The hardest golf courses in Birmingham, Alabama
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Birmingham, Alabama, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 22 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Sylacauga, Pelham, Vestavia Hills, Bessemer, Calera and 2 more nearby towns.
RTJ Golf Trail at Ross Bridge Resort
Birmingham, AL, USASlope rating 147, 78.1 course rating, Black tees, 8,191 yds
PublicRoger Rulewich
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.1Layout
- 3.4Value
- 3.4Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
Super long from the tips. Some cool holes and good views. Typical RTJ course but feels a little bit nicer than some others.
Written by
@its_lux
- Driving range
- Putting area
- Restaurant
West
Country Club of Birmingham
Birmingham, AL, USASlope rating 146, 75.4 course rating, Green tees, 7,226 yds
PrivateDonald Ross & Robert Trent Jones Sr.
- 5.0Conditions
- 4.3Layout
- 3.3Scenery
- 3.3Facilities
Well designed in its ability to be very fair and enjoyable for member play yet host a top mid am event on a moments notice by dialing up green speed/firmness and tossing pins on some slick knobs. Very pleasurable layout that will make you hit every club in your bag.
Written by
@txmidam94
- Pristine
- Fast greens
- Challenging
RTJ Golf Trail at Oxmoor Valley
Birmingham, AL, USASlope rating 146, 74.9 course rating, Purple tees, 7,167 yds
PublicRobert Trent Jones Sr. & Roger Rulewich
- 4.0Conditions
- 3.7Layout
- 4.0Value
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
- Driving range
- Must play
- Hidden gem
Legacy
Greystone Golf & Country Club
Birmingham, AL, USASlope rating 146, 74.3 course rating, Black tees, 7,151 yds
PrivateRees Jones & Steve Weisser
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
Shoal Creek Golf Club
Birmingham, AL, USASlope rating 145, 76.2 course rating, Five Star tees, 7,400 yds
PrivateJack Nicklaus & Jay Morrish
- 4.8Conditions
- 4.6Layout
- 4.0Scenery
- 2.0Facilities
Difficult course as greens are undulating with many tiered greens. Always in great shape and service is incredible. Fun holes but demanding accuracy.
Written by
@Collierf
- Challenging
- Driving range
- Must play
(Founders) Greystone Golf & Country Club
Birmingham, AL, USA
Slope rating 143, 75.2 course rating, Black tees, 7,299 yds
(Ridge) RTJ Golf Trail at Oxmoor Valley
Birmingham, AL, USA
Slope rating 141, 74.3 course rating, Purple tees, 7,055 yds
Heatherwood Country Club
Birmingham, AL, USA
Slope rating 141, 70.9 course rating, Black tees, 6,351 yds
Pine Tree Country Club
Birmingham, AL, USA
Slope rating 138, 74.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,931 yds
Timberline Golf Club
Calera, AL, USA
Slope rating 137, 73.3 course rating, Blue tees, 6,745 yds
Hoover Country Club
Hoover, AL, USA
Slope rating 136, 73.5 course rating, Tee V, 7,001 yds
Vestavia Country Club
Birmingham, AL, USA
Slope rating 133, 72.7 course rating, Gold tees, 6,745 yds
Inverness Country Club
Birmingham, AL, USA
Slope rating 128, 73.1 course rating, Tee I, 6,821 yds
Mountain Brook Club
Birmingham, AL, USA
Slope rating 128, 72.6 course rating, Gold tees, 6,893 yds
(East) Country Club of Birmingham
Birmingham, AL, USA
Slope rating 128, 71.2 course rating, Blue tees, 6,564 yds
Oak Mountain State Park Golf Club
Pelham, AL, USA
Slope rating 126, 72.3 course rating, Blue tees, 6,842 yds
Ballantrae Golf Club
Pelham, AL, USA
Slope rating 125, 74.2 course rating, Tee I, 7,310 yds
Woodward Golf Club
Bessemer, AL, USA
Slope rating 125, 70.7 course rating, Blue tees, 6,526 yds
Highland Park Golf Course
Birmingham, AL, USA
Slope rating 123, 67.3 course rating, Tee I, 5,801 yds
Frank House Municipal Golf Course
Bessemer, AL, USA
Slope rating 113, 68.6 course rating, Blue tees, 6,346 yds
Old Overton Club
Vestavia Hills, AL, USA
Slope rating 110, 65.8 course rating, Black tees, 7,228 yds
(Short) RTJ Golf Trail at Oxmoor Valley
Birmingham, AL, USA
Slope rating 90, 55.0 course rating, Purple tees, 3,360 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Birmingham, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
RTJ Golf Trail at Ross Bridge Resort is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Birmingham, Alabama at Slope 147 (78.1 course rating · Black tees · 8,191 yds). 22 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Birmingham, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Birmingham, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:51 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
