When you think of first-class golf, your first thoughts are likely to be to make a beeline for such lofty locales as Pebble Beach and Orlando, or maybe Myrtle Beach/Hilton Head. Definitely Scottsdale. Probably Palm Springs.
And then when you think of world-class accommodations, it’s probably New York, Miami. San Francisco? Chicago? Or London or Paris. Tokyo.
But if you wanted both in the same place, there’s one place that could come to mind: Alabama. Yes, Alabama.
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a mecca that has been favored by golfers from around the world. Now the trail has top-shelf hotels to match the 468 holes of golf at 11 courses scattered throughout the state.
Three of the state’s four-diamond hotels rated by AAA are owned by the trail. The Retirement Systems of Alabama, a pension plan for state employees, owns the courses and has a working agreement with Marriott hotels for accommodations for the trail courses.
Topping the list of trail hotels is the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa built on land once owned by U.S. Steel.
“Birmingham is the largest city in the state of Alabama. It had the large business base, and the location was suited for this facility,” said John Cannon, president and CEO of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. “Just look down at it; it’s the castle in the Pines, to use a term Denver will be familiar with. We know we can fill this hotel a good portion of the year. Hotels must be developed to the market. This facility was built for this market in Birmingham.”
The other four-diamond hotels – the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa and the Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa – are nothing to sneeze at either. The Grand Hotel was built in 1847 and has undergone two recent renovations, in 2003 and 2006, after hurricanes damaged the facility. The Shoals hotel in Florence in northern Alabama is equally impressive, overlooking the Tennessee River and including the 300-foot Renaissance Tower that houses a revolving restaurant with views of the river and the Wilson Dam.
“Once the trail got going, the natural progression was to get into the hotel end,” Cannon added. “There were not that many high-grade hotels in Alabama at the time. So when we purchased the Grand Hotel (in Mobile) that really opened the door to adding more hotels (to the trail).”
And there are more on the way. The Battlehouse Marriott in Mobile opened in May after being closed for more than 30 years, “and it could be the fifth hotel” on the four-diamond list, said Bill Lang, director of public relations for PCH Hotels & Resorts, which runs the trail Marriotts.
The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa opens at the capital city’s convention center Feb. 1. The Auburn Marriott Opelika Hotel and Conference Center was renovated in 2006 and abuts the Trail’s Grand National course.
The courses can be played year-round, though the summer months can be unbearably hot in some areas. Rates range from $40 to $62 a round, including cart. The Ross Bridge course rates are higher, $90 to $125, as is the Lakewood course, which is available for Grand Hotel guests at $90 to $125.
To get started, visit . For reservations, call 800-949-4444 or e-mail reservations@rtjgolf.com. The website has more information, but here’s a primer for the courses, as well as where to stay and eat.
Birmingham:
Ross Bridge/Oxmoor Valley Golf Courses
Play: At 8,191 yards from the back tees, Ross Bridge is the world’s third-largest golf course. The course, adjacent to Marriott’s Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort & Spa hotel, opened Aug. 15, 2005. The parkland-style course (10 holes play along the banks of two large lakes, lots of hills, sand traps and undulating fairways) was built on a U.S. Steel mining site and has higher greens fees ($90-$125 a round) compared to the other Trail facilities ($40-$62). The course may be long but is a fair test for players of various skill levels. The course adores the past – a waterfall drops more than 80 feet between the ninth and 18th greens and a bagpiper plays for an hour overlooking the 18th green as the sun sets each day. A similar bagpiper plays in the hotel entrance at sunset. 4000 Grand Ave., Birmingham, 205-949-3085
Oxmoor Valley has three 18-hole facilities (the Ridge, Valley and par-3 Short course) 2 miles from Ross Bridge. The Ridge will remind Coloradans of some of our mountain courses with its rolling fairways, dramatic drops and tree-lined holes. The Valley’s 18th hole is nicknamed “the Assassin” for its dramatic finish. 100 Sunbelt Parkway, Birmingham, 205-942-1177.
