Community, 36 holes going in along 30A Corridor
Michael Keiser, developer of Bandon Dunes, announced that construction is underway at Old Shores, a 36-hole golf resort in Northwest Florida.
It’s the fourth course that Keiser has commissioned with renowned golf architect Tom Doak. The course is part of a larger community with a hotel, restaurants and cottage and estate homesites.
Located in Florida’s Panhandle, just inland from the Gulf of Mexico’s sugar-white sands and the 30A corridor, Old Shores lies on a completely sand-based site, with its namesake drawn from old-world maps that document the Gulf’s former reach to the property.
“This site is unlike anything I’ve seen. The contours are incredible, and there is a deep beauty in the forests and the flowing water,” Keiser said. “The Old Shores vision includes outdoor recreation, food, art and land restoration, inspired by the towns I’ve fallen in love with in Scotland.”
Golf at Old Shores
The Doak course routing traverses the site’s sandy soil and remarkably diverse terrain, featuring longleaf pines, open savannas, clear spring-fed rivers, rolling hills and unique “sinks” – wide, inverted dunes that allow for dramatic shots and angles.
“The site for Old Shores is not at all what people expect when they think of golf in Florida. There is about 40 feet of elevation change from high to low on our site, and even more on the site for the second course, with big sweeping hills providing a variety of stances,” Doak said.
“Then there are the sinkholes, which are unlike anything I’ve seen on a golf course; in some cases there are abrupt banks 30-50 feet deep, and the largest of them, Long Lake, is something like 50 acres in size.”
Shaping of the Doak course is currently underway, with lead associate Angela Moser on the ground. Preview play on select holes is expected to begin as soon as fourth quarter 2026. A grand opening is planned for fall 2027. Old Shores is currently accepting Founding Memberships, which offer preferred tee access, Founder-only events, early homesite selection and the opportunity to contribute to a legacy of world-class golf in the Panhandle.
A second 18-hole course is in design, and a short course is also planned.
Reservations are now available for 21 Estate homesites, ranging from locations near the final holes of the Doak course to a high ridge overlooking Long Lake. Estate homesites are offered from $1.3 million, with owners able to design a custom retreat of up to eight-bedrooms.
The Old SHores site is 30 minutes north of Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport and a short drive from the resort communities along the 30A corridor,
Old Shores is the latest addition to Keiser’s rapidly growing portfolio of destination golf developments. Others are Rodeo Dunes in Colorado, Wild Spring Dunes in Texas, and Sand Valley in the Central Sands of Wisconsin.
Have a story idea or a news item to report to Alabama Golf News? Email gregg@alabamagolfnews.com
Featured image of Old Shores site courtesy of Old Shores
