Alabama is a great state for golfers of all skill levels. Whether you’re looking for an easy course to hone your basics or a more challenging one that will test your game, the state has it all. From lush greens and rolling hills in north Alabama to links-style courses along the Gulf Coast, there are plenty of options to choose from. Here are some of the best golf courses in Alabama.
Shoal Creek Golf Club
Shoal Creek, a Jack Nicklaus designed course in Birmingham forest, has been a staple of the golfing community for nearly 40 years. However, as with any aging course, it needed some reconditioning. Nicklaus and former senior designer Jim Lipe took on the task and literally tore up each hole to rethink strategies and options. The end result was not a mere restoration but an impressive updating.
Huge fairway bunkers were replaced with smaller clusters of traps, and greens were recontoured. The 12th hole, in particular, showcases an unheard of front to back flow from the original design in the late 1970s. While some critics find the course to lack variety, the challenging shot makers course makes excellent use of creeks and ponds. Shoal Creek remains a top choice for avid golfers seeking a professional experience.
Address: 100 New Williamsburg Dr RD, Shoal Creek, AL 35242
The Ledges Country Club
Perched high above the city, The Ledges golf course offers golfers not only challenges but unparalleled vistas. Designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry, the course design is a testament to their ingenuity in incorporating the stunning natural rock formations into the gameplay.
The front nine is particularly special, as it takes advantage of the northern portion of the property, where the stone walls and other natural features are incorporated seamlessly. However, it’s the dramatic dropoffs along the ridge lines of the finishing four holes that truly leave an impression.
The 16th hole, in particular, is one of the best, offering golfers an uphill approach to a raised green that is guarded by a menacing creek and an intimidating 12-foot deep, sod-lined bunker. All the while, the stunning views of the valley, downtown Huntsville, and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center 12 miles to the west offer a picturesque backdrop to the game.
Address: 32 Castle Down Dr, Huntsville, AL 35802
Country Club of Mobile
The Country Club of Mobile is a must-visit destination for any serious golfer. With 27 holes of golf spread across two courses, the opportunities for a challenging and exciting game are endless. No tee times are necessary, so players can come and go as they please. One of the standout features of the club is its teaching center, which is staffed by nationally recognized instructors. As a private club, members enjoy exclusive access to top-tier facilities and amenities.
The championship course, designed by Donald Ross in 1918, has been enhanced by Ron Forse and Bill Bergin in 2006 and 2013, respectively. The North Nine, a par 3 course, provides further opportunities for short game practice. With its exceptional design and wealth of resources, the Country Club of Mobile is the perfect place for golf enthusiasts to hone their skills and challenge themselves.
Address: 4101 Wimbledon Dr W, Mobile, AL 36608
Capitol Hill Golf Club – Judge Course
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a stunning project sprawling over 26 courses and 468 holes across 11 distinct sites in Alabama.
The Capitol Hill campus, which extends over 1500 acres, features three championship courses that have made the Trail a favored destination for golf enthusiasts around the world. The Senator and Legislator courses were the initial courses that opened this remarkable complex in 1999, but the Judge quickly followed up the next year, expanding it to a 54-hole behemoth.
Measuring a staggering length of 7813 yards, the Judge is not for the faint of heart, with a challenging slope rating of 142. The course features 14 water hazards, making it crucial for golfers to consider playing from the front tees. The 7th and 11th holes, both par fives, are vast, where a strategy of ball nudging, rather than blasting away from the back markers, is advised. The 6th, 12th, and 16th holes are all fantastic par three holes that offer little room for error with their island greens and long water carries.
Address: 2600 Constitution Ave, Prattville, AL 36066
Capitol Hill Golf Club – Legislator Course
While The Judge is often considered the main attraction with its challenging layout, The Legislator offers a more relaxing eighteen to play. However, make no mistake, the opening par five is far from a gentle start, and the course stretches almost 7,500 yards from the back tees. Despite its length, The Legislator is the shortest yardage of the three courses at the Capitol.
Golfers can enjoy a more traditional parkland layout, with less water and fewer bunkers or ponds, making it the ideal warm-up round for the other two courses. The sixth hole stands out as a unique challenge, with no bunkers or ponds, but rather a multi-tiered green that demands accuracy. Rest assured, with Robert Trent Jones as the designer, The Legislator will live up to expectations for an unforgettable round of golf.
