Golf Trip to Birmingham

[bigd308la]

I have a guys golf trip planed to Birmingham. We are playing three courses Ross Bridge, Oxmoor Ridge, and we are looking for a third. We had plans to play farm links but they will be closed for maintenance. We are willing to travel up to a hour is the course is great. Any help would be appreciated. 
 

thanks 

[tiderider]

the Judge in prattville (capitol site on rtj trail) is a little bit over an hour ... otherwise, you could try timberline or ballantrae ... they aren't 'great' by any definition, but they're decent and open ... or, actually, highland park ... it's downtown a bit, or in b'ham proper ... public ... bit of a historical place ... short, but greens are new bermuda tiff whatever, and are very, very good ... decent walk ... not too many straight up climbs like you'll see on the ridge at oxmoor ... it's a solid course, and it's in b'ham ... 

[Skeeter]

No interest in the other Oxmoor course the Valley? It’s solid. 

[tiderider]

yeah, i didn't notice it appears to be only the ridge at oxmoor ... valley's a tougher test, better overall holes than the ridge ... greens are basically a thin layer of bermuda on top of mud, however ... it's being shut down in april for new greens (has original greens on it from 25  years ago) ... 

[bigd308la]

5 hours ago, tiderider said:

yeah, i didn't notice it appears to be only the ridge at oxmoor ... valley's a tougher test, better overall holes than the ridge ... greens are basically a thin layer of bermuda on top of mud, however ... it's being shut down in april for new greens (has original greens on it from 25  years ago) ... 

We will be going in May. We played the valley course last time we were in the area. Really nice just unfortunately will be closed. 

[Abh159]

Look into Ol’ Colony in Tuscaloosa. It’s a solid course and should be about an hour or so from Birmingham. 
 

I’m pretty sure it’s the home course for Alabama’s golf teams. 

[tiderider]

3 hours ago, bigd308la said:

We will be going in May. We played the valley course last time we were in the area. Really nice just unfortunately will be closed. 

i'd really look at highland park ... like i said, it's short, but it's got some good holes, and the greens are fantastic ... it's close, don't have to drive at all ... other than that, timberline/ballantrae/brentbrook (forgot that one) are the only public courses nearby worth considering ... capital hill rtj site is bout 75 minutes away ... 

[jjthomp2]

another vote here for Highland Park. was my go to when i was in school in BHam 

[DoubleorQuits]

Check out Limestone Springs.  Well worth the drive to Oneonta.  

[me05501]

On 1/25/2021 at 12:38 PM, DoubleorQuits said:

Check out Limestone Springs.  Well worth the drive to Oneonta.  

 

Came here to post this. Really fun layout and conditions are usually good. There's quite a bit of elevation change which helps with drainage if you're playing during Spring months. 

Bent Brook is okay. Timberline is fun. I didn't enjoy Oxmoor or Ross Bridge when I played them. My advice on all the RTJ courses is to choose a set of tees that seems too easy on paper. If you normally play 6500 yards, choose the tees that play 6000. There's more than enough trouble around the greens. It suck to be approaching from too far back and/or in the rough all day long. 

[snickersdog]

Tiderider, if the RTJ site says greens aerification at the Par 3 Course at Oxmpor is a 13 day recovery in May, and we wanted to play it on day 12, what sort of green conditions would we expect? As in, on a scale of 1-10, how big are the tines that punch and how crazy do they go with the sand top dressing?

[Newgs]

Really is a shame you won’t be able to get on Farmlinks, played it a couple weeks ago and even in the winter it is fun. Highland Park is a gem. Not long but super fun and pretty historical. I would stay away from Limestone if I were on a guys trip. The place could and hopefully will be great at some point, but right now it leaves a lot to be desired. I believe there is new ownership and I wish them the best but they aren’t there yet. I agree with the Judge being a good option. I would add Cider Ridge to the list. Right about an hour away from Bham and and a cool course. Silver Lakes is another RTJ course you might look at. A bit over an hour from Bham and a fun course with challenging greens.

