GolfPass Icon
Rating Index Rating
Tooltip Information Icon
3.3
4 Reviews (4)
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
1
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
4.3
Value
3.3
Layout
3.3
Friendliness
4.5
Pace
3.5
Amenities
4.3
100.0%
Recommend this course
4 out of 4 reviews
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
0
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
0
Value
0
Layout
0
Friendliness
0
Pace
0
Amenities
0
0%
Recommend this course
Read Reviews
Average Rating
Avg Rating
0
5 Stars
0
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Stars
0
Conditions
0
Value
0
Layout
0
Friendliness
0
Pace
0
Amenities
0
0%
Recommend this course
Read Reviews

About

Holes 18
Type Public
Par 72
Length 7246 yards
Slope 132
Rating 74.3

Course Details

Year Built 1988
Fairways Tift 419 Bermuda Grass
Greens Bent Grass
Golf Season Year round
Architect Ward Northrup

Rentals/Services

Carts Yes
Clubs Yes

Practice/Instruction

Driving Range Yes
Golf School Academy Yes
Teaching Pro Yes
Pitching/Chipping Area Yes
Indoor Practice Yes
Putting Green Yes

Policies

Credit Cards Accepted VISA, MasterCard, Amex, Discover Accepted
Metal Spikes Allowed No
Fivesomes Allowed No
Walking Allowed Yes
Dress code Proper attire is required.

Food & Beverage

Restaurant

Available Facilities

Clubhouse

Reviews

3.2
4 Reviews (4)
Advanced Filters
Overall Rating
Recommended
Handicap
Age
Type of Golfer
Gender
Played On
Reviews 311
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Birmingham Advisor
Top 10 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Extreme playability on the menu at BB

Course is in really good shape given how much rain we’ve had this winter.

With even more tree removal since I was here last, this track is nearly completely WIDE open. You can spray it left and right off the tee and still manage to score.

The greens were surprisingly firm, but they roll very true. Excellent greens. Traps had appropriate amount of sand and were very consistent.

The Windmill nine is undergoing some maintenence and they are also massaging a couple of holes, so I’m not sure when it will re-open.

If I had one constructive criticism, a $55 weekday rate is a bit on the high end for Birmingham public golf.

Conditions Good
Value Fair
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Excellent
Amenities Good
Difficulty Fairly Easy
Played On
Reviews 12
Handicap 20-24
Skill Beginner
Plays Once a month
I Recommend This Course
4.0
First Time Playing
Hot weather
Used cart

Beautiful Course! Will Be Back!

This is course is very well taken care of. Fairways were perfect; greens were very soft (almost too soft). Wide open fairways, only lost 2 balls to the water. Tee boxes need to be marked as far as which hole is which. Kinda confusing. My only complaint is that we decided to take a break after we completed the Graveyard course (front 9). Evidently a group of 6 or so foursomes had a tee time on the Brook course that coincided with when we decided to resume and we had to wait almost an hour, instead of being able to squeeze in when we could. We basically got penalized for taking a break to eat lunch. The staff did make it right and gave each of us a free round for our next trip, so we'll definitely be back!.

Conditions Excellent
Value Good
Layout Good
Friendliness Good
Pace Fair
Amenities Excellent
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 311
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Birmingham Advisor
Top 10 Contributor
Previously Played
Perfect weather
Used cart

Bent Brook upping its game

It has been about six months since my last visit to Bent Brook and I must say that the course is really stepping up.

There was a lot of tree loss from a major storm almost two years ago, but I noticed some continued tree removal that has really cleaned up the look of the course. I really liked it.

The new AU Victory Bermuda greens have really come in and are stellar. They were very smooth and putted beautifully. They aren’t as grainy as many strains. Still a little firm, but are receiving pitch marks and you can get 8 irons to hold.

Fairways are extremely wide and firm. They are a little too closely-cropped for my liking, but should fill in nicely as the weather continues to warm.

Course was crowded, but we kept a nice pace. Marshals are ever-present to keep things moving along.

Where Bent Brook will win with your average golfer is that it is generous off the tee. You can spray it and still play it. No rough. You probably will not lose a ball. There are few forced carries like the RTJ Trail courses on second shots. And the greens all employ subtle slope. Most are all tilted, instead of having different shelves.

This 27-hole facility continues to make strides to keep pace with the crowded Birmingham upscale public golf market. I wasnt so sure it hadn’t fallen behind on my last visit. After today, I have changed my mind. It can still be competitive.

