Birmingham area dominates Golf Digest’s best-in-state list

With Father’s Day and warm, sunny afternoons in full swing, it’s no wonder golf is on our minds here in Birmingham.

In fact, we just updated our guide to 12 public golf courses within 25 miles of Birmingham.

Here’s a run-down of Golf Digest’s 15 best in the state, whether you want to make an afternoon or long weekend of it. It’ll be worth the drive.

Shoal Creek remains at the top

Alabama golfers already know the state is home to some beautiful courses that take advantage of our area’s natural beauty and rolling topography.

According to our sister publication, one particular course deserves its kudos: Shoal Creek Club.

For the 15th straight year, this Jack Nicklaus-designed course off Dunnavant Valley Road in Birmingham has been declared the best course in Alabama by Golf Digest.

Shoal Creek received 4.5 stars out of 5 from a panelist of 17 Golf Digest voters. It was ranked 141st in the country.

“As it neared 40 years of existence, Shoal Creek needed some reconditioning, so Nicklaus and his former senior designer Jim Lipe 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.”Golf Digest

Some quick facts you might want to know about the course before playing including:

• Par: 72
• Distance: 7114 yards
• Slope: 141
• Highest Golf Digest ranking: 14th in 1986

Ready to explore the rest of Alabama’s top golf spots?

For Birmingham golfers, you’re in luck: 7 of the top 15 are nearby. Here’s Golf Digest’s list of some of the best around the state:

1. Shoal Creek Club (17 miles SE of downtown Birmingham)
2. Wicker Point Golf Club (Alexander City)
3. Country Club of Birmingham (5 miles SE of downtown Birmingham)
4. The Ledges (Huntsville)
5. Old Overton (13 miles SE of downtown Birmingham)
6. Turtle Point (Florence)
7. RTJ at Capitol Hill: The Judge (Prattville)
8. Vestavia Country Club (8 miles south of downtown Birmingham)
9. Greystone Founders Course (15 miles SE of downtown Birmingham)
10. Greystone Legacy Course (15 miles SE of downtown Birmingham)
11. RTJ at Grand National: The Lake (Opelika)
12. RTJ at Ross Bridge (12 miles SW of downtown Birmingham)
13. Kiva Dunes (Gulf Shores)
14. FarmLinks (Talledega Springs)
15. RTJ at Grand National: The Links (Opelika)

And not only do Alabamians love golf, they love to give back with every swing: The legendary Regions Tradition, which just wrapped a few weeks ago, has raised a staggering amount for Children’s Hospital of Birmingham—$24M+ and growing each year. Read more about that here.

Where do you tee up, Birmingham? Let us know @bhamnow!