FarmLinks at Pursell Farms

Don't pass up an opportunity to play at this wonderful course.

The course is located about 1 hour from Birmingham on the grounds of a lovely resort (with more to do than just golf). The course is very well maintained as it showcases grass varieties and fertilizer made famous by the namesake owner, Jimmy Pursell and family. It is a pleasant design with wide fairways (some are easily 50-70 yards wide) on many holes. Standing on the tee of the 1st and 10th holes, for example, I can't imagine how you could miss the fairways-they are that wide.

The course has two very dramatic par 3 holes-the 5th and 17th. The 5th has a sizeable drop (see the photo) and the 17th has a smaller drop but is all carry over water. All the par 3 holes has signs designating the distance using laser and slope reading, so it takes the guess work out of distance decisions.

The greens are bent grass and even in late February, they rolled true and were in nice shape. But despite all the hype it gets in these reviews, there are some drawbacks.

First, the bunkering is simply penal on almost every hole. Both the fairway and greenside bunkers have high lips which makes getting out very difficult, especially from the fairways. Now I don't mind a few penal bunkers where getting in will almost certainly cost you more than a stroke, but I can recall only a few where this wasn't the case. Having some creates a challenge, having too many is downright penal (and no, I am not complaining because I found too many).

Second, the pace of play was awful. On the first day, I had a 4:54 round. I was in a group of 4 behind a group of 5 with two groups of 4 in front of them. I know this because all 4 groups were often found on the same hole-- one on the green, one in the fairway and two on the tee. After a marshal apologized on the 6th hole, then again on the 10th. I never got the impression that they would ask the offenders to allow groups to play through. I played again the next day with a group of 3 and had a pleasant 3:40 round.

The course is well worth a visit but I know for me, it could be so much better. Slow play takes all the fun out a round and caused me to take away one star in the rating.

A few closing words. Excellent practice facilities. Range balls included. Overnight accommodations on-site. Arringtons is a great meal.

Treated very well course well laid out challenging but still forgiving two picturesque par threes

FarmLinks is a phenomenal place. Practice pitching/chipping area looked like Augusta with the closely-cropped over-seeded rye. Titleist chipping balls were a cut above most courses. Large, smooth putting green. Great pace of play, attentive beverage server, perfect fairways (though damp from recent rains and therefore cart path only). The only disappointment was with the bunkers. Many appeared to have been washed out and were not groomed. This is uncharacteristic of FarmLinks and I suspect only a temporary condition driven by the weather. Great experience overall.

Pace of play was a lot slower due to the course being wet and cart path only. Course is in great shape for being late in December and all the rain that we have gotten.

Downhill par 3's are fantastic!

FarmLinks at Pursell Farms is a fantastic golf course. Played it for the first time last week and it definitely impressed. Some great picturesque downhill par 3s that factor the slope into the yardage that is listed on the tee box. The course is overall very playable with large greens and fairways and I was able to play the entire round without losing a golf ball, which is always a plus. The greens were recently aerated m, which happened two weeks prior to our round, and were still in the process of healing, being late in the year. The course offered a slightly discounted rate because of this. All in all, I would definitely recommend the course if you haven’t played it before. This one is a twice-a-year play for me despite living in Nashville! Thanks!

This is the best course in Alabama in my opinion not only for the physical layout but also because of the friendliness of the staff.

Has the best grass you will ever play on. The golf cart feels like it is moving side to side when going straight because the grass is so thick.

Farm Links is an incredible golf course. Pro’s: fantastic layout, scenic, peaceful. Con’s: the day we played it was cart path only, greens had just been aerated so they were very sandy. I did get a discounted rate b/c of the aeration. Normally, this course is more expensive than I want to pay. The course doesn’t seem to drain very well. Bottom line, Farm Links is amazing, but normally too steep for me.

My new favorite course!! This course and the property is absolutely stunning. I cannot believe I've lived in Alabama for more than 20 years and only recently stumbled across this place. The entire course is immaculate and is very fun/fair and challenging. The par 3's make it spectacular with amazing views. This was my first time here but certainly will not be my last. Well worth the 2.5 hour drive and I'll be planning it several times a year.

What an experience! Perfect course conditions. Zoysia fairways were like carpet. Greens were perfect except for inconsiderate players not repairing their ball marks. Range balls were high quality Titleist. Nice chipping and bunker practice stations. Great scenery. This is the way golf should be! Recommend very highly. A perfect 10. And the staff stuck the landing!

This is a beautiful immaculate course in Alabama. Rates with all the great courses around the country. The staff is very friendly, helpful and attentive. This is my favorite course in Alabama.

Ive played here many times and every time the course is magnificent.

This place is majestic . Beautiful views at every turn. Now the hotel with pub and restaurant makes this place a must. Great for corporate events and great for weekend getaway.