Conditions Good
Value Average
Layout Average
Friendliness Good
Pace Good
Amenities Good
Difficulty Moderate
Played On
Reviews 311
Handicap 5-9
Skill Advanced
Plays A few times a week
I Recommend This Course
3.0
Birmingham Advisor
Top 10 Contributor
Previously Played
Hot weather
Walked

Bent Brook has made full recovery from tornado damage

Bent Brook is a 27-hole facility made up of three nine hole courses. This review is for the Brook-Windmill composite.

This facility is fairly wide open off the tee, though there are enough trees to keep you from flailing away. The fairways were firm and fast. There are some well-placed large trees that come into play on approach shots, making this more of a second-shot course in my opinion.

Though I've played this course many times, it was my first visit since a tornado wreaked havoc here a little more than a year ago. In addition to tree removal, the course did a massive greens and bunker restoration.

The greens are fairly large and provide more gradual, gentle slope than distinct tiers like you'll find on the RTJ Trail. The greens were nearly fully healed from recent aeration and rolled very good.

The bunkering on this course, particularly around the greens are very shallow, old-style traps. Even the weakest bunker players won't have trouble extricating themselves from them.

The management also did some massaging of holes, including the par-3 third hole on the Brook course. A rock wall fronting the green replaced railroad ties and a vast sandy waste area. I like that change. One that I am not a fan of, however, is the removal of the pot bunker in the middle of the fairway on the short par-4 third hole on the Windmill course. It took away the only thing that makes that hole interesting and renders it unmemorable.

That is kind of what plagues Bent Brook: while there are some really good holes, there are too many unremarkable ones that become monotonous. As a whole, the par threes are weak. All but one of the dog-leg holes on all three nines move right-to-left. Need some variety there. What makes Bent Brook challenging is its length. From the regular men's tees, it plays 6,600+ yards. There are some challenging long- and mid-iron carries over hazards for approaches. That to me is the course's niche.

Bent Brook was the first upscale public golf facility in Birmingham. It has since drawn stiff competition from the RTJ Golf Trail, Timberline, Ballantrae and Limestone Springs. The walking twilight rate of $23 is an excellent value in a crowded market, and this course is extremely walkable, unlike the aforementioned competition.

The range is very large and flat with an ample tee and a variety of targets. There are three separate putting greens. Would like to see a chipping area that is not on the opposite end of the range near the instruction area. Though I walked, I noticed the carts were equipped with GPS.

Conditions Good
Value Good
Layout Average
Friendliness Excellent
Pace Average
Amenities Good
Difficulty Somewhat Challenging
Nearby Courses
Bessemer, Alabama
Public/Municipal
4.5
2
Birmingham, Alabama
Public
4.4027285714
62
Bessemer, Alabama
Private
3.3333
3
Birmingham, Alabama
Public
4.3533428571
122
Birmingham, Alabama
Public
4.3533428571
122
Birmingham, Alabama
Private
4.0
2
Birmingham, Alabama
Public
4.3533428571
122
Birmingham, Alabama
Private
4.0
1
Lake View, Alabama
Public
2.3333
12
Golf Packages

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – Best of Birmingham Package

FROM $237 (USD)
BIRMINGHAM, AL | Enjoy 4 nights' accommodations at the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa and 3 rounds of golf at Ross Bridge Golf Club and Oxmoor Valley Golf Club - Ridge & Valley Courses.

Saddlebrook Preferred Golfer Experience Package

FROM $217 (USD)
TAMPA, FL | Enjoy 2 nights' accommodations at Saddlebrook Resort and 3 rounds of golf at Saddlebrook Resort - Palmer or Saddlebrook Courses. Includes Preferred Golfer experience.

Saddlebrook Value Golfer Experience Package

FROM $167 (USD)
TAMPA, FL | Enjoy 2 nights' accommodations at Saddlebrook Resort and 2 rounds of golf at Saddlebrook Resort - Palmer or Saddlebrook Courses. Includes Value Golfer experience.

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail - Capitol Hill Stay & Play Package

FROM $217 (USD)
MONTGOMERY, AL | Enjoy 4 nights' accommodations at the Montgomery Marriott Prattville Hotel at Capitol Hill and 3 rounds of golf at Capitol Hill Golf Club - Senator, Legislator, & Judge Courses.

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – Gadsden Golf Around Package

FROM $197 (USD)
GADSDEN, AL | Enjoy 3 nights' accommodations at the Hampton Inn - Gadsden and 3 rounds of golf at Silver Lakes Golf Club - Championship & Short Courses.
Now Reading