Address: 2600 Constitution Ave, Prattville, AL 36066
Capitol Hill Golf Club – Senator Course
Capitol Hill Golf Club’s Senator Course is a remarkable Scottish-Links style course that is sure to challenge even the most seasoned golfers. Boasting over 140 pot-hole bunkers and towering mounds, the course presents tricky obstacles that are hidden from view. Though inspired by traditional links golf, the Senator Course contains ample patches of fescue between holes and relatively few penalty areas.
Renowned designer, Tom Jones, brings here pot bunkers into the fold with more than 160 of them! Despite its Scottish origins, this course is no softie at over 7,600 yards from the tips, and your shots will need to be both long and precise to survive. Even water hazards come into effect on the 17th hole, where a deep burn slashes through the green and down to the landing area, making the second shot one of the more complex decisions of your day.
Address: 2600 Constitution Ave, Prattville, AL 36066
Turtle Point Yacht & Country Club
Turtle Point exceeds in its natural rolling surroundings and challenging design. As a Robert Trent Jones Sr. creation, golfers can expect a course filled with signature features, including spacious greens and runway tee boxes.
However, what sets Turtle Point apart is the clever routing that makes the most of the long slope down towards the water and a valley that cuts through the middle of the property. The course features narrow landing areas, with tall pines and exposed pinestraw conjuring images of Augusta National. Playing away from the river, golfers will quickly find themselves challenged with an uphill approach at the doglegged 1st and a 230-yard one-shot on the 2nd.
The course’s par four 3rd parallels a valley with a domed fairway and a bunker protecting a large green that measures 43 yards in length. The 519-yard 5th requires a tee shot that reaches a plateau landing area before plunging down into a valley with a pond protecting the front and left of the putting surface. Turtle Point promises a challenging, yet rewarding game for golfers of all levels.
Address: 1000 Club Dr, Killen, AL 35645
Mountain Brook Club
The Mountain Brook Club is a highly exclusive Birmingham-area establishment that boasts a rich history. Designed by Donald Ross, the course has undergone renovations over the years by distinguished architects such as George Cobb and John LaFoy.
However, the most recent restoration by Brian Silva has returned the course to its original roots, albeit in a non-traditional way. The course spans over 125 acres, and its unique feature is the beautiful brook that runs through the property, creating several challenging and unusual holes.
One such hole is the 250-yard par four at No.12, where the green’s placement along the creek requires a consummate fade to land successfully. Similarly, the preceding hole, a mere 485-yard, brings in question whether to play over the creek to the lay-up area or cross the creek twice to reach another perched putting area, further adding to the course’s degree of difficulty.
The Mountain Brook Club remains an exclusive landmark in the clubbing community and a destination to experience the beauty and challenges of golf.
Address: 19 Beechwood Rd, Birmingham, AL 35213
Grand National Golf Club – Links Course
As the longest course on the RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National, the Links layout boasts 32 of its 54 holes running alongside the picturesque shores of Lake Saugahatchee. Widely considered to be one of the best-manicured courses on the Trail, the Links Course is renowned for its absence of weak spots.
Its exceptional par-four 18th, in particular, stands out as one of the most challenging finishing holes on any of the Trail’s twenty-six member courses. Golfers are required to hit their drive over a section of the lake, with the approach shot requiring precision to land on a small, boulder-backed pedestal green.
The course’s signature holes include the left doglegged par four 4th, which wraps around the shores of Lake Saugahatchee, the dynamic par three 9th, boasting a 150-foot long peninsula green, and the impressive par five 12th, with its narrowing fairway leading to a sand-protected green.
Address: 3000 Robert Trent Jones Trail, Opelika, AL 36801
Grand National Golf Club – Lakes Course
Finely manicured and breathtakingly scenic, the 7,149-yard Lake Course on the RTJ Golf Trail at Grand National is one of Alabama’s finest golfing experiences. With 12 holes hugging the picturesque banks of Lake Saugahatchee, this course is as much a treat for the eyes as it is a challenge for the clubs. But it is the 15th hole that truly stands out. This 230-yard par three features an island green that is not only mesmerizingly beautiful but also requires pinpoint accuracy to hit. It is no wonder that some consider it the best one-shot hole on the entire RTJ Golf Trail.
Even beyond the Lake Course, Grand National has much to offer, including The Short Course which boasts an exceptional lineup of one-shotters that some golf writers insist is among the finest in the world. And with a record of hosting such notable events as the 1997 Nike Tour Championship, 1998 LPGA Tournament of Champions, and the 2000 NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championship, this is undoubtedly a course that will challenge and delight golfers of all skill levels.
