There is no other golf destination like it. The RTJ Trail in Alabama spans hundreds of miles. Only Myrtle Beach comes close in terms of top-to-bottom distance. The RTJ Trail courses were built concurrently. St. Andrews took hundreds of years, while Bandon took 2 decades. While Pinehurst unites three communities, the RTJ Trail unifies an entire state in golf.

And yet, the RTJ Trail bears elements that make each of those other destinations a success. It has the diversity of courses found along the Grand Strand, if not the variety of architects. RTJ offers variety of terrain and shot value, if not the native sands of North Carolina, the Oregon coast and Scotland. Most important, the RTJ Trail offers many reasons to return, all thanks to the range of venues where courses are located. Let’s have a look at 4 reasons to make Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail your next destination venture.

1) Sites and Scorecards

The first thing your eyes catch, even if you read from left to right, are the numbers on the official Trail web site: 468 holes, 26 courses, 11 sites. If you’ve ever gone on a trip where you change hotels and locales with the sun, you understand how frustrating and exhausting such poor planning is. I know from personal experience: I planned a trip to Michigan that way, and it ended with a near-fistfight! Only one of the 11 sites (Ross Bridge) has just 18 holes, but it’s a mere 5-minute car ride from the 54 holes at Oxmoor Valley. With the exception of the 36-hole Highland Oaks property, in the southeastern corner of the state, each site is within an hour drive of another. In the case of Highland Oaks, no southern Iditarod is necessary. Both Grand National (Auburn/Opelika) and Cambrian Ridge (Greenville) are 2 hours away.

A fact not emblazoned across the crest of the trail, each of the sites for golf courses was donated to the Retirement Systems of Alabama, the entity responsible for the massive undertaking. One might suspect that the lands acquired would be less than ideal for golf, but that’s not the case. The rumpled geography (including climate and weather, in addition to topography) of the state ensured an assortment of characteristics. Some layouts sit high above rivers and small lakes, while others traverse hillsides. Others still, abut the gulf of Mexico. In each case, the land offered was either viable in its current condition, or manipulable with minimal earth-moving.

2) Diverse Layouts

I’m the first to step forth and say that there was a lot about Roger Rulewich’s approach to golf course architecture that I dislike. I found his Ballyowen in New Jersey to be nearly unplayable. Perhaps it was the pretense of an Irish golf course, that in no way, shape or form looked like, felt like, played like, an Irish golf course. I wasn’t a fan of Saratoga National, either, as it seemed to base itself on ways to disrupt golf with water. It’s known that Rulewich was the driving force behind the RTJ Trail. Mr. Jones, Sr., was up in years when the trail was build: he passed away in 2000, 6 days short of his 94th birthday. As his lieutenant, Rulewich oversaw much of design and construction. AND he did a great job. Our trip took us from Prattsville to Birmingham, to Auburn/Opelika. None of the courses felt remotely like a copy or twin of any other. I will warn you that the Links course at Grand National (Auburn/Opelika) is actually more lakes than the adjacent Lakes course, but that’s nothing. Both courses and the 18-hole, par-three layout on site are a barrel of fun.

Let me tell you what it’s like to play an 8200-yard course. The Ross Bridge course near Birmingham is a delight for the senses. Up and down wondrous land, bagpiper playing as your come to 9 or 18, vistas across adjoining fairways, extending for acres. Back to the challenge. For transparency, I’m a 52-year old, 5’9″ guy with above-average fitness and golf ability (I’m fairly strong, very good hand-eye coordination and a traveling 5 handicap), so base your personalization of this experience off that. Now, here is the paradigm: everything in your mind shifts. Your shortest par-3 hole is 250 yards, and most of them require a 235-yard carry over doom. Your par-4 holes live in the rarefied air above 480 yards, unless they are uphill and only 450. As for the par-5 holes, I almost parred one of them. I hit more solid shots on this golf course than I can describe, and I did not make a single par. I had plenty of chances at par, but couldn’t get the putts to fall. Zero greens in regulation meant zero birdie putts. No chip-ins, either. Are you begging the question “Why did you do it?” Imagine the ultra-marathoner and the challenge that she faces in running way more than 26 miles. I wanted the experience. I wasn’t interested in a score. No one but you cares what you shot on your trip; they only ask about the experience. For me, the experience was brought to fruition at 8200 yards.

We had the opportunity to play two short courses. Long before par-3 courses became the rage at Bandon Dunes and other locales, the RTJ Trail incorporated them into their sites. Their reasoning, based on logic, was that golfers might not be up for 36 challenging holes in a day, but they might like a warm-up 18, or a day-ender. Hence, the open-arms approach to the short course. The day we played the 8200 yard course at Ross Bridge, we warmed up at Oxmoor Valley’s wee links. I use the term warm up with intent; the morning was a chilly, windy one on the ridge, but when we descended into the valley, the wind abated. The vertical topography demands that holes play either up or down a slope. The other reason for the term is, you will use nearly every club in your bag. No need to go to the range before a round at Oxmoor or Ross Bridge. Play the short course early and you’ll be ready for 18 holes in no time.

