Ballantrae Golf Club

Since the city of Pelham bought this course it has gone steadily down hill. Plastic mats on concrete on the driving range, Thin grass and crab grass in the fairways. Thankfully the greens are still kept in excellent shape but the rest of the course reminds of a cheap inner city course. NOT worth $54.

Ballantrae is a hidden gem in the Birmingham area. The course is not tricky, but will keep you honest. The layout winds through the Ballantrae community and uses the format of 3-par 5's, 3-par 4's, and 3-par 3's per 9 holes. Course is owned by city of Pelham and is well maintained. Staff is excellent. Enjoy!

I seem to say the same thing to myself after finishing every round here: why don't I play here more often? Probably because it is across town from me, and in the peak season it is very crowded and can make for long days. However, this is an excellent upscale public option in metro Birmingham. The Bob Cupp design is simply fun. Fairways are generous, but the rough can be thick in the summer, though it was much more benign today in its' dormancy. Tees were overseeded and lush. Greens are grainy but rolled good. Highlights: No. 2 is a really well-designed par 5, offering the opportunity to reach the green in two if you hug the left side of the fairway off the elevated tee. There's plenty of room out to the right, but because the hole plays in a semi-circle (think tee off at 7 o'clock and play your way around to 11 o'clock) it will play longer. The back nine is stronger, beginning with a short par 4, followed by the reachable par-5 11th. The two par 3s on the back are remarkable. The 14th plays longer than it reads on the card and looks from an elevated tee. No. 17 is decidedly shorter and plays to a peninsula green fronted by water. The 18th is one of the tougher closing holes in town. You won't find a water hazard to distract you, just a long, deceptively uphill journey toward the clubhouse. It was wet, but this course drains better than neighboring Timberline. Impending rain also kept many away, which made for a quick round.

Ballantrae is owned and operated by the City of Pelham, but this is not your typical municipal golf experience. This is a modern, semi-private club that is nicer than many private clubs. The clubhouse is new and clean, and literally looks like a castle. The staff and service is outstanding.

The course winds through a housing development that has some gorgeous homes. The fairways are wide and forgiving. These three holes are my nemesis (#2, #15 and #18). Hole #2 is a par 5 that has a tiered green with lots of slopes. #15 is a par 3 that has a pond that is a ball magnet. And, #18 is a long uphill hole where bogey is a good score.

Ballantrae is hard to access. From interstate I-65, you wind through residential neighborhoods with multiple stop signs. But, it is definitely worth the trip.

very fun course, 5 par 5's and 5 par 3's, so lots of birdie opportunities. course is in good shape and price is very good. great course!!

Nice course...problem was it was so slow that it would have taken us appx 6 hrs to finish 18 holes. Teed off at 2:30 (2 golfers) and at 6:30 we had 5 holes left to play. Had to wait a stupid long time on each t-box. When I asked the staff if I could get a raincheck for the 5 holes, They chuckled at me. Clubhouse was closed so I couldn't talk to a real person or even get a coke or a water. (they wont let you bring your own) ... I wont be going back , nor will I recommend the course to Anyone!

This is by far my favorite course in the state of AL. i like it more than the RTJ's around Alabama. Play here, you will see what I mean

fairways are perfect and generally pretty wide open. There are lots of choices for tees, so you can pick what works at your skill level. There are some very interesting and challenging holes, and in some cases some pretty dramatic changes in elevation. The one complaint I might have, and it's minor. is that the greens are really firm, so it's hard to hold the ball sometimes. But they are nearly perfect and roll very true. I'll be back to Ballantrae, and very soon!

Challenging but fair course. Course staff was very friendly and helpful.

Ballantrae is usually in excellent shape, but it does not seem to drain very well when it gets heavy rain. The greens are in great shape and usually run pretty fast. It is one of my favorite courses. There are a couple of reachable par 5s and the par 3 greens are very large and undulating.