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Father’s Day is almost here and I know plenty of dads who are hoping to spend some of their celebration time out on the links.

With that in mind, as well as the U.S. Open taking place this weekend, it’s a perfect time to take a look at some world-class courses across the state.

Golf Digest recently revealed its top 15 Alabama courses with several familiar names as well as a newcomer making a big jump in the 2025 rankings.

Keep reading to learn more about the top courses + check out the full list before scheduling your next golf outing.

Shoal Creek repeats at No. 1 in state

For the 15th straight year, this Jack Nicklaus-designed course off Dunnavant Valley Road in Birmingham has been declared the best course in Alabama by Golf Digest.

Shoal Creek received 4.5 stars out of 5 from a panelist of 17 Golf Digest voters. It was ranked 141st in the country.

“As it neared 40 years of existence, Shoal Creek needed some reconditioning, so Nicklaus and his former senior designer Jim Lipe literally ripped up every hole and rethought strategies and options. The result was not a restoration but an updating. Gone are huge fairway bunkers, replaced by smaller clusters of traps. Greens have been recontoured, with one, the 12th, actually flowing front to back, unheard of back in the late 1970s when the course was first built.”
Golf Digest

Some quick facts you might want to know about the course before playing including:

Par: 72
Distance: 7114 yards
Slope: 141
Highest Golf Digest ranking: 14th in 1986

Shoal Creek has twice hosted the PGA Championship (1984, 1990) and the remodeled layout hosted the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open.

Wicker Point makes debut

Making Golf Digest’s list for the first time is Wicker Point Golf Club at Lake Martin.

The course just opened in 2023 and is quickly becoming one of the most popular courses in Alabama—if you can get a tee time.

Designers put an emphasis on the waterfront beauty while making a challenging but enjoyable course.

“The sister course to nearby Willow Point and operated by developer Russell Lands, Wicker Point rides up and down the forested hills of Lake Martin in east-central Alabama, climbing into the highlands before dipping down to the water where five different greens kiss the shore. Architects Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw used the sometimes abrupt topography to create strategic slide slopes, speed slots and the occasional hit-and-hope blind shot to keep players alert and thinking.”
Golf Digest

15 best golf courses in Alabama

Celebrity sightings at the 2025 Regions Tradition Pro-Am [PHOTOS]

It’s hard to narrow down the list of golf courses in Alabama to just 15 but we think Golf Digest did a pretty good job of highlighting some of the best around the state.

Here’s the national outlet’s final list: