Horse Creek Golf Course

We had a tee time at 12:30 and finished before dark, but we lost a club and had to go back and look for it, like you would at any regular golf course. Our cart ended up dying on us and we had to push it back manually, which caused us to get back later than anticipated. We were not aware we were supposed to be in by 5pm, as we were not told when we checked in, nor did we see any signs posted, and ended up getting in at 5:30pm.

Upon arrival, we were met by a lady employee who was very angry at us. Speaking very harshly, she said, and I quote "where have y'all been? You are supposed to be in by 5pm and its 5:30". We then explained our cart died and it took longer than normal to get back since we had to push it back. She mentioned we should have called the phone number on the cart but what did not see any phone number. We apologized several times, and she said "whatever. It's right in front of your face"

Then, as we were walking to the parking lot, an older man employee who checked us in previously came yelling at us saying, without asking us what happened, and I quote "hey! if y'all do that again im gonna call the cops on yall for trespassing!". We tried to explain our cart had died but he did not listen. He did not ask why we were late but simply came out yelling.

We will definitely not be late again because there will not be a next time. Absolutely absurd responses for a simple, justifiable mistake of returning late when a cart battery died. They will not get a cent of money from us ever again

Course is in very good shape and staff was friendly. However, I called for a tee time five days earlier and no tournament was mentioned. There were 20 groups teeing off at 1:30 and someone in the pro shop was apparently still trying to cram in more groups after every hole was taken from the tournament. They even let two singles off the back nine as we were making the turn. Can't understand why the pro shop didn't just tell us there was a big tournament beginning at 1:30, so we could have played elsewhere.Took 2 hours and 45 minutes to play the back nine.

The layout is superb, with not a single weak hole. The course was in great condition with tees, fairways, greens and bunkers well manicured. We had handicaps of 13 and 3 and we played of the blues. We are from the UK and it was the first round of the trip and completely unplanned, and it was a very pleasant surprise. We played en route from Birmingham to Memphis, having flown into Atlanta the previous day . The photographs do not do the course justice. The staff were a delight and most welcoming. Finally, the green fees were just so reasonable, at $29 each with a buggy, reduced to $26 to reflect our ageing years. We shall be back.

This course is pretty challenging, but not impossible. All the par 3's are over a canyon/valley. Lots of water to play over. Nice wide fairways too. Staff is super friendly. Super cheap tournaments every Tuesday and Thursday!

The term "hidden gem" is often overused. This, however, is not the case at Horse Creek. This was my first round at this course 25 miles northwest of Birmingham that does zero advertising, relying almost completely on word-of-mouth endorsements. I was shocked to find that there were only two reviews of this place. Maybe the locals would like to keep it that way.

What I found was a tremendously well-maintained course at a very reasonable rate ($29, Mon-Thurs with cart).

The fairways were immaculate and there is a lot of width off the tee on the front nine. As a first-timer, there were a lot of semi-blind shots. Like most courses, and particularly here, I would recommend playing to the 150-yard stakes in the middle of each fairway. There are numerous forced carries off the tee, so be sure to select the right tees. These carries and some rather great distances between holes do not make it walker-friendly.

The Tift Bermuda greens were right-sized and provided gentle slopes. There is enough play in them, not to mention super grainy, to keep you focused with the putter in your hand. Perhaps it was just today, but I also noticed a tendency to tuck pins at the minimum legal placement on the edges of greens.

The back nine narrows a bit, and is without a doubt more fun than the front. Placement is much more important than length off the tee, as water is rampant. The par-4 11th has been added to my list of favorite holes in the metro-Birmingham area. It plays only 389 yards from the blue tees, but a forced carry is required to a split-tier fairway with a hazard all the way down the right. The approach must carry another hazard. It's a really well-designed hole.

Bunkering comes into play more off the tee than it does around the greens.

Excellent practice facility. I look forward to returning now that I've played it once.

This is a good municipal course and a good value. It does not look like much when you pull up in the parking lot, but the course is worth playing. Currently, they have two trailers as the pro shop, but they city of Dora has plans to build a clubhouse in the near future. This would be a very challenging course to walk (long and hilly). Driving range and putting green facilities are available.

When we pulled in to the course we thought it was going to be run down and back woods; we could not have been more wrong. The staff was great and their practice area is pretty good and a good representation of the course. Though it was February, the course was in good shape and super enjoyable to play. It offers challenging holes that offer imagination in game management.

We came from out of town and I would go out of my way to play there again.