Wicker Point Golf Club

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. When Wicker Point’s show-stopping cross-cove par 3s at 12 and 17 were being constructed, Coore and Crenshaw were simultaneously building stunning seaside par 3 holes at Te Arai in New Zealand (the 17th hole at the South Course) and along the rocky Atlantic bluffs at Cabot Saint Lucia (particularly the 16th and 17th). Coore joked to his respective shapers of each hole that it was going to be a competition to see which turned out the best. Most golfers will agree there are no losers in this scenario.