Azalea City Golf Course in Mobile, Alabama

MOBILE, Ala. - The conditioning at Azalea City rivals that of a resort golf course, or a country club, or even an upscale semi-private course. The fairways are luscious and green, even after a warm winter, the greens are in impeccable shape and even the tee boxes look good.

The conditioning is especially impressive when you consider it's a muni that caters to the masses - about 55,000 rounds a year on average.

"This course gets a lot of play and it's still one of the nicest city courses," Mobile resident Ed Murphy said. "Of course, it gives me fits - it's long and the greens are fast."

It has good length at 6,850 yards, and some of the par 4s are testy - like the 423-yard fifth hole, the 459-yard ninth and the 421-yard closing hole. The 567-yard, par-5 15th is very tough to reach in two, especially with the wind in your face.

The back nine is the better nine, with more elevation changes and more interesting holes.