Just a short drive due north of Birmingham, Alabama lies a gem of a golf course called Limestone Springs Golf Course. The course was designed by renowned PGA Tour player Jerry Pate. Pate was the winner of the 1976 U.S. Open at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Georgia. The course is par 72 and can play up to around 7,000 yards from the back tees.
The course was smartly designed among the rolling hills of northern Alabama. The layout meanders over the hills taking advantage of a few lakes and creeks that will get your attention if you are someone who loves to see beautiful scenery but also wants to find your golf ball to hit it again.
Elevation change makes this course both appealing and exciting on several holes. There are some really good looking holes as you stand on the tee box. The first tee is one of those premium experiences right out of the gate. Even if you don’t want to play the back tees, I highly recommend hitting from the back tees on the first tee. The tee box is literally just a few steps from the clubhouse as to maximize the elevation drop and views. There’s nothing better for your confidence than hitting a good first tee shot that hangs in the air twice as long as normal as it drops about 100 feet of elevation. This day, the hole was framed with some green, yellow and auburn colored trees down the left side as the hole doglegs to the right and down to a green protected with water down the right.
Golf course architect Jerry Pate did a good job getting to high ground as much as possible for tee shots that limit blind shots but also provide nice views of the rolling hills and surrounding forest. One of those many spots is the par-3 7th. I would deem it as Limestone Springs Golf Course’s favorite and signature hole. It’s a short downhill par-3 that crosses a natural area including a creek that runs in front of the green. The green complex is banked steeply in front of the green sending any shot even a yard short of the green sadly rolling back into the hazard. As someone who made that mistake, take the extra club as there is a chance for par long. Short brings bogey or worse into play.
Overall, the back nine seemed to play easier with more chances to score and try to pick up some shots. Get the ball in play on 13, 14, 16, and 17, and par or better is there to be taken. The course is fair with wide fairways. However, make no mistake that this course has no mercy on wild tee shots. Those wide fairways transition into small rough areas and then dense forests. I imagine most days it would be tough to find your ball but on a fall afternoon with lots of leaves on the ground it was really mission impossible.
If you find yourself in the Birmingham area, I recommend you check out Limestone Springs Golf Course. You will find yourself on a golf course in the beautiful rolling hills of northern Alabama close to the start of Appalachian Mountains. It’s the kind of golf course you can find peace, recreation and challenge throughout your 4-hour round. It checked all the boxes for our group which included a golf newbie who is still learning the game.
Other things to do in the area
Make sure to get your golf fix in while in the Birmingham Alabama area. However, this is Birmingham and there is a lot of history and entertainment to be enjoyed also. There are a couple non-golf activities that I highly recommend to compliment the golf. First, the Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark is a great place to wander around and get lost for an hour or so. Sloss was a pig iron producing blast furnace from 1882 to 1971. These days, you can wander the grounds fairly comprehensively taking in the magnitude of the structures and contemplate the working conditions of those who worked there to produce the raw materials that helped build America. Second, and just down the road, you should grab a meal at Hattie B’s Birmingham. The hot chicken is superb coming in many spice levels and is only surpassed by the quality of the staff proving service. Seriously, the staff working there are the best I’ve seen at any restaurant type in quite a while. Lastly, there are a lot of cool breweries in downtown Birmingham. I searched breweries and it turned up 25 results. While I have no specific recommendations, I imagine anyone who likes breweries and puts in the time will find more than one to their liking.
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