[KotOD]

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I'm playing Burnt Pine, Perdido Bay and Kiva Dunes next week. Have any of you guys played these before? What should I expect?

Perdido Bay hosted the Pensacola Open prior to the Hurricane and is "restored". Burnt Pine is apparently covered in water and traps. Kiva Dunes is supposed to be extremely difficult.

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We did not play Perdido Bay because the locals said that the greens were in bad shape. My place is in Gulf Shores, so there is easy access to a couple of courses. I played Kiva Dunes, and while it is a very good course, I don't know if it's worth the hype. I played Cypress Bend at Craft Farms and I played the Gulf Shores state park course.

I think my favorite of the three was Craft Farms -- you've got either water or sand to worry about on every hole. It's generally open, so you can miss, as long as you aren't missing to the water or sand. They have afternoon rates (after 2 PM) if you want to play later.

The State park course was beautifully laid out. Every hole is tree-lined and there are wildflowers all over the place. Those trees can be trouble for anyone that isn't straight or doesn't miss big. It's a great course though and probably the best value on the coast.

Kiva Dunes was immaculate and perfectly kept, but I think that the surroundings contribute to it's reputation as much as the course itself. It's a beach resort links course that's in really good shape. It doesn't play especially difficult, challenging, interesting, or even easy.

If I did it again, I'd probably play both Cypress Bend and Cotton Creek at Craft Farms in the afternoon and the State Park course again.

If you know someone down there, you can also try and get onto the country club course -- it looked really great, though the clubhouse was closed.