Stay: The Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort & Spa has 259 well-appointed rooms with balconies overlooking the golf course and a massive pool. The 12,000-square foot spa offers a variety of massages (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.); full-service hair and nail salon’s hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 4000 Grand Avenue, Birmingham;
.; 205-916-7677 or 800-593-6419.
Dine: Birmingham’s 5 Points South area near the University of Alabama-Birmingham campus offers several dining options. 5 Points South is 10-15 minutes from the Ross Bridge hotel, just off the University Avenue exit. Best choice: The ribs at Dreamland Bar-B-Que, 1427 14th Ave. South, 205-989-4040 or dreamland
. Michael’s Steaks and Seafood is home of the original steer butt steak. 3340 Galleria Circle in the Riverview Galleria downtown, 205-982-0144. O.T.’s Neighborhood Sports Grill does a Tuesday barbecue night and Wednesday seafood boil, and also offers burgers and seafood. 720 29th St. South, 205-323-6727. Ocean features fine-dining seafood. 1218 20th St. South, 205-933-0999. Twenty-Six Bistro is casual seafood in a very hip spot; go early for lunch, as it was packed by 12:15 p.m. 1210 20th St. South, 205-918-0726.
Muscle Shoals/Florence
Play: The two courses at the Shoals, Fighting Joe and Schoolmaster, opened in August 2004 and may be the most peaceful golfing oasis in America. As one golfer remarked during a round, “It’s like playing golf in a library; it’s so quiet.” Fighting Joe was the first Trail course to measure more than 8,000 yards (8,092 from the tips). Abutting the Tennessee River and Wilson Dam, the Shoals courses offer two different tests of golf. The Schoolmaster (President Woodrow Wilson’s political nickname) is tree-lined with rolling hills and narrower fairways.
Fighting Joe’s length is truly seen at the 12th hole, 716 yards from the back tees (that’s no misprint!). Even professionals avoid the back tees; our friend and golfing partner, Deer Creek Golf Club pro Mike
McCutchen, played from the still-hardy 7,126-yard purple tees on Joe. 990 Sunbelt Parkway, Muscle Shoals, 256-446-5111.
Stay: The Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa overlooks the Tennessee River from the Florence side. Similar to the Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort & Spa, the Shoals’ rooms include balconies overlooking a large pool and the river. AAA ranked the Shoals hotel first for golf and second for spa facilities from the 344 Marriott and JW Marriott hotels in North America. Discovery River Heritage Park is expected to open in 2008 and will include a riverwalk, outdoor amphitheater and a covered pavilion. 800 Cox Creek Parkway South, Florence, 256-246-3600 or .
Eat: 360 Grille sits atop the 300-foot Renaissance Tower next to the Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa. Opened in 1991, the tower is Alabama’s tallest tourist attraction. The Grille opened in September 2005 and is a fine-dining restaurant that spins (slowly) 360 degrees for views of the Florence-Shoals area (closed Sunday and Monday). Ricatoni’s Italian Grill, 107 N. Court St., Florence, 256-718-1002, features Monday night all-you-can-eat spaghetti and excellent pasta and pizza. Also: George’s Steak Pit, 1206 S. Jackson Hwy., Sheffield, 256-381-1531; Rosie’s Mexican Cantina, 302 N. Court St., Florence, 256-767-5599.
Prattville/Montgomery: Capitol Hill
Play: Three regulation 18-hole courses (Legislator, Judge and Senator) that could not be more different. Senator is a Scottish links-style course with bent-grass greens and more than 160 pothole bunkers and plenty of blind shots. Senator hosted the Navistar LPGA Classic in late September; the women’s tour has played regularly on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Fourteen of the Judge’s holes lie alongside ponds that feed from the Alabama River. The drought in the Southeast destroyed the attraction of the island green on the par-12th hole, though. Legislator is a more traditional course with a “Sky Bridge” that is the featured attraction on six holes that course through a pine-strewn back nine. 2600 Constitution Ave., Prattville, 334-285-1114.
