My friend and I found that out earlier this year when we headed south to Alabama to escape the last of the Canadian winter and tackle the Robert Trent Jones Trail, a collection of 26 golf courses at 11 sites that wind their way through the state like the great Alabama and Tennessee rivers, from Muscle Shoals in the northwest to Mobile on the Gulf Coast.
Joe is a links-style course, where the fescue grows waste high and the yardage tops out at 8,092 from the tips. But it’s just day one of our trip and neither of us is foolish enough to take it on at full length. Still, we’re playing from just over 7,000 yards and Joe gets the better of us.
Balls go willy-nilly as we shake off the winter rust. Tee-shots are anything but straight and true. Luckily, it’s late March and the rattlers are still hibernating so we fearlessly make our way into the thick grass to retrieve errant shots. Joe is what you would expect from a links-style course – mounded, undulating fairways, pothole bunkers, wind. It’s straightforward and it’s a test. It finishes up with two spectacular holes, the signature par-five 17th, which plays as long as 592 yards, and the beautiful but treacherous par-three 18th, which overlooks Wilson Lake on the Tennessee River. Make sure you don’t mishit it on this hole or you’ll wind up with a high number.
While Joe brings us to our knees, we console ourselves with the knowledge that this is our first game in months and things can only get better. It didn’t hurt any that we put the round behind us with a few drinks at the homey clubhouse overlooking the lake. No, despite the regrettable scores, sitting out on the wraparound balcony in 20-something degrees weather sipping Wild Turkey sure beats shovelling snow and trudging through slush, and we’re excited to see what the Trail has in store for us next.
GOLF IN ALABAMA?
Canadians don’t immediately equate Alabama with a golf vacation. Florida, sure. Arizona, too. But Alabama? Cotton fields and tin shacks, maybe.
It’s a misconception that is rapidly changing, though, thanks to the RTJ Trail, developed by a pension fund with the idea of providing top-notch, affordable golf and of boosting Alabama’s image and economy. And it certainly has done that. With greens fees that average $50 US and top out at $64 in peak season, many consider the Trial to be one of the top public golf destinations in the world.
Golf World readers ranked the 54-hole Grand National in Auburn/Opelika and the 54-hole Capitol Hill in Prattsville number one and two, respectively, in the U.S. for 2009.
Most of the courses (18 designed by the iconic Trent Jones Sr. himself) are a challenging combination of hilly terrain, well-bunkered fairways, water hazards and multi-tiered, raised greens that can test the limits of even the most skilled golfer. Miss your approach shot by just a few feet and you can end up 20 yards off the mark. Throw in a couple of links-style tracks, including The Senator at Capitol Hill, where an LPGA tournament is held, and you’ve pretty much covered the bases. Well maintained and well serviced, this is public golf with a private club feel.
All the courses are within 20-minutes of an interstate, and many of them have spectacular resort hotels on-site. We played 10 courses in about six days, which was overdoing it a bit, but the hotel spas, bars and great dining options make it as much fun to recover as it is to play.
We flew into Birmingham and made the spectacular Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa our home base. The hotel was named one of the top 500 in the world by Travel + Leisure magazine. It’s a four-diamond resort with 259 rooms and a 12,000-square-foot European Spa, featuring caviar facials and massages that will help you forget your last round and get you limbered up for your next one.
BACK AT IT
Due to scheduling constraints we head as far north as Muscle Shoals, where Fighting Joe and The Schoolmaster are found, south to Capitol Hill and east to Grand National.
After recovering from Fighting Joe, we tackle Ross Bridge, the newest addition to the Trail and purportedly the third longest course in the world, maxing out at 8,191 yards.
We decide to take it on from the tips for the same reason people climb Everest, because it’s there. This was a foolish undertaking, and ill advised. Heck, there’s a Champions Tour event held here every May and they don’t even attempt it. But, we’d kick ourselves if we let the opportunity pass. To give just an idea of what we’re up against, the first hole is a par-five, 620-yard beast with a long, treacherous carry off the tee. But it’s not even the longest hole. At 698 yards, the par-five 13th has that distinction. It feels every inch that long, too – and it’s only ranked the second-toughest hole on the course. Enough said.
Like Fighting Joe, Ross Bridge, despite its generous fairways, beats us up. But it also makes everything that comes afterward a little easier to play. Our swings get smoother as we head into day three and scores come down. Despite our confidence-crushing experiences of the first two days, golf can be fun on the Trail.
Of all the courses we play, The Judge at Capitol Hill was the one that stands out most. Golf magazine called it one of the 10 public courses in America worthy of hosting a U.S. Open. From a visual standpoint alone, it’s easy to see why. Down here, you know you are in the South. Spanish moss hangs from Oak trees like tattered, gray drapes and long wooden bridges traverse the 200 acres of inlets and tributaries of the Alabama River as bass fishermen plumb the depths for the day’s catch.
If you’re looking for a golf getaway south of the border this winter, look no further than the RTJ Trail. You won’t be disappointed.
For more information on playing and staying on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, visit www.rtjgolf.com or call 1-800.949.4444.
View from here easy on the eyesElectric Bikes Allowed on Ontario Roads
