Ross Bridge Golf Course Photo Credit Art Meripol
Golfing Magazine: Golf Birmingham, Alabama
COME
Birmingham, Alabama, is a young, sophisticated city located in the heart of the southeastern United States. The climate is moderate year-round, making the city an excellent choice for golfing throughout most of the year.
Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a collection of championship courses that runs from the mountains in the north to the beaches in the south. Birmingham has two courses along the Trail, the Oxmoor Valley Course and the Ross Bridge Course. The greater Birmingham area has more than 140,000 yards of some of the best public golf on earth.
PLAY
Here are a few favorite courses in the greater Birmingham area:
Ballantrae Golf Club
Ballantrae is situated just south of Birmingham in the rolling hills of the Pelham community. The challenging 18-hole course is fast and fun but fair. Wide landing areas, minimal bunkering, and closely cropped roughs add up to a player-friendly experience.
www.ballantraegolf.com
Bent Brook
This former dairy farm just east of Birmingham is an exceptionally beautiful course. With 27 holes of bent grass greens, Bent Brook has long, well-maintained fairways.
www.bentbrook.com
Highland Park
With its location in the heart of downtown Birmingham, Highland Park has unusual views of the city skyline. This 18-hole urban gem is the only course of its kind in the state.
www.highlandparkgolf.com
Ross Bridge Golf Resort
Beautifully carved into the rolling terrain of Shannon Valley, Ross Bridge is one of the courses along Alabama’s famed Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Because it is one of the longest courses in the world, Ross Bridge challenges even the best golfers. The course, however, offers multiple tees for golfers of all levels.
www.rtjgolf.com/rossbridge/
Oxmoor Valley
The second Birmingham course along the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, this 54-hole facility is sculpted from the peaks and valleys of the Appalachian Mountains, with scenic forests and challenging elevation changes. Oxmoor Valley includes the Ridge Course, with some of the most spectacular par fives on the trail, and the Valley Course that stretches two miles downrange along a slender valley leading to the clubhouse. The Short Course is a collection of 18 pure one-shotters with severe elevation changes.
www.rtjgolf.com/oxmoorvalley/
Timberline Golf Club
This par-71 course opened in 2002 and was designed by golf legend Jerry Pate. The gently rolling hills are shaded by oaks and other hardwoods that give the course its name. With four sets of tees, the course plays from 4,808 to 6,745 yards, offering as much challenge as you like.
www.timberlinegc.com
EAT AND DRINK
A great round of golf calls for a good meal. Birmingham is known throughout the region for its craft breweries and chef-owned dining rooms. Often called the “Dinner Table of the South,” the city is filled with fine restaurants serving memorable meals. Live music is also signature entertainment in Birmingham. Quaint nightspots attract an interesting mix of locals and tourists, while large music venues regularly feature nationally known artists.
EXPLORE
Birmingham is filled with an interesting assortment of attractions and entertainment for visitors to discover. Must-see places include Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum which houses the world’s largest collection of vintage and contemporary motorcycles, along with Lotus race cars. The Birmingham Civil Rights District is also an important place to visit. Retrace the steps of the brave men and women who struggled for racial equality in the 1960s.
Come to golf. Stay to enjoy all the pleasures of Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Contact information: Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau
205-458-8000
www.InBirmingham.com
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