GULF SHORES, Ala. — An alligator along the ninth fairway.

A wedding ring lost in the water on three.

A broken windshield from a stray drive on hole No. 2.

Sounds like things you would experience at Kiva Dunes, Craft Farms or the Peninsula.

But Bob and Alice Owens have seen it all at Pirate’s Island Adventure Golf, a 36-hole miniature golf course now in its 25th year of operation.

As part owners and former managers of the course that sits just north of the Intracoastal Waterway along Highway 59, the Owens’ say the course was one of the original entertainment sites in Gulf Shores, and they see it thriving in the days to come.

Back in the early 80s several guys who were already involved with constructing miniature golf courses went in together to build Pirate’s Island.

Now, the Ormond Beach Management group manages the day-to-day operations of Pirate’s Island as well as nine other courses located in other parts of Alabama as well as Florida and South Carolina.

With most of the 10 courses having the same theme, Bob Owens says that miniature golf is their business and their main focus.

“None of the courses in our group have game rooms or go-carts,” he said. “We dare anyone to catch us when it comes to quality miniature golf. They can’t.”

What many people find interesting about the course is the layout.

In an area surrounded by very flat land is this one piece of mountainous, rocky terrain where Pirate’s Island sits. Owens had an answer for that.

“Originally, the developers brought in huge numbers of old rusty cars and tractor tires and that is what is underneath the front part of the hill,” he explained.

Apparently in order to form the hilly terrain at a reasonable cost, the cars and tires kept them from having to buy more dirt.

Bob Owens laughs about the day he was on top of the hill working, when suddenly his foot sank through the dirt, and he found himself stuck in the middle of a tractor tire.

After opening on June 7, 1984, and going through several managers, Bob and Alice Owens became part owners and full time managers of the course in 1988. Alice Owens said there was nothing around the course at that time like there is today.

“We and the Chamber of Commerce were the only people out here. It was very dark at night when we closed up,” Alice Owens recalled.

Course Expanded

During the early days, the original 18-hole course would often have its dirt parking lot full of cars and people lined up waiting to get in to play.

So the Owens went to the management group and insisted that they consider enlarging the course to 36 holes.

During the winter of 1989-90 with a work crew from South Dakota, Pirate’s Island was expanded into what it is today, including building the pirate ship, the island, and other features that make the course what it is.

Bob Owens insists that what makes Pirate’s Island different from most other miniature golf courses is their customer service.

“We had a youth group come in on a bus one night around 10:25. The youth director jumped out and asked if we were open,” he said. “I saw a bus full of kids and told him that they could play.”

Owens said they have even hosted a group of college students at 2:30 in the morning.

And it is not just people that the course has attracted.

A one-eyed stray cat, appropriately named Pirate, wandered onto the property several years back and became a mainstay, often spending the day sitting underneath one of the shade trees found along the course.

Bob Owens said that although Pirate has been gone for almost 15 years, there are still customers that will come in and ask about him.

These days, the course, which is opened every day of the year except for Christmas, is run by managers Harmon and Linda Strickland.

The popular attraction has been fortunate when it comes to storm damage, is the first thing you see when you enter Gulf Shores, and with a dedicated staff, the next 25 years looks to be even better than the first.