Gulf Shores Golf Club in Baldwin County, AL., has named Grant Cole as head superintendent at the 18-hole resort facility. Cole, a Class A Superintendent, comes to Gulf Shores from Invited Clubs & Resorts, where he most recently served as head superintendent at Braelinn Golf Club in Peachtree City, GA. Previously, Cole served as Superintendent at Chapel Hill Golf Club in Douglasville, GA., The Frog Golf Club in Villa Rica, GA., and Coweta Club at Arbor Springs in Newnan, GA.
With a wealth of experience in restoration and a deep knowledge of southeastern agronomic practices, Cole arrived at Gulf Shores GC with a mandate from new owner Tim Dunlap, founder of Regent Golf Partners.
“I was brought in to make Gulf Shores Golf Club shine,” Cole said. “This is an incredible golf course, a classic layout that is a superintendent’s dream. It just needs tender loving care and some elbow grease. It’s like a beautiful woman with a dirty face, nothing a little work and attention to detail won’t fix right up.”
The oldest golf course in the popular Baldwin County resort town, Gulf Shores Golf Club dates to 1964 when it was called Gulf Shores Country Club. Dunlap, who also owns The Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg, SC., acquired Gulf Shores GC in January 2025 from the family of the late Larry Tomlinson, Jr. of Fairhope, AL
“It’s a fantastic course,” Dunlap said. “Larry’s family did a great job in maintaining the integrity of the design and staying true to Larry’s vision. Now Grant will help us take it to the next level.”
Numerous improvements have already been made, and a future residential neighborhood adjacent to the 1st, 7th, and 9th holes will break ground in the coming months
“A lot of exciting things are on the horizon,” Dunlap said. “Our goal is to get one percent better every day. Right now, we’re getting five percent better because we had some low-hanging fruit that we could pick early. But as we get into the growing season, you will see incremental, positive change every day. Grant is a big part of that formula.”
“I couldn’t be happier with this move,” Cole said. “This is the kind of golf course, and Tim is the kind of owner, that you dream about your entire career. You’re going to see a lot of good things. And you’re going to see them soon.”
Photo Courtesy of Gulf Shores Golf Club