Address: 3000 Robert Trent Jones Trail, Opelika, AL 36801
FarmLinks Golf Club
FarmLinks Golf Club, designed by Dr Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry, is a truly unique course that offers players a tremendous experience. With generous landing areas, large greens, and up to 50 feet of elevation changes, FarmLinks offers a layout that is both enjoyable and player-friendly.
All four of the par 3s play downhill, providing stunning views and adding to the overall excitement. One of the most memorable holes is the 616-yard 18th, which concludes the round with a formidable challenge. It features several obstacles, including a couple of large oak trees and three fairway bunkers, making reaching the home green both an impressive feat and a thrilling experience.
Additionally, FarmLinks Golf Club is part of a family business that has been successfully operating since 1904 and contributes to research and learning in agriculture, pushing boundaries in agronomy and beyond.
Address: 386 Talladega Springs Rd, Sylacauga, AL 35151
Kiva Dunes Golf Course
Nestled on the exposed Fort Morgan Peninsula in Gulf Shores, Kiva Dunes Golf Course offers golfers an unforgettable experience in a breathtaking setting. Designed by developer Jim Edgemon and U.S. Open Champion Jerry Pate, this links-style course presents incredible shot-making opportunities amidst pristine sand dunes, wetlands, lakes, and natural wildlife areas.
The course is challenging, with an ever-present wind, numerous deep bunkers, undulating greens, and sandy waste areas that test even the best golfers. With a mix of short and long par 4s, back-to-back par 5s and an outstanding collection of par 3s, Kiva Dunes Golf Course offers players a varied experience. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner, this championship course is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Address: 815 Plantation Rd, Gulf Shores, AL 36542
The Country Club of Birmingham – West Course
The Country Club of Birmingham has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1898. Over the years, the West course has undergone its fair share of modifications, including the work of renowned golf architects Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Pete Dye.
Jones Sr. laid the foundation for the course’s style in the 1950s, which Dye continued to refine with his son P.B. Dye in the mid-1980s. However, the resulting changes were not received well by all. In 2009, Dye himself returned for a final renovation, resulting in a more modern design. While some of Jones Sr.’s work remains, much of his penal bunkering is no longer in place.
Today, measuring 7,226 yards, the West course presents a challenging test of golf, boasting noteworthy holes such as the par fives at the 4th and 10th and the formidable 431-yard closing hole. Despite not being a Donald Ross design, the course is an authentic and impressive accomplishment by Pete Dye.
Address: 3325 Country Club Rd, Mountain Brook, AL 35213
Greystone Golf & Country Club
The Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama boasts two world-class courses, the Founders and the Legacy.
While the Founders course gets a lot of attention for hosting professional events, the Legacy course is equally impressive in its own right.
Designed by the renowned golf architect Rees Jones, the Legacy course is situated three miles away from its sibling layout, offering players a more secluded and tranquil experience. The course sits in the valley of Double Oak Mountain and features meandering streams that demand strategic decision-making throughout the round. Golfers will appreciate the challenge and engaging play on this exacting course set in a picturesque deciduous woodland.
Address: 330 Legacy Ct, Birmingham, AL 35242
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Bridge
Ross Bridge is a testament to the incredible design and engineering that goes into creating a world-class golf course. As the newest member of the esteemed Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Ross Bridge’s staggering length of 8,191 yards from the tips is a feat of golf course design that few can match. Two large lakes and a breathtaking waterfall add to the allure of this magnificent course.
Of note, ten of the holes play along the banks of the lakes, connected by the cascading water feature. The gristmill at the base of the falls is a nod to the mining history of the property. Offering a range of tee options, the course can be played at a shorter 5,312 yards, giving golfers of all abilities a chance to enjoy the experience. The par threes are standout holes that combine elevation changes with water, making them a challenge and a thrill for players. Exceptionally large putting surfaces provide golfers tempting pin placements, making each round of golf unique.
Address: 4000 Grand Ave, Hoover, AL 35226
Conclusion
Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or expert golfer, the courses of Alabama have something for everyone. From the breathtaking vistas at Kiva Dunes to the challenging fairways at Greystone Golf & Country Club, there’s no shortage of spectacular golf experiences in this state. So next time you’re looking for an amazing round of golf, head to Alabama and explore these incredible courses.
