005, the father-son team of Jay and Carter Morrish embarked on a redesign that expanded the green complexes, added bunkers and water features and stretched the par-71 layout an additional 300 yards. Rebranded as Gulf Shores Golf Club, the course has been ranked in the Top 15 in Alabama by golfadvisor.com ever since.
“The golf course is championship caliber,” Dunlap said.
He would know. A college standout at Long Beach (CA) State, Dunlap has operated PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions venues. He began his career with American Golf, where he managed multiple clubs for the country’s largest public-golf operator. He then became the chief operating officer at Sequoia Golf, where managed more than 40 courses from Atlanta to Los Angeles.
When Sequoia Golf sold to Invited Clubs & Resorts (formerly ClubCorp), Dunlap formed Regent Golf which managed and consulted at some of the nation’s premier golf and resort operations. During that time, he purchased The Carolina Country Club and quickly elevated it to one of the best clubs in South Carolina. The Carolina CC co-hosts the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX on the Korn Ferry Tour and is the home club of Wofford College and the University of South Carolina Upstate.
“There is no reason that Gulf Shores Golf Club cannot host high-level amateur and even some professional events,” Dunlap said. “It’s a hidden gem.”
The previous owner, Tomlinson, was a beloved entrepreneur who played baseball for the Cleveland Indians before building a trucking company, a warehouse company, and a heavy-equipment company in addition to owning Gulf Shores GC. When Tomlinson passed away in September of 2021 at age 86, his wife Patsy and children Jenny, Lorie, Mike and Terry took over operations of the club. In recent years, the family had hoped to find a buyer who would continue Larry’s vision of quality golf in a family atmosphere.
“We plan to lean into the history,” Dunlap said. “Gulf Shores Golf Club is the OG, the original course in town. Not only is it challenging and fun, but we think people want to play the oldest club in the area. Golf is a game of history and tradition. Arnold Palmer won the Masters a few weeks before this course opened for business. That’s cool. We believe people will lean into that.”
Photo Courtesy of Gulf Shores Golf Club