FarmLinks at Pursell Farms

Been playing here for years. The course was in excellent shape!

Top Notch facility. Staff, conditions, and layout are great. Nice change of pace from RTJ Trail with generous fairways and receptive greens. I would recommend anyone making their way out here for a round.

This was my first time playing FarmLinks. I loved it. I would play this course every week if I could due to the great conditions, the awesome service and nice touches of the course as well as the spectacular setting and beautiful views.

Farmlinks is such a treat to play. The conditions are great, the staff is friendly and happy to have you there. EVERYTHING you'd want for a less than premium price. I played the RTJ courses for the prior three days and I prefer Farm Links much more than any of the RTJ courses (especially for the price of FarmLinks).

One of the best parts though is the design and playability of the course. Wide, forgiving fairways puts you in a positive frame of mind on every tee box. This course is not going to kick your butt (unlike some of the RTJ courses) but, FarmLinks will still challenge you to make the right shot and give you opportunities for birdies especially on the par 5 holes.

The par 3s on FarmLinks are some of the best I have played, especially number 5 with BEAUTIFUL views and dramatic elevation change.

FarmLinks has nice luxurious touches everywhere

- chilled apples at #1

- cold, fresh, locally grown watermelon on #5

- Cold towels delivered by the beverage cart person

- Historic markets throughout the course to provide history and the "story" to the local area

All in all, I love FarmLinks and would highly recommend to anyone.

My golf passion started here at Farm Links 3 years ago and today reinforced why. I live in Birmingham with lots of different courses but the drive to get here is definitely worth it (including Hwy 280).

A great course to go play and have some fun. Very playable and in great condition. Had a lot of rain the night before we played and through the day but the course drains really well. Great practice facilities as well.

Very nice different style layout and rustic than RTJ...

Incredible course. Got to play thru dusk. Walked and took 5 hours — will say that between some holes are too long and steep climbs, but we loved and wanted to savor the ‘true golf experience’. I was disappointed they didn’t have ‘walking paths’ down the middle of fairways from the tee boxes like a true course would— especially because all other elements really preserved the LINKS feel and did feel like in the UK.

Greens were medium speed/slow but I guess expected in winter — very fair and not crazy undulating so very attachable and inviting course layout overall.

Was a delight meeting some golf now employees while receiving great hospitality from the starter and the kitchen staff (gave us free coffee on the go!!)

Greens were aerated two weeks ago and have not recovered as well as I would have expected.

All other aspects of the course were very good.

Course was well worth. The money. Pace of play was a little slow but ok.

Farmlinks is such a treat. Excellent conditioning, great staff, resort style amenities, everything you'd want for a less than premium price. The best part though is the design and playability of the layout. Width off the tee puts you in a positive frame of mind on every tee box. This course isn't going to kick you in the sack but will still challenge you to make the right shot. Green complexes are diverse enough to reward good shots and eject bad ones. I love it!

My friends encouraged me to travel to Sylacauga Al and play Farmlinks. It is more than advertised. Manicured rough, fairways were perfect, greens terrific. The course is a Norman Rockwell of golf courses. Number 5 is more than expected. The attention to service is everywhere. Prepared cups of water, Granny Smith apples, watermelon slices on the course. Wide fairways, huge greens..it may be better than Ross Bridge. Well worth the money and trip. We stayed in the Inn and it was very nice.

I was first surprised by the high overall quality of the golf course itself in a relatively remote area. The views of the surrounding countryside were breathtaking. Also I was amazed at amount of changes in elevation on several holes.i very much enjoyed my round and will definitely be back again.

The Good: Pursell Farms is an incredible 3,500 acre facility about an hour southeast of Birmingham. The resort centers around FarmLinks, the 18-hole Hurdzan/Fry golf course that is one of their best public designs in the US. Rugged track with severe elevation, yet extremely fair, this course has some of the most fun Par 5's, strong Par 5's (particularly on the front half), and a Top 3 best foursome of Par 3's that I've ever played. Great course conditions and good, large greens that only have slight undulation. Nice clubhouse that has a small dining area, while there is an extremely nice resort area that has multiple restaurants and lodging options. One of the better driving ranges you'll find at a public course. Excellent staff and great value considering the quality of course.

