Highland Park Golf Course

The course had taken on a good amount of rain in previous days so the fairways and chipping areas around the green were a bit soggy. No fault there. The greens, however, which have long been the source of this course's reputation, have sagged a bit.

All of the greens had places where either Bermuda had crept in on the bent, or weeds were being killed off - not sure. At any rate, I thought the greens were slower than they should be for this time of year and bumpier than normal.

To the crew's credit, however, they are doing a really good of repairing pitch marks that go unrepaired. This course gets heavy play due to it's proximity to downtown and it playing so short. So a lot of wedges for approach shots had scarred the greens in recent years. Good job.

This is still a fun course for all abilities. Better players can really sharpen their wedge game. Beginners won't be overpowered by the layout.

Course is in really good shape. Greens were smooth, but a bit on the slow side. Fairways were nice (cart path only at all times here). Some bunkers were in bad shape. If playing here this time of year and throughout the summer, be aware that pace of play is extremely slow. We played a 5-hour round today. Main reason is this course is inundated with casual golfers that don't play a lot. Still a lot of fun to play, but not sure if it is a good value at $52. A little steep, probably because of the Troon label.

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.