Our other venture onto a less-than-regulation layout was at Grand National. Home to the aforementioned pair of regulation courses (Lakes and Links), Rulewich and Jones found a way to weave the short course onto the same land as the big fellows. No perimeter wasteland here, no use of unneeded land for a throwaway course. The shortie at Grand National is just the thing to end a day, which is what we did when we pulled into town. Knowing that we had 36 big holes the following morning, we opted for brief and exciting, and Grand National Short offered both. Oh, if you’re wondering, the Lakes and Links courses provide the same memories, challenges and thrills. Former home to the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship, if I had to pick one resort to which to return, it would be hard to say no to Grand National.

3) Nearby Towns

It’s a 360 mile drive from Huntsville (in the north) to Point Clear (in the south), the longest distance between sites. Not far behind is the 340-mile trek from Muscle Shoals (also in the north) to Point Clear. That’s a lot of state, and to imagine 9 other sites and almost 400 other holes in between, is nearly preposterous. Fortunately, the Trail lives in harmony with its state. Unlike some resorts that strive to keep you on site, gypping the local businesses of needed cash and awareness, courses along the trail encourage you to visit places like Opelika, Prattville and Point Clear. The esprit de corps of an entire state is on display at every stop along the trail.

Case in point: Opelika. No need to ride-share from the resort. One of the drivers will take you into town, and pick you up at the pre-arranged hour. No charge for the ride, but don’t forget to tip the chauffeur. We took a 10-minute ride into town, expecting only dinner. What we found was a delightful, reclaimed downtown. Once home to factories and a busy train trestle, this pleasant area is now home to restaurants, breweries, distilleries and benches. What better place to be, after a round or two of golf, than an urban space with a place to dine, quaff, and relax? If you’re in the area in the fall, there’s another town nearby, called Auburn. Rumor is, they play a bit of football over there.

You’ll find an Opelika nearly everywhere you go along the trail. Each has its own flavor to savor, and offers the perfect complement to hard-fought battles on the links. As much as I want to return to see the other courses along the trail, I also want to visit the Yellowhammer state again for its small towns.

Opelika At Night

4) Lodging

It might seem odd to return to the importance of lodging, immediately after I’ve suggested you take a tour of the towns that house the Trail venues. There are times aplenty when you don’t want to go out after 36 holes. You want to lay down in a comfortable bed for a few hours, have a nice dinner on site, and watch a game or two on television, in the tavern. The majority of the properties have on-site lodging, allowing you to roll out of the golf cart and into  your room. It’s time for a dip in the pool or hot tub, followed by a beverage at the outdoor bar. Or, a quick shower and nap, then down to the grill room for some vittles.

Oh, the room. Let’s not forget the beds that make you feel like you’re sleeping on air cushions, the sitting rooms that allow friends to gather for television or conversation, nor the windows that look out, more often than not, onto the golf courses themselves. If it weren’t for the golf, you’d be forgiven for spending as much time as possible in the suite! Ironically, the one resort where we had to stay off-site was the one we most wanted to see. The Ross Bridge clubhouse and lodge, a Marriott property, was completely booked by a company for a retreat. No rooms were available, and you couldn’t go inside at the turn or the 19th hole, except to visit the pro shop. It’s understandable why that company, and others like it, would want to seclude its employees for training purposes. With gentle waterfalls, distant vistas and multiple dining options, Ross Bridge might be the premier property along the entire Robert Trent Jones golf trail.

Concluding Thoughts

–The best place to fly into is Atlanta. The drive is not too distant, and is entirely interstate. You even gain an hour when entering Alabama. What’s more, with Atlanta being a hub for so many airlines, chances are excellent that travel costs will be reduced;

–Our visit included the middle row of courses, from top to bottom. We saw some of Oxmoor Valley, and all of Ross Bridge, Capitol Hill and Grand National. A second visit would be the northern trio of The Shoals, Hampton Cove and Silver Lakes, where 6 regulation and 1 short course await. Visit #3 would take on the southern tier, the most ambitious of the trips. Four sites, offering 8 full-size and 1 short course, sit in anticipation of our arrival. After that, a 4th trip would select the favorite properties. Interstates and beltways move travelers from each corner and every perimeter, in appropriate amounts of time;

–As with any golf getaway, do your homework and know what to expect from the weather. My threesome assumed (typical northerners) that anything south of us would be balmy, steamy and sunny. It certainly was more enjoyable than upstate New York in March, but had we packed properly, we would have muttered less. Alabama is a beautiful state, and the positioning of the RTJ Trail golf courses throughout, ensures that visitors will experience and enjoy something new, no matter which corners of the state they visit.

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Photos Courtesy of Michael Clemmer for RTJ Golf Trail

Capitol Hill , Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Prattville, Alabama, Photo courtesy of Michael Clemmer

Capitol Hill, Prattville, AL, Photo courtesy of Michael Clemmer

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Capitol Hill, Prattville, AL, Photo courtesy of Michael Clemmer

Oxmoor Valley/Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Birmingham, AL, Photo courtesy of Michael Clemmer

Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Birmingham, AL, Photo courtesy of Michael Clemmer

Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Birmingham, AL, Photo courtesy of Michael Clemmer