The Bad: Greens were a little slow and the surrounding complexes weren't in great shape, mostly impacted by a tough winter. Overall the design is fantastic, but some of the Par 4's on the back nine tend to blend in or are too similar. Course had us tee-off on the back nine which was odd.

The Verdict: One of the best hidden gem courses in the country. Undoubtedly should get consideration for Top 100 public lists and worthy of high Alabama state rankings. One of the most fun, fair courses you will ever play.

Best Hole: The Par 3 5th has one of the biggest drops from tee-to-green that I've played. Unfortunately I didn't take enough club...twice.

Great course and great practice facility! Awesome staff

Course had been closed all week due to the moderate winter storm that passed through. Hard to believe there was snow on the ground the day before, because conditions were superb.

There were a few soft spots, but I'm not sure they even needed to be cart-path only, as was the case.

Greens were as good as I've seen them here, another testament to the greenskeeping crew. Still would like to see people do a better job repairing their pitch marks. I fixed two and three additional blemishes on seemingly every green.

Noticed they are clearing a bunch of trees, which opens up some sight lines, particularly on the sixth hole.

The GPS in the cart was on point. The problems with it I had on my last visit here were ironed out.

The pace of play was slower than usual, but I attribute that to a delayed start of tee times to ensure that the course was playable after the week's closure and the balmy 60 degree temps that brought many out to the course.

The $59 winter rate is one of the best deals in the state currently, and includes cart and full use of the range and practice areas before the round.

Perfect place to go spend the day. Beautiful golf course, friendly staff awesome facility. I loved it

There has been a shift in the focus of FarmLinks, the golf course at Pursell Farms. The facility emerged onto the golf scene in 2003 with tremendous buzz, as it was the first agronomy research course in the country. The idea was to bring 3-5 superintendents, greenskeepers, etc. per week and have them spend 3-5 days learning about the latest in fertilization and course maintenance techniques. However, with the sale of the family's fertilizer business, this approach is no longer a revenue generator. I was told the focus has now shifted to becoming a resort, with golf front and center. Hence the construction of a new inn, that is scheduled to open in ~6 months. There will also be a restaurant and pub that will give a more rooted presence than the small restaurant inside the clubhouse. Golf buddies trips and corporate outings are going to be increasingly pursued, to complement the existing Parker Lodge, cottages, wedding facility and Orvis hunting and fishing activities.

That being said, despite the heavy rain received in the previous couple days due to the remnants of Hurricane Irma, the course was in fantastic shape. Drained really well, and did not see any standing water.

The bentgrass greens were recently vented and a tad slow, but give them two weeks and if we get the falling temps that should accompany late September into October they will be in splendid Autumn shape.

One of my favorite aesthetic things about FarmLinks in the long-grass ringed bunkers that creates an excellent contrast to the tightly mown green-side runoffs. You must be able to chip from tight lies to save par here.

This is an excellent fall destination, given the proximity. FarmLinks lies at the base of the Appalachians and the vistas provided, particularly around the collection of par 3s is remarkable.

FarmLinks continues to enhance its brand with the addition of a lodge and pub adjacent to the 18th fairway which should be completed in a few months. Meanwhile, the course is in tip-top shape. Fairways are lush and greens have fully recovered from recent aerification. One of the aspects of this course that make it challenging for the better player and difficult for the higher handicapper is the closely-mown areas around green that puts a premium on pitching and chipping. Aesthetically, this gives the look of the Tour courses you see on TV every week, and gives FarmLinks a little better seat at the table than most courses. My one criticism of the course's conditioning, however, was the bunkers. Recent rain had obviously washed out most of the bunkers, particularly at the high points around lips. I know this can't be remedied in a day or two, but a course that looks so great in every other regard, and demands a $100+ greens fee needs to be better in this department. The on-going clearing of brush and trees down the left side of the short par-4 13th hole is a good decision. FarmLinks also boasts one of the finest practice facilities I've ever encountered. The short game is magnificent, and the expansive practice tee can accommodate different wind directions. GPS is provided on the carts and yardage guides are available in the pro shop, which is smallish, but carries finer brand merchandise.