Stay: Montgomery Marriott Prattville Hotel and Conference Center is a letdown after visiting Ross Bridge, but is the best facility in Prattville, 2500 Legends Circle, 334-290-1235. Coming Feb. 1, 2008: the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa will open in downtown Montgomery. Connected to the convention center, this facility could rival the Renaissance Ross Bridge.
Eat: Catfish House, 3011 Cobbs Ford Road, Millbrook, 334-285-7225. This family-friendly restaurant (no liquor or beer) serves lightly breaded and perfectly cooked seafood. Best dish is the catfish, but the cole slaw, hush puppies and fried pickles are excellent.
Jim ‘N’ Nicks Barbecue, 2550 Cobbs Ford Road, Prattville, 334-290-1000, is a Southern chain that has a location in the Southlands shopping center in Aurora and a second coming to Northwoods near the Stapleton neighborhood.
The buffet breakfast at the Montgomery Marriott also was excellent, though the service was spotty.
Mobile: Magnolia Grove/Lakewood
Play: Magnolia Grove is 54 challenging holes (Falls, Crossings and Short courses). The two regulation courses have been cited on Golf Digest magazine’s top 50 affordable courses in the United States. The huge cloverleaf bunkers are a notable feature of the Falls, plus the waterfall that runs across steps below the par-5, 10th hole with a green that has an 8-foot drop from front to back. The Crossings gets its name because it meanders over railroad tracks and has a hillier terrain that requires thoughtful shotmaking. 7001 Magnolia Grove Parkway, Mobile, 251-645-0075.
Lakewood Golf Course is comprised of two 18-hole courses, both renovated after hurricanes hit the area the past three years. The Azalea course reopened in 2005, a year after the Dogwood overhaul was completed. Open to Grand Hotel Marriott Resort guests, fees range from $107 to $125 for 18 holes. One Grand Blvd., Point Clear, 251-990-6312.
Stay: The Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa abuts the Gulf Coast east of the city across Mobile Bay. The hotel was built in 1847 and renovations from damage caused by Hurricane Katrina are expected to be completed Nov. 1. The hotel remains a bit of the old South (high tea every afternoon at 4 p.m.) while including a 20,000-square-foot European spa. 251-928-9201;
.
The Battle House (26 North St., Mobile; 251-338-2000;
.) reopened May 11 after being closed for 33 years, and at Riverview Plaza (64 S. Water St., Mobile, 251-438-4000 or 888-236-2427; .), the hotel remains open while undergoing a $54 million renovation to become a Renaissance hotel.
Dine: Wintzell’s Oyster House, 805 S. Mobile St., Fairhope, 251-929-2322, has two other Mobile locations but this one is nearest the Grand hotel (the best oysters “fried, stewed or nude” and plenty of pithy witticisms plastered on the walls).
The Spanish Fort (241-625-1998) has homestyle Southern and Cajun cooking and has endured despite hurricanes demolishing the building). I also recommend Jesse’s (14770 Oak St., Magnolia Springs, 251-965-3827 or
.) for whiskey steak and any seafood, but be sure you get directions.
Greenville:
Cambrian Ridge
Play: Four nine-hole tracks (Sherling, Canyon, Loblolly and Short) offer plenty of challenges. Every Memorial Day weekend for the past 10 years the annual Father-Son Championship has been played at Cambrian Ridge with more than 100 teams from several states competing. Cambrian Ridge was featured in the 2003 Microsoft computer golf game. 101 SunBelt Parkway, Greenville, 334-382-9787.
Stay: Located just 40 miles south of Montgomery, you easily could stay in the capital city and drive to Greenville. Some hotel choices in Greenville include the Hampton Inn, 219 Interstate Drive; 334-382-9631, and the Jameson Inn, 71 Jameson Lane, 334-382-6300.
Dine: A lot of chains, including Ruby Tuesday, Cracker Barrel and Shoney’s.
