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Mike Hendren

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Highland Park Golf Course - Birmingham AL
« on: January 29, 2021, 10:31:53 AM »
I was looking at the aerial of a development site in Birmingham and noticed Highland Park Golf Course nearby.   Looks interesting.  Any comments or experience?


Thanks.


Mike
Two Corinthians walk into a bar ....

Ben Hollerbach

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Re: Highland Park Golf Course - Birmingham AL
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2021, 11:36:42 AM »
Tad Moore hosts the Southern Hickory Fourball on the course every year. At this point I've played it a few dozen times with hickories. It's a fun course with quite a bit of elevation change. If you're playing well you can go very deep, but at the same time you can place you ball in some locations that even Seve couldn't get up and down from.


The course is not long. While all of the par 5's are reachable in two and at least 4 par 4's are drivable, the course is not a bombers paradise. Bob Cupp did a great job balancing the length of the course with interesting and challenging green sites. 3 of the 5 par 3's are under 140 yards, but require precise approach shots to score well. Drivable par 4s such as the 6th and 14th require accurate drives to get the ball on the green. If you go for the green and miss, you're now forced to scramble to try and save birdie. The layups on those holes are to generous fairways, but you still need to position your ball properly to set up a green light approach shot.


My favorite hole is the 7th. A straightaway par 4 that diagonally bisected by a dead straight stone lined drainage creek. The creek plays down the right on the tee shot and down the left on the approach. You tee off from an elevated position into a fairway that is being pinched in by a grove of trees from the left. The longer the club you play off the tee, the more you risk your ball landing fair and running down into the creek or being blocked out by the trees on the left. A drive of 200 yards will leave you ~150 yards in, but a drive of 220 yards forces you to hit a landing zone about 10 yards in diameter. The approach plays to a large green that slopes from high back right to low left. The fringe is cut directly into the stone creek. Drawing shots into the green that land on the slope can easily run into the creek, so the best approach is to play a cut over the creek and into the greens slope.




Joe Zucker

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Re: Highland Park Golf Course - Birmingham AL
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2021, 04:45:00 PM »
I'll second Ben's endorsement of Highland Park.  I played it in 2014 as the last round of a RTJ Golf trail trip through northern Alabama. I did not expect a lot out of the course since I hadn't heard anything about it, but really enjoyed it.  A lot of times shorter courses have mundane greens, but the ones at HP were really interesting throughout the entire property.  Quite a bit of movement and undulation, while rolling at a good speed that kept them playable.


My favorite holes were 16 - 18 and it was nice to finish up behind the clubhouse.  I would recommend a round if you're in the area.

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