Though designed by Alabaman and 1976 U.S. Open winner Jerry Pate, Kiva Dunes looks like it came from the mind of an Australian Open champion. It occupies a tight, attractive property on a peninsula near Gulf Shores that's boxed in by the Gulf of Mexico to the south and Bon Secour Bay to the north. The east-west orientation of the holes means that the constant ocean winds gust across the fairways, often making it necessary to aim shots toward interior lagoons, canals and the low coastal border vegetation to trust they'll be guided back to safety. Pate's bunkering is Australian-inspired with sweeping edges and attractive capes, and when the turf is dry, shots can be chased onto and around the low putting surfaces. This longtime Q school host lost many trees in a storm a few years back, which has only enhanced its links qualities.