By Dave Daubert
(Editor’s note: this golf trail was chosen due to its combination golf and Spa amenities.)
It seems every state has some sort of golf trail, but the granddaddy and the very best is the Robert Trent Jones (RTJ) Golf Trail in Alabama, a collection of 26 jaw-dropping beautiful courses at 11 different sites from Muscle Shoals in the northwest to the Gulf Coast in the south.
I recently took a whirlwind tour of a few of the locations and was overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and diversity of the courses, the hospitality of everyone associated with the trail and the incredible value for so much memorable golf. When the Trail opened, Alabama was attracting about $2 billion annually from tourism; that number is now close to $15 billion.
I began my Trail experience at Hampton Cove in Huntsville, a 54-hole facility with two drastically different championship-caliber courses and an 18-hole par 3 course. The Highlands course is a Scottish links-style design complete with flowing fescue bordering the fairways with two dynamic finishing holes. Highlands stretches out to 7,428 yards and has four sets of tees.
In complete contrast, the River course laid out on a former soybean farm in the flood plain of the Flint River has 16 holes with water that comes into play. Its saving grace – zero bunkers – not a spec of sand. The River is a throwback to the bygone days when very little dirt was moved to construct a golf course. The short course is 18 par 3s with just as much thought and design from the RTJ team as its big brothers. “Short” is not the right word; “Captivating” is better.
My next stop was the Shoals Golf Club in Florence, tucked away in the remote northwest corner of the state with two monster golf courses, the Schoolmaster and Fighting Joe. The 7,971 yards Schoolmaster, named for President Woodrow Wilson, has narrow but receptive tree-lined fairways. With little water in play, the course seemed to blend into the countryside perfectly, playing among soft elevation changes. Driving into the open side of the fairways provides good shots into the large contoured greens, and with a little study, you can master this one. The scenic finishing 18th is one of those Kodak moments. This uphill par 4 has a grand view of Lake Wilson with the beautiful clubhouse next to it.
Fighting Joe was named after a Confederate General, who after the Civil War, became a General in the United States Army named Joe Wheeler. The golf course is one of the longest in the world at 8,092 yards, virtually timeless with water on 14 holes bordered by 3 feet long prairie grass rough. Play the right tee length to make your experience an enjoyable round.
I stayed at the Marriott Muscle Shoals Resort & Spa, overlooking the Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River. The 200-room resort 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
