Shoal Creek at Shoal Creek Golf Club

Shoal Creek occupies rolling terrain in the hills north of Birmingham, designed by Jack Nicklaus with Jay Morrish and opened in 1977. The course sits on a substantial property that allows generous spacing between holes, with elevation changes and mature hardwoods defining much of the routing. Nicklaus shaped the layout around natural creek corridors and ridgelines, creating a parkland design that emphasizes strategic positioning and demands accuracy into well-protected greens. The bunkering is bold and the greens are characteristically large with significant internal contour, typical of Nicklaus designs from this period.

The course gained national attention when it hosted the 1984 PGA Championship, won by Lee Trevino, and returned for the 1986 U.S. Amateur. It was scheduled to host the 1990 PGA Championship but the event was relocated following controversy over the club's membership policies at that time. The club subsequently changed its practices and later hosted the 2008 U.S. Junior Amateur and the 2011 U.S. Mid-Amateur, reestablishing its place in competitive golf.

Shoal Creek operates as a private club with a membership drawn largely from the Birmingham business and professional community. The course has undergone periodic refinements over the decades but retains the essential character of Nicklaus's original design. The layout remains a test of ball-striking and course management, with water hazards in play on several holes and a premium placed on controlling trajectory and spin into elevated or contoured putting surfaces.