Golf in the State of Alabama
Way down in the Heart of Dixie – the Deep South region of the United States, Alabama shares borders with Mississippi to the west, Georgia to the east, and Tennessee to the north and has 1500 miles of inland waterways, among the most of any state.
The states 212 golf courses are spread between a variety of locations within the state; the most being at the larger centres of Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, Dothan, Mobile, and Daphne. Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Ross Bridge, Hoover is one of the longest courses in the world. Kiva Dunes Resort & Golf, Gulf Shores is one of Alabama’s highest-rated public courses and welcomes a wide range of skill levels. Roebuck Hawkins Golf Course near Birmingham has reasonable green fees yet is challenging for all skill levels. The scenic Hampton Cove Golf Course, Owens Cross Roads is a worthy example of Scottish Links design. In Bessemer, Bent Brook Golf Club is a premier golf course offering 27 holes on three courses.
Golfers of note with connections to Alabama include Larry Nelson, who was born in Fort Payne, grew up close to Atlanta, Georgia and now lives in Marietta, Georgia. He was second on the money list in 1979. Gardner Dickenson, born in Dothan, played on two Ryder Cup teams partnered with Arnold Palmer. He designed Frenchman’s Creek Club in Palm Beach, Florida before his passing in 1998. Stewart Cink, born in Huntsville and now residing in Duluth, Georgia beat Tom Watson to win the 2009 Open. Hubert Green was born in Birmingham and now resides in nearby Mountain Brook, Alabama. He won 29 professional tournaments in his career and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007. Bill Powell, born in Greenville, Alabama was the grandson of Alabama slaves. He designed the first integrated golf course, Clearview Golf Club (in East Canton, Ohio), which was the first to cater to African-American golfers and had a saying “the only color that matters is the color of the greens.”