[me05501]

56 minutes ago, snickersdog said:

Tiderider, if the RTJ site says greens aerification at the Par 3 Course at Oxmpor is a 13 day recovery in May, and we wanted to play it on day 12, what sort of green conditions would we expect? As in, on a scale of 1-10, how big are the tines that punch and how crazy do they go with the sand top dressing?

You should barely notice after that long. 

[PNB_Golf]

Highland Park, Ol' Colony, Ballantrae, Limestone Springs, Timberline and Bent Brook are all solid options 

[me05501]

A good friend lived in Birmingham for a long time and through various circumstances we got to play some of the better courses down there. The day we played Shoal Creek was a slog, it had rained heavily overnight and the hot sun made it very humid during our round. But it was neat to be there. 

 

I think my favorite was Greystone. Thick zoysia fairways that really let the ball sit up for you. I played great that day. Our round there was one of those wink and a nod things arranged by one of the assistant pros my buddy knew. He met us at our car with carts and sent us straight to the first tee, and then caught up with us on the back nine to collect a hundo each from us for the round. 😕

[trojanhorse]

I live in Bham and have played most of the courses around here. If you want quality i recommend Bent Brook or Highland Park. Highland is cool because its in the middle of the city with some pretty nice views. 

[smashdn]

Ballantrae in Pellham is a nice track.

[tiderider]

On 2/17/2021 at 9:20 PM, snickersdog said:

Tiderider, if the RTJ site says greens aerification at the Par 3 Course at Oxmpor is a 13 day recovery in May, and we wanted to play it on day 12, what sort of green conditions would we expect? As in, on a scale of 1-10, how big are the tines that punch and how crazy do they go with the sand top dressing?

bermuda greens, and my guess is that it will be a heavy punch since they are going to get a lot of play with the Valley being closed ... i've been mia from the past several weekends, but the par 3 needs some love, so my guess is that with the valley closed, they are going to punch heavy to make sure something good/positive happens ... bermuda punches, at this site anyways, are usually 'heavy', or full sized ... ridge is bent and gets the smaller/more narrow tines ... top dress will be at least significant, and they lost the valley a couple of years ago and has to resand ... the greens on the par 3 are old, just like the valley ... you'd probably still very much notice a punch occurred two weeks ago on day 12 ... may not be crappy condition, but that course will need a big "maintenance check" for the upcoming summer and early fall ... i'll ask this week and get a few thoughts ... 

Edited April 12, 2021 by tiderider

[vandyfan]

We are planning a buddies trip that centers around Pursell Farms (our favorite course in Alabama that we have played, hands down). We want to tack on another site and want it to be relatively close to Pursell Farms and we are deciding between:

 

Birmingham (Ballantrae, Oxmoor Valley, Ross Bridge, Highland, etc) - we played Ross Bridge and Oxmoor last year. Felt like Ross Bridge was nice, had some dramatic and diverse holes but a bit overpriced. Oxmoor Valley had an interesting mix of fun holes with some brutal/bad holes mixed in. I think on the whole the closing stretch left a bad taste in our group's mouth. I have played Highland before and it's fine and has a cool history but that will likely be lost on a few in our group. 

Gadsden (Silver Lakes) - never played out there, want to get any reviews or thoughts people might have on this set of courses if it is fun or interesting or well maintained or all of the above. And if people have thoughts on mindbreaker vs heartbreaker vs back breaker. 

 

Fun, to us, is similar to Pursell where you have some width off the tee and some interest/challenge on the approach shot. I think Pursell is well liked because, let's be honest, it can play pretty easy most days. No one is trying to get out and grind on this trip and just want nice, interesting, well-maintained golf courses. 

 

Thanks in advance!

[Abh159]

4 minutes ago, blackbdmillsaps said:

We are planning a buddies trip that centers around Pursell Farms (our favorite course in Alabama that we have played, hands down). We want to tack on another site and want it to be relatively close to Pursell Farms and we are deciding between:

 

Birmingham (Ballantrae, Oxmoor Valley, Ross Bridge, Highland, etc) - we played Ross Bridge and Oxmoor last year. Felt like Ross Bridge was nice, had some dramatic and diverse holes but a bit overpriced. Oxmoor Valley had an interesting mix of fun holes with some brutal/bad holes mixed in. I think on the whole the closing stretch left a bad taste in our group's mouth. I have played Highland before and it's fine and has a cool history but that will likely be lost on a few in our group. 

