FarmLinks Golf Course at Pursell Farms

FarmLinks opened in 2003 on the sprawling Pursell Farms estate near Sylacauga in central Alabama, designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry. It was conceived as the world's first research and demonstration golf course, created by the Pursell family, whose roots in the area's fertilizer and agriculture business ran deep, to showcase turf products and course-management technology in live playing conditions. Early on it served as a working laboratory where superintendents could study different grass strains, irrigation systems and maintenance equipment across the property's varied microclimates. After the family's fertilizer business was sold, FarmLinks broadened into an industry-wide showcase and later an educational program for greens committees and superintendents. The course threads through rolling farmland, forest and water on the wider Pursell Farms resort, blending serious agronomy with a memorable public-play experience.