Farm links

[Mark Johnson]

Anyone been to farm links outside Birmingham recently?

With snow due next week, I am starting to plan my winter golf trips.  (some with others, some by myself as 54 hole pound ball sabbaticals.)

Thinking of banging balls there for a few days in late feb.

[David_Tepper]

Mark -

Birmingham, Michigan, Alabama or England?

DT

[Dale_McCallon]

Don't know what you mean by recently, but I played there a couple times this summer.  I really enjoy the course and the staff/service is superb.  If you have never been, it is a very large course and not walkable. Great practice area.

The front nine has two really good back to back par 4s. Number 3 is a short, reachable hole with a very deep bunker set up right next to the green, then #4 is a long stout hole with a ravine that has to be carried on the approach.  The closing stretch of 16-18 is solid. 18 is a great par 5 with a massive tree that has to be navigated around off the tee. Huge fairway on 18.

To me the weak parts are the greens, which roll exceptionally true but seemed fairly flat. My other complaint would be that 3 of the 4 par threes are severely downhill. That being said, the view from #5 tee is awesome.

If you are looking for another public in the area, I really liked Timberline.  A Jerry Pate design about 20 minutes south on I-65.  Nothing world class, but just a nice public course at a good price.

Other huge perk of Farm Links...best chocolate chip cookies EVER!

[Ben Sims]

Mark,

Farm Links is one of those pleasantly surprising cart layouts.  The coolest part for me--a grass geek--was the different turf cultivars on some of the tee boxes and fairways.  Kind of cool if you're into that sort of stuff. 


I thought the par 3's were uber weak, and the par 4's uber strong.  The par 5's were so-so.  Some nice variety out there with the par 4's. 

Your fee gets you a pretty good southern style lunch and as many green apples from ice cold water in barrels as you can eat.  But the weather may be cold as hell in February in that part of Alabama.

[Mark Johnson]

Mark,

Farm Links is one of those pleasantly surprising cart layouts.  The coolest part for me--a grass geek--was the different turf cultivars on some of the tee boxes and fairways.  Kind of cool if you're into that sort of stuff.  


I thought the par 3's were uber weak, and the par 4's uber strong.  The par 5's were so-so.  Some nice variety out there with the par 4's.  

Your fee gets you a pretty good southern style lunch and as many green apples from ice cold water in barrels as you can eat.  But the weather may be cold as hell in February in that part of Alabama.

Thanks Ben.  I live in Minnesota so I have no issue playing golf in the 40s.    What I really am looking for is a place with good practice facilities, decent conditioning for the season and a variety of holes.  Greens are probably the least important for me since I play on fast bent greens so no southern course could recite that any time of year. 

My understanding is that your greens fees gets your 36 plus lunch plus range privileges.  I that right ?

[Dale_McCallon]

Mark,

Your right..one price pays for everything.  I'm under the impression that you can play as many holes as you like, but I'm sure in Feb 36 might  be max you could get in  One time I went, they gave us a menu and we could order anything we wanted.  Other time it was lasagna and salad already prepared. 

Very nice practice area..very well maintained, huge putting green and then a bunker area.

Enjoy

[Jeff_Brauer]

Haven't been there in a few years, but I really, really, liked the course.

[Ben Sims]

Greens are probably the least important for me since I play on fast bent greens so no southern course could recite that any time of year. 

Oh ye of little faith.  The greens at Farm Links are A4 bent, and with highs of 65 and lows of high 30's and low 40's, the bent will be plenty nice that time of year.