Gadsden (Silver Lakes) - never played out there, want to get any reviews or thoughts people might have on this set of courses if it is fun or interesting or well maintained or all of the above. And if people have thoughts on mindbreaker vs heartbreaker vs back breaker. 

 

Fun, to us, is similar to Pursell where you have some width off the tee and some interest/challenge on the approach shot. I think Pursell is well liked because, let's be honest, it can play pretty easy most days. No one is trying to get out and grind on this trip and just want nice, interesting, well-maintained golf courses. 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

Gadsden is a decent ways away from FarmLinks. About 90 minutes apart if I'm correct. If you're willing to go out that far you might want to consider the RTJ courses in Montgomery (Capitol Hill) and Auburn (Grand National) as well. If you want to stay closer to FarmLinks then Birmingham will be your best bet.

 

I've played about half the trail courses and at the end of the day most (not all) of the RTJ courses are going to have a similar feel to them. The one course (can't remember the name) at Capitol Hill might be a bit different since they call it a "links" course.

 

Although the location may change the overall design style and layout will be familiar no mater what site you are on.

[me05501]

26 minutes ago, blackbdmillsaps said:

We are planning a buddies trip that centers around Pursell Farms (our favorite course in Alabama that we have played, hands down). We want to tack on another site and want it to be relatively close to Pursell Farms and we are deciding between:

 

Birmingham (Ballantrae, Oxmoor Valley, Ross Bridge, Highland, etc) - we played Ross Bridge and Oxmoor last year. Felt like Ross Bridge was nice, had some dramatic and diverse holes but a bit overpriced. Oxmoor Valley had an interesting mix of fun holes with some brutal/bad holes mixed in. I think on the whole the closing stretch left a bad taste in our group's mouth. I have played Highland before and it's fine and has a cool history but that will likely be lost on a few in our group. 

Gadsden (Silver Lakes) - never played out there, want to get any reviews or thoughts people might have on this set of courses if it is fun or interesting or well maintained or all of the above. And if people have thoughts on mindbreaker vs heartbreaker vs back breaker. 

 

Fun, to us, is similar to Pursell where you have some width off the tee and some interest/challenge on the approach shot. I think Pursell is well liked because, let's be honest, it can play pretty easy most days. No one is trying to get out and grind on this trip and just want nice, interesting, well-maintained golf courses. 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Limestone Springs outside Birmingham would fit the bill. 

[mjdrum92]

On 1/23/2021 at 9:32 PM, Skeeter said:

No interest in the other Oxmoor course the Valley? It’s solid. 

I’m pretty sure it’s still closed till spring. They’re redoing the greens and several other parts of the course.
 

Also, a lot of better courses in the area. 

[mjdrum92]

I’ve lived in Bham my entire life and for public golf I’d echo what a lot of people have listed. My rankings for just fun courses in the Bham metro would probably be:

1. Ross Bridge

2. Oxmoor (Ridge course)

3. Bent Brook

4. Highlands (VERY short but fun low scoring)

5. Ballantrae

6. Timberline 

 

That being said, I’d 100% agree with those that have said RTJ Capitol Hill would be a must for the trip. It’s a straight shot down i65 to Prattville and you can’t go wrong with the Judge or Senator courses. The Senator is one of my favorite courses, period. Links style with a great overall design. Different than anything else in the state and has hosted several LPGA and Korn Ferry Tour events. 
 

No matter where y’all decide to play, since y’all are planning to play RTJ’s, you definitely need to buy a trail card before you play. It’s $40 and good for a year at all trail sites. You get discounted green fees and at Ross Bridge you’d save more than $40 with that one round. Then, if you play Oxmoor and Capitol Hill, it just means you’ll save even more. 

[tiderider]

19 hours ago, mjdrum92 said:

I’m pretty sure it’s still closed till spring. They’re redoing the greens and several other parts of the course.
 

Also, a lot of better courses in the area. 

opens up in two weeks ... better layout than the ridge, and the greens are brand new ... carpet, hard & firm ... 

Edited October 2, 2021 by tiderider