Heatherwood Hills Country Club

Do not bother to play this course. Goat Ranch and that is being kind.

I have played this course 3 times now and have cursed it at some point every round, but I keep coming back. People are right when they say that most fairways are narrow - if you miss by a little your ball will likely be gone forever - but the most difficult thing about this course is the greens that will just will not hold anything. I have started bump-and-running almost everything here just to avoid trying to land it on the green. The greens are new and in great shape, but the firmness is maddening.

It's harder than the usual decently-priced golf course, but I would still recommend it to any golfer - just have enough balls that you don't mind losing.

Every person I've interacted with at the clubhouse has been great, and the course is worth its fee, especially when you get a deal on GolfNow. Just be prepared to be forced to do things a little differently.

Recently rebuilt greens are coming in great, lots of grass, and really good surfaces to roll the ball.

I played on a grey calm day about 65 degrees. Played alone and played two balls most of the day, quickly.

Reviews that report an excessively tight course, are probably beginners. Heather wood is a typical championship course which could be characterized as “target golf”, but primarily because of the elevation changes. I’ll concede the 9th is probably a 3 iron, 6 iron to the 100 plate, single file par 5; which is intimidatingly awesome.

A rangefinder will help from the tee box to select what will not be driver every hole. Landing areas are generous and misses costly. A good test of left to right and right to left.

I really liked it.

I enjoyed the course. Most people will hate it. The course is very unforgiving. The fairways are narrow and don't have a lot of grass on them right now. If you miss the fairway/green by even a little, you probably won't find your ball. And if you do, you won't be able to hit it. Most greens are elevated and protected by bunkers. I'd say it's a course worth playing once if you like a good challenge. If you prefer wide fairways and greens where you can hit a thin shot and still get on, then stay away.

This course has a very unique layout and is a fun track to play, that being said only the most accurate of golfers need to bring out anything more than a driving iron from the tees. Course plays tougher than the card says and narrow fairways and tough greens make this a true test.

I had heard about this course being tight and unforgiving if you drifted out of the fairway. This is absolutely the case. Tough on golf ball inventory for a first view of the course. The layout offers stunning views, elevation changes and bueatiful homes surrounding. This course has its quirks but it’s a great value

This is a tough golf course. No room for error around the greens or off the fairway. Consider growing out grass in areas around greens instead of waste areas that are there now. Give me a chance to get up and down. Very hilly, golf carts could use speed governors; downhill speeds were unsafe.

Conditions were rough but played a day after

storms rolled through.

This course reopened just over a year ago. This is the 2nd time I've played it. The course is coming around great. The course was closed for 10 years or so and the staff is awesome job. I can't wait to play this course again this summer when I come in town.

Tough course at times, lot of elevation change. Very nice layout and some big view shots.

This was a phenomenal course and a great experience. The course is in great condition very tough so make sure to bring your best game. You will hit every club in your bag literally every club even that 60° you hate hitting. Lol

Don't play this course without a bag full of balls.

I was warned it was tight

You really need a GPS to play this course.

No layout diagram on the score card.

Course is in terrible condition

Rent a cart unless you are part Billy goat

Thankfully any game of golf is fun.

This was my first time playing this course and I greatly enjoyed it. For mid December and having several inches of snow just one week ago, I thought the course was in good condition. I was worried it would be a frustrating day after reading about how difficult this course could be, but the great weather, views, and uniqueness really covered up the doubts. Overall it was a great round. I was very lucky to be hitting straight that day. If not, it could’ve been been a very long afternoon

Heatherwood Hills re-opened in October 2016 after being shuttered for 8 years. The formerly private club is now semi-private and there has been a lot of effort put into getting the course aesthetically sound.

I played here shortly after the re-open and there was a grassing problem. We were incurring a drought and most of the fairways were bare. Greens were thin, but the bones of a good course were there.

I am glad I came back. This course has turned the corner and is rapidly growing into one of the toughest public tracks in Birmingham. At just 6,351 yards from the tips, the course seems like a pushover from the scorecard. But it plays to a 137 slope. The main reason is because of how narrow it is.

Only the straightest of drivers need to even think about pulling furniture off the tee. In many cases, it isn't necessary either. Heatherwood is all about positioning, moreso off the tee, and to a lesser extent with approach shots. Missing the fairway here means lost balls, especially in the fall. I would recommend even better players bringing a few extra balls.

The greens are extremely firm, but not driveway hard. I did not need to repair a pitch mark all day, yet balls would hold with some rollout. I am a decent ball striker and found you need to consistently play for about a half-club of release coming into the greens. These greens used to be Bent, but were converted to Bermuda when it re-opened. They should continue to soften as they mature. Greens have good thatching and putted very good.

This course is bunkered very well. They are deep and clustered. Areas surrounding the green are closely-mown and chipping requires a deft touch.

This course will frustrate you on your first trip. There are many blind approaches and tee shots. There is a lot of local knowledge to be had to score well.

Highlighted holes are the third which requires an aggressive long iron off the tee to cut the corner and an approach to a rock-walled green guarded by a lake. The fifth green is a subtle biarritz, which you don't find in this area. The three-hole stretch comprised of the sixth, seventh and eighth holes is a tremendous stretch. The only two par 5s on the course come back-to-back at holes 9 and 10. The 12th hole is fantastic, and one of my favorite in the metro area. The 15th is visually stunning and 16 is a stellar par 3.

My only constructive criticism is that there are four sets of tees, but only three on the card. The blue tees that I played were what I deduced to be the regular member tees and one set up from the tips, but weren't listed on the card.

In conclusion, there are still a few thin spots in some fairways and surrounding greens, but this course is really fun to play. If you can score well here, your game will travel. That being said, I'm not sure there are many 4-6 handicappers that can break 80 on their first loop here. And a 10+ handicapper might run out of golf balls.

Definitely has improved in the last few months. Not a very forgiving course with almost every green having either an extreme change in elevation but decent for your money. Not ideal for new players especially if you can’t consistently hit it straight, but still a fun place to play.

Short ,easy, not completely finished. Wouldn't recommend this course to anyone. May be better in a few years after some growth.