If you’re only going to play one public course in or around Tuscaloosa, it’s Ol’ Colony — and it’s not particularly close. Designed by Jerry Pate, the 1976 U.S. Open champion and accomplished course architect, Ol’ Colony is a genuine championship layout: 25 acres of lakes that are very much in play, 70 bunkers, and enough elevation change to keep you honest. Golfweek has repeatedly named it a Top 10 public course in the state of Alabama.

The course is managed by the Tuscaloosa County Parks and Recreation Authority (PARA), which means it carries a quasi-municipal feel — you’re not paying resort prices, even though the conditions and instruction facilities approach them. The Brion Hardin Teaching Facility is equipped with a Trackman Launch Monitor and V1 Pro software, and the Director of Golf, John Gray, was awarded the 2019 Bill Strausbaugh Award by the Alabama/NW Florida PGA Section.

Every summer, Ol’ Colony hosts the Tuscaloosa Toyota Classic on the Epson Tour — the developmental tour for the LPGA. You can literally play the same course that professional women golfers compete on. There’s a reason locals treat a tee time here as a point of local pride.

If Ol’ Colony is Tuscaloosa’s flagship, The Links is its well-worn, beloved neighborhood track. Originally built in 1963 as Mimosa Park Golf Course, the layout was redesigned in 2007 by Lyndy Lindsey and reopened as The Links at Tuscaloosa. The result is an 18-hole, par-71 course that stretches 6,195 yards — not punishingly long, but with enough quirks to keep a regular player engaged for years.

The course weaves around Mimosa Lake, which comes dramatically into play on several holes. The elevated clubhouse view looking out over the lake is genuinely pretty, and the tree-lined fairways give the layout a mature, established feel that newer courses can’t manufacture. At roughly $30–$40 for a round, it’s one of the most affordable public golf courses near Tuscaloosa for a full 18.

One honest caveat: course conditions vary more here than at Ol’ Colony, and the tee boxes can get firm in dry spells. But if you want a casual, laid-back round without spending $70, this is your course.

Bent Brook is what you get when a passionate owner sets out to build a public course with a private club feel — and actually pulls it off. Opened in 1988 by founder Jimmy Lee and designed by Ward Nothrup, Bent Brook sits in Bessemer and is a straight shot east from Tuscaloosa on I-20/59 to I-459.

The real selling point is the variety: three distinct nine-hole layouts (The Brook, Graveyard, and Windmill) combine into three unique 18-hole configurations that never play the same way twice. If you’re chasing something different after dozens of rounds at Ol’ Colony, Bent Brook is the answer. The Graveyard nine, added in 2015, is the newest and most dramatic.

Yelp reviewers consistently praise the course’s conditioning and mention that the staff goes out of their way to make visitors feel welcome. The fire pit that burns on holes 9 and 18 is a distinctive touch that gets remembered.

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is Alabama’s most famous golf product, and Oxmoor Valley is the closest RTJ site to Tuscaloosa. Located on former U.S. Steel mining land at the foot of the Appalachians, the facility offers 54 holes across three courses: the Ridge, the Valley, and the Short Course — all sculpted through peaks, valleys, dense forest, and creek corridors.

Golfweek ranks Oxmoor Valley among the top five public courses in Alabama. The Ridge course in particular — with its dramatic first-tee view looking down a plunging fairway — creates a wow moment you’ll still be talking about on the drive home. The Valley course plays longer and more exposed; together, they offer two distinctly different rounds in a single day trip.

For golfers who play regularly, the RTJ Trail Card is worth knowing about: it’s available to Alabama residents for $49.95 (valid through December 31, 2026) and provides discounted rounds at all Trail locations. That’s excellent value for anyone planning multiple rounds a year.