Limestone Springs

Limestone Springs Golf Course sits in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, as they trail down into the northeastern suburbs of Birmingham. Jerry Pate navigated the course about as best he could, consisting of a counterclockwise routing that travels between ridges while taking advantage of the moving terrain as well as natural creeks and streams. The title stone offers further aesthetic enjoyment for players, as visible outcroppings provide accents to the hilly backdrops during shots.

From the back tees, the course will play to just less than 7,000 yards, however some of its par threes will make scratch golfers feel like they’re on a much longer route. Nos. 5, 12 and 15 all surpass 215 yards, which will admittedly be helped by the downward trajectory of the tee shot. That said, beware of the creeks running alongside these greens; they’ll both distract and steal a ball.

Although much of Alabama’s public golf scene is dominated by the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, it might be worthwhile to take a break from those destinations and branch out to this scenic public facility.