Huntsville:
Hampton Cove
Play: A 54-hole facility (Highlands, River and Short courses) that really suffered from the drought this year. Huntsville was 40 inches under its yearly rainfall in September and got a few days of much-needed rain when we visited. The River course, in excellent condition considering the lack of moisture, is the only course on the trail without a single bunker. The Highlands is filled with thousands of oak, dogwood, crepe myrtle and Japanese black pine trees. 450 Old Highway 431 South/Owens Cross Roads; 256-551-1818.
Stay: Few hotels near the course. A sampling: Embassy Suites Hotel & Spa, 800 Monroe St., 256-539-7373; Hampton Inn-South Parkway, 501 Boulevard South, 256-882-2228; Hilton Garden Inn, 4801 Governors House Drive, 256-430-1778; Holiday Inn Express, 3810 University Drive, 256-721-1000; Marriott, 5 Tranquility Base, 256-830-2222, next door to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, one of Huntsville’s largest tourist attractions and less than 15 miles from the golf course.
Eat: Judge Crater’s Bar & Grill, 110 Southside Square, 256-534-6116. A favorite of the downtown courtroom types for its burgers and sandwiches. Papou’s, 110 Southside Square, 256-534-5553, near Judge Crater’s, Papou’s offers Greek and Mediterranean fare. Philby’s Pourhouse Alley Pub & Grille, 111 Jefferson St. South, 256-512-5858, has a large sandwich menu including the Dagwood, a PC (Politically Correct) Bagel and a basil chicken wrap.
Auburn/Opelika:
Grand National
Play: A 54-hole facility (Lakes, Links and Short courses) built around the 600-acre Lake Saugahatchee. Thirty-two of the 54 holes play along the lake, including 12 of the 18 holes on the Lakes. Robert Trent Jones reportedly has said the Opelika location for Grand National was the single-greatest site for a golf complex he had seen. We didn’t get to play the Lakes course, but many have said the island green on the 15th may be the most attractive hole of all the trail courses. 3000 Robert Trent Jones Trail, Opelika, 334-749-9042.
Stay: Auburn Marriott Opelika Hotel and Conference Center was remodeled in 2006 and abuts the golf course. The hotel was swamped for an Auburn football game just a day before we visited. On a Sunday we had the hotel practically to ourselves. Service was spotty, with no bellman when we arrived and only one person at the front desk. 3700 Robert Trent Jones Trail, 334-741-9292.
Eat: Niffer’s Place, 1151 Opelika Road, Auburn, 334-821-3118 or . Locals hangout that serves tasty hot wings, burgers, sandwiches and delicious soups (try the loaded potato soup; “It’s a baked potato in a bowl,” said one patron); Logan’s Roadhouse, 2400 Gateway Drive, Opelika, 334-742-8001, a chain but we loved the peanut shells on the floor; Toomer’s Drugstore, 1100 N College St., Auburn, 334-887-3488, excellent homemade lemonade from a drugstore that has been in business since 1896; Provino’s Italian, 2575 Hilton Garden Drive, Auburn, 334-826-7360, Italian fine dining.
Dothan:
Highland Oaks
Play: Four nine-hole courses (Highlands, Marshwood, Magnolia and Short) in southeast Alabama. Several lakes come into play on the Highland; the par-5 sixth hole on Marshwood plays at 701 yards from the back tee, and the Magnolia is aptly named – magnolia trees stretching along the more elevated course. A 1,000-foot wooden bridge spans a marsh filled with lichen-specked trees. 904 Royal Parkway, Dothan, 334-712-2820.
Stay: Most of the hotels are in the same area about 4 miles east of the course,and it’s chains all the way. Holiday Inn Express, 3071 Ross Clark Circle, 334-671-3700; Fairfield Inn, 3038 Ross Clark Circle, 334-671-0100; Courtyard by Marriott, 3040 Ross Clark Circle, 334-671-3000; Comfort Inn, 3593 Ross Clark Circle, 334-793-9090.
