Michigan Golf Journal May 2020

39 May 2020 www.michigangolfjournal.com features the Renaissance Tower connected to the hotel with a rotating restaurant, the Four Diamond 360 American Grill. The surrounding views and fine dining experience were a real treat. The lively Swampers Bar & Grill in the hotel celebrates the Muscle Shoal region’s rich music recording studios heritage, with live entertainment from great musicians. The next day I traveled to Opelika/Auburn to play at Grand National, another 54-hole complex and my personal favorite. With 12 holes hugging the shores of 600-acre Lake Saugahatchee, the 7,149 yards Lake Course has got to be the most scenic with a quartet of par threes as good as any in the country. The 230 yard, 15th hole is considered the prettiest hole on the Trail. The cornerstone is the Links Course at 7,311 yards, which is the toughest of the duo without a single weakness. The 18-hole short course is a hybrid of its big brothers, beautiful and demanding, and one of the best par 3 courses in the country. Five days and eight courses made for a busy week. My next trip I will allow for a little more down time to make my RTJ Trail play less exhausting. If what I played is an example of the other 8 locations and 18 courses, you have got to check out the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. MGJ