Bent Brook Golf Club is a Birmingham area original and is unlike any other golf course in the area. Bent Brook offers golfers three unique nine-hole designs: The Brook, Graveyard and Windmill. Depending on the daily order of play, golfers can enjoy three separate 18-hole layouts that never play the same way twice and you’ll never get tired of playing. Each nine hole layout is unique in its own right and has helped Bent Brook rightfully earn its spot as one of the premier golf courses in central Alabama. Bent Brook opened in 1988 and in 2016 the Brook and Graveyards courses underwent a complete renovation. Windmill’s makeover is scheduled for 2020.
Bent Brook is meticulously maintained and features Tifway 419 Bermuda grass on the fairways, Zoysia grass on the collars and green surrounds and AU Victory bent grass on their greens. AU stands for Auburn University where the grass was developed. Bent Brook was one of the first courses in the world to use AU Victory Bent grass and the feedback from golf course Superintendent Johnny Perry is that it’s one of his favorites because it is so heat resistant, something most bent grass strains lack.
The Brook 9
The Brook Nine gets its name from the stream that comes into play numerous times as you make your way around the layout. The Brook is the longest of the three nines and plays more than 3,700 yards from the back tees. For the most part, it’s wide open off the tee, letting you swing away. Number 3 is the signature hole on this nine; from the back tees, the hole plays 219 yards. Move up to Tee III and it’s still no picnic at 166 yards. The beautifully bricked brook that winds its way down the right side of the fairway and then pools in front of the green was part of the renovation and has been made more pronounced. Bunkers guard the front left and back of the green. Number 4 is this nine’s #1 handicap and at 603 yards from the back tees, it’s a 3-shot hole for just about everyone. Three good shots that is. While playing the course with Director of Golf Mickey Wolf, he mentioned that some players will play down the adjacent fairway to take the trees in front of the green out of play and have a better angle into the green. According to Wolf, the green will be moved this winter, which will make this tactic a moot point.
The Graveyard 9
The Graveyard Nine gets its name from the small family cemetery adjacent to the 8th tee that has been on the property since the early 1900s and is well photographed. Graveyard finishes with a challenging par 4 that plays 407 yards from the back tees. Water guards the right side of the landing area and a stream crosses the fairway twice – once at about 170 yards that shouldn’t come into play, the other at around 270 which could! In addition to the water right, you’ll need to avoid the bunker left, making this a tough driving hole. Success off the tee will leave a long to mid-iron into a long, narrow green protected on either side by sand. Par is a good way to end the nine.
The Windmill 9
The third nine – Windmill – is the shortest of the three layouts and will be undergoing a complete renovation starting in early 2020. The course is named for Bent Brook’s trademark windmill which has been on the property since the land’s earliest days as a dairy farm. Windmill has several interesting holes, starting on the second, a dogleg right par 4 that plays 384 yards and features a “church pew” type bunker with 8 “pews” about 50 yards from the green. Another hole worth mentioning is the 6th, which features a man-made elevated tee box that sits about 15 feet above the fairway. The hole is a sharp dogleg right with a slight risk/reward feature. If you’re a long driver of the golf ball, you can take dead aim at the trees on the right, fly them and you’ll have less than 100 yards in. The rest of us will simply play straight down the middle of the fairway and have about 130 yards in. Two bunkers guard the right side while the green slopes off on the left. The green may be small but can yield a low score.
According to Perry, big changes are coming for Windmill. Reconstruction will consist of significant changes to holes 6, 7 and 8. Six will feature a Redan green and the par 3, 7th will be lengthened to about 240 from the back tees and feature a Biarritz green with a four foot trough running through the middle. Johnny assured me the pin will never be located in the trough!
Bent Brook’s Golf Shop is the perfect place to find all kinds of logo golf apparel and accessories with names like Puma, Titleist and Callaway. They also have a good selection of golf shoes and other accessories you’ll need for a successful round. The snack bar at Bent Brook may be small, but the food they putout is incredible. I highly recommend any of their burgers and sandwiches to go along with your favorite post-golf adult beverage.
As you’d expect with a course of this caliber, Bent Brook hosts a number of golf tournaments and outings during the year and provides an outstanding venue for tournaments, corporate events and personal gatherings. The experienced staff at Bent Brook will handle every aspect of your event making the experience easy on you and enjoyable for your guests. The incredible surroundings at Bent Brook, including their newly renovated course and clubhouse offer an impressive environment for tournament play and post-round socializing and celebration.
When it comes to learning or improving your golf game, Bent Brook offers several options. They are the home of the Hank Johnson School of Golf and a member of the Golf Channel Academy network of instructors. Hank and his team can put together a program that will meet your needs, whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned professional. In addition to the Hank Johnson School of Golf, Bent Brook offers golf instruction from top professionals in a state-of-the-art indoor/outdoor facility. Class A PGA member and Director of Golf Mickey Smith is one of only 13 PGA-certified golf instructors in the state of Alabama and has more than 30 years of experience teaching groups and individuals of all ages and abilities, including players that have won on the NGA Hooters Tour and the PGA TOUR. PGA Apprentice Jef Alcorn has been teaching golf at Bent Brook since 2011 and has been the head golf professional since 2013. Jef turned pro in 1995 and from 1998 to 2001 played the NGA Hooters Tour. Jef offers individual classes as well as junior and women’s golf clinics. Between the two of them, they’ll help you find your game.
Bent Brook is clearly one of the finest daily fee facilities in the Birmingham area. To the best of my knowledge, memberships are not available, but their rates are quite reasonable. Juniors age 6 – 17 pay half price Monday – Friday when accompanied by a paying adult. Children under the age of 6 are allowed on the range. Bent Brook is located just a short drive down I-459, just outside of Birmingham. For more information or to book your next round – or lesson – visit their website at www.bentbrook.com or give them a call at 205.424.2368.