FarmLinks Golf Club at Pursell Farms Earns ‘Top Resorts’ Accolades from Golf Digest

(SYLACAUGA, ALABAMA) - FarmLinks Golf Club at Pursell Farms – featuring the world’s only agronomic research and demonstration golf course – has earned a spot in Golf Digest’s 2011 ranking of the 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America, debuting at No. 39 on the prestigious list.

FarmLinks, which offers a selection of upscale accommodations and amenities, is one of 30 resorts new to the list this year, published in Golf Digest’s November 2011 issue and currently on newsstands.

“We are so pleased that FarmLinks has earned a distinguished position among the best resorts in North America, from such a well-regarded national publication,” says Erle Fairly, president of FarmLinks. "This is exciting reinforcement for our team’s hard work and for our owner's visionary leadership. We hope it inspires golfers everywhere to visit and experience FarmLinks for themselves."

In describing FarmLinks’ “new and notable” features, Golf Digest focused on the resort’s PGA TOUR-quality putting green that's located adjacent to one of its many lodging options.

“Feel like putting while your coffee’s brewing?” reads the description. “Five cottages and cabins on Masters Row offer access to practice greens in a courtyard right outside your door, stocked with balls each morning.”

Golf Digest produced the Best Golf Resorts ranking by surveying its course-rating panelists, a collection of more than 1,000 avid players throughout the United States and Canada. The panelists rated each resort they have visited within the past three years on a scale from 1-to-10, with 10 representing “absolutely perfect.” The scoring was based on the raters’ overall impression of each resort’s quality, not strictly on its golf course or courses. This year, Bandon Dunes made the list's No. 1 ranking, replacing Pebble Beach Resort, which topped the 2009 survey and is this year’s runner-up.

Owned and operated by the Pursell family and designed by course architects Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry, FarmLinks has collected numerous awards since the course opened in 2003, including:

• 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America (No. T39) – Golf Digest, 2011
• No. 1 in Alabama in Golfweek’s “Best Courses You Can Play” state-by-state rankings, 2011
• Best Places to Play (4.5 out of 5 stars) – Golf Digest, 2008-2009
• No. 1 Public Golf Course in Alabama – The Birmingham News, 2009
• America’s Best: State-by-State Public Access Courses – Golfweek, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• Best Rounds of Golf Worth the Drive – Birmingham Magazine, 2007
• Best Places to Play in Alabama for Buddy Trips – Travel + Leisure Golf, 2007
• Top 40 New Golf Courses 2005 (No. 29) – Golfweek, 2005
• Best Golf Value in Alabama – Alabama Live magazine, 2005
• One of America’s Best (Public) Courses – Golfweek, 2004
• Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty Award – National Golf Foundation, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Contact: AmericanGolferBlog@gmail.com