Best in State
The best golf courses in Alabama
For many golfers, Alabama golf is synonomous with the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, a network of branded golf that's grown to encompass well over 300 regulation-length holes (and many more par-3 courses) across 11 different sites spread throughout the state. It was groundbreaking when it was introduced in the early 1990s and continues to attract visitors to the state each year with some of the country's most adventurous, affordable golf. What makes the Trail so attractive (four different courses made the Alabama ranking this year) is the diversity of the sites.
That same diverstiy makes all of Alabama golf worth investigating, from the Appalachian foothills in the north where the holes at the Hurzdan-Fry-designed The Ledges seem to levitate on cliffs over valleys below to the low beaches in the south where Kiva Dunes zigzags back and forth under the intense Gulf Coast breezes. Throw in major championship sites like Shoal Creek outside Birmingham and the new Coore and Crenshaw-designed Wicker Point climbing the land around Lake Martin near Auburn and you've got one of the South's most interesting and varied backdrops for golf.
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Asked if a course could be built in a Birmingham forest, Jack Nicklaus scouted the site from lumber haul roads and said of the mountainous terrain, “Well, there are a lot of par 3s out there, that’s for sure.” But then he discovered a gentle valley in which to put par 4s and 5s, so he took the job. It became one of his great early designs. But as it neared 40 years of existence, Shoal Creek needed some reconditioning, so Nicklaus and his former senior designer Jim Lipe (now operating his own firm in Louisiana) literally ripped up every hole and rethought strategies and options. The result was not a restoration but an updating. Gone are huge fairway bunkers, replaced by smaller clusters of traps. Greens have been recontoured, with one, the 12th, actually flowing front to back, unheard of back in the late 1970s when the course was first built. Shoal Creek has twice hosted the PGA Championship and the remodeled layout hosted the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open, won by Ariya Jutanugarn in a four-hole playoff over Hoo-joo Kim.
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Starting 40 years ago, the Country Club of Birmingham’s West Course, one of two Donald Ross designs at the club, was repeatedly ranked on Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest. Then it fell off in 1984. Pete Dye convinced the club that he could restore the Ross glory to its West Course, but sent his younger son, P.B., to the course. P.B. proceeded to turn the turfgrass black with grass-killing chemicals, then stirred up clouds of red dust gouging his bulldozer into every tee, fairway and green. When he was finished, the West had become a P.B. Dye design, and some members were so unhappy, they didn’t talk to Pete for years. A decade ago, Pete finally talked his way back into the club’s good graces and promised “to fix things.” He brought in a new crew, toned done some of the more outrageous features of P.B., and made it more playable. Today, Birmingham West is still not back to being a Donald Ross design, but it sure is an authentic Pete Dye design.
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Perched on a 1,582-foot mountain peak—the highest point in Huntsville—The Ledges offers stunning vistas and dramatic dropoffs. This Michael Hurdzan/Dana Fry layout features narrow fairways that are closely guarded by imposing trees and several steep cliffs. The steep rock wall dropoff lurking just steps off the second fairway is both impressive and intimidating. The course offers beautiful views of the valley, downtown Huntsville and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center 12 miles to the west. The Ledges is currently ranked third on our Best in Alabama list.
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Situated on a gently sloping hillside overlooking Wilson Lake in northwest Alabama, Turtle Point is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. design playing along the rolling tree-lined landscape. With very few fairway bunkers, the landing areas are narrowed by tall pines with exposed pinestraw underneath, conjuring up images of Augusta National. The par-3 eighth roughly resembles the 12th at Augusta as it plays over water to a shallow green angled away from the player and guarded by several small bunkers. Turtle Point is currently ranked fourth on our Best in Alabama list.
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This private Birmingham-area layout was designed by Tom Fazio and Jerry Pate and debuted as Golf Digest’s Best New Private Course of 1994. Visually narrow fairways play wider than they appear, given the unduldations often feed the ball back toward the center. This rolling course with relatively small greens was recently renovated by Pate and Steve Dana. It currently ranks as the sixth-best course on our Best in Alabama list.
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Appropriately named for its location just outside Alabama’s state capital, the Judge course at Capitol Hill opens with one of the more memorable holes on the Trail. The opener plays straight down hill to a green perched along the backwaters of the Alabama River. With water in play on 14 of 18 holes, the Judge—currently ranked fifth on our Best in Alabama list—demands your best ball-striking, most notably on the island-green par-3 sixth.
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Originally designed in the early 1950s, Vestavia recently underwent a complete redesign led by architect Lester George. George rerouted the layout and created all-new holes. The renovated course debuted as No. 4 on our 2018 list of Best New Private Courses. The new layout includes wider fairways with fewer trees, opening up beautiful views of the surrounding landscape. There are several classic template holes at Vestavia, including the Redan green at the 13th and the Biarritz green at the 15th.
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The PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship was played on Grand National’s Lake course from 2015 through '17. Strategically placed bunkers and large multi-tiered greens defend this eastern Alabama layout. The track hugs the shore of Sougahatchee Lake, which comes into play on 12 of the 18 holes, often around the greens. The four par 3s each offer a stern test with water in play, most notably on the signature island-green 15th.
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Interestingly, Greystone’s Legacy course is three miles from its sibling layout, giving the Legacy a more secluded feel. The rolling Rees Jones design sits in the valley of Double Oak Mountain, and similar to the Founders Course, features meandering streams that can pester players and force thoughtful decision-making throughout the round.
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Greystone’s Founders Course is the longtime host of the PGA Tour Champions’ Regions Tradition, one of the tour’s five major championships. This tree-lined Bob Cupp design opened in 1991 and winds through foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Meandering creeks lurk on many holes on this otherwise playable layout.
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Towering pines and two large lakes frame many holes on this expansive layout just south of Birmingham. Significant elevation changes dictate a layout that plays up and down the banks that surround the two lakes, which are connected by a stunning waterfall that separates the ninth and 18th greens. With wide landing areas and large greens, there is ample room for wayward shots. The course tips out over 8,000 yards, but there are five sets of tees to accommodate all players. Note: The course is temporarily closed due to green damage caused by misapplied herbicide.
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Contrary to its name, the Links course at Grand National requires many forced carries over bunkers and marshes to often elevated, undulating greens. The layout features large greens with numerous tiers, placing a premium on precise iron play. Weaving through woodlands and playing along Sougahatchee Lake, the Links concludes with its signature par-4 18th, where both the tee and approach shots must carry water to reach an enormous green.
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Situated between Birmingham and Montgomery, FarmLinks is a Michael Hurdzan/Dana Fry layout at Pursell Farms, a Golf Digest Editors’ Choice resort at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. FarmLinks offers a wide variety of holes with generous landing areas, large greens and up to 50 feet of elevation change, making it an enjoyable, player-friendly layout. All four of the par 3s play downhill, including the fifth and 17th holes, which feature severe drops and impressive views.
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Kiva Dunes was designed by 1976 U.S. Open champion Jerry Pate. Perched on the exposed Fort Morgan Peninsula in Gulf Shores, this links-style course has an ever-present wind, numerous deep-faced bunkers and undulating greens. This longtime Q school host lost many trees in a storm a few years back, which has only enhanced its links qualities.
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Surrounded by Lake Martin on three sides, Willow Point plays out on a peninsula with 12 holes located on the shores of the lake. Wind often plays a factor on this exposed track about an hour north of Montgomery, but the wide fairways and greens are forgiving. The back nine is especially memorable, as it plays along the lakeside and is framed by tall fescue and stone walls.
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