Eat: Old Mill, 2557 Murphy Mill Drive, 334-794-8530, family restaurant featuring steak and seafood; Larry’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q, 3115 Ross Clark Circle, 334-792-5211; Hunt’s Seafood & Oyster, 177 Campbellton Highway, 334-794-5193, closed Sunday, good bar, fresh seafood from the gulf.
Anniston/Gadsden:
Silver Lakes
Play: Like Highland Oaks, Silver Lakes has four nine-hole courses (Mindbreaker, Heartbreaker, Backbreaker and Short) about 80 miles south of Huntsville and 90 miles east of Birmingham. Resting on the edge of the Talladega National Forest, the course offers fabulous views of the Appalachian foothills. Selection is the keyword here, with up to 12 tee boxes on some of the holes. 1 SunBelt Parkway., Glencoe, 256-892-3268.
Stay: Glencoe is about midway between Anniston and Gadsden. Interstate 20 goes through Anniston; Interstate 59 goes through Gadsden, so plan your hotels accordingly because we found no lodging in Glencoe. In Gadsden: Motel 6, 1600 Rainbow Drive, 256-543-7836; Gadsden Inn & Suites, 200 Albert Rains Blvd., 256-543-7240; Hampton Inn, 129 River Road, 256-546-2337; in Anniston: Victoria Inn (B&B), 1604 Quintard Ave., 256-236-0503; Super 8 Motel, 6220 McClellan Blvd., 256-820-1000; 334-793-9090.
Eat: The Hungry Hut, 710 Main St. W, Glencoe, 256-492-6660, barbecue and fast food, and the only restaurant we found in Glencoe north of the course. In Gadsden: Top O’ the River, 1606 Rainbow Drive, 256-547-9817, seafood and a family favorite (Anniston location: 3220 McClellan Blvd., 256-238-0097); Pig-N-Out, 5380 U.S. 278 East, 256-492-4744, barbecue; Pas’Ghetti’s, 110 Sutton Square #5, Rainbow City, 256-413-7220. In Anniston: Classic on Noble, 1024 Noble St., 256-237-5388; Damn Yankees Steak, Fish & Oyster Bar, 919 Noble St., 256-236-7000.
Insider’sGuide
Quick facts about the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
Where: Alabama (11 locations). Courses range on north end of Alabama (Muscle Shoals, Huntsville), south (Mobile, Point Clear), central (Birmingham, Montgomery, Hoover, Greenville), northeast (Anniston), east (Auburn) and southeast (Dothan). Holes: 468 total (most locations have more than one course)
Fees: Trail averages $50; highest is $62. The Lakewood Golf Club’s two courses are available to guests of the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort. Fees range from $107 to $125; golf packages also are available at -grand-hotel-marriott-resort-golf-club-and-spa/.
Who is Robert Trent Jones Sr.? A famed golf course architect who died six days shy of his 94th birthday June 14, 2000. Jones had designed or redesigned about 500 golf courses in 40 states and 35 countries. Two sons, Robert Jr. and Rees, also are noted golf course architects. Jones Sr. designed the West course at The Broadmoor Golf Club and the Blue course at Eisenhower Golf Course in Colorado Springs. Jones Sr. designed all of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail courses except the last two, which were built by his firm after his death.
Whose idea was it? David Bronner took over as CEO of Alabama’s Retirement Systems, and after years of traditional investments for the state pension plan, he persuaded Jones to design courses to create the trail. The controversial 1990 PGA Championship at Shoal Creek, which had no African-American members, stirred Bronner to action. Bronner credits the trail with expanding tourism (Alabama’s tourism dollars have increased from less than $2.5 billion to roughly $7.3 billion over the past six years, according to the trail guide news release).
Get there:American, Continental, Delta, Southwest, Northwest and United fly from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Birmingham, Ala. (Birmingham International Airport, BHM). United offers the only nonstop option at about $520 round-trip. US Airways, American, Continental and United fly into Huntsville, Ala. (Huntsville International Airport, HSV), all with one stop. It’s better to fly into Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) or Memphis, Tenn. (MEM). The former costs less than $400