Highland Park Golf Course

This has been a longtime haunt of mine, but the first time I've played here since they shut down the course a few months ago after losing their Bent greens to the extreme Deep South heat. Editorializing here, but I really don't understand why courses in my part of the country don't switch to the TifEagle Bermuda. It is so hard to keep Bent alive here, and in the summer they are always so shaggy. The late fall and winter are pretty good for that type of grass, but is a headache the rest of the year. At any rate, Highland Park has been voted "Best Greens in Birmingham" several years, but they take a lot of traffic, which is partly the reason for losing the greens. Greens looked good today. The time off helped heal the multitude of ball marks that were either unfixed or improperly fixed. This course will always hold a special place for me, since it is the first place I shot par. This is not by definition an executive course, but is short by any definition, tipping out at 5,801 yards. I would say it is similar to Audubon Park in New Orleans, with elevation changes. All 3 par 5s are easily reachable in two shots and there are five par 3s. Yet, only a curmudgeon of a golfer could not enjoy themselves here. It is a great course for beginners or infrequent players, due to the length. But, as an avid player I enjoy Highland Park because it allows me to really work on my iron game. I only hit driver on 4 holes here. So this course makes you think about getting to your ideal yardages for approaches and being precise. This is my go-to course when I want to focus on my wedges, because you will hit one into 2/3 of the holes. From the driveable first, 14th and 15th holes to the skyline views of downtown Birmingham from several holes, this is a historic Magic City golfing landmark. The only knock is the driving range is on the side of a hill, making it less-than-ideal.

One of the nicest golf courses I have played this year. It's a short course with quiet a few drivable par 4s. It has a few short par 3s that are challenging. Greens were very receptive while still having a moderate to fast speed. The overall view that the golf course offers of downtown Birmingham is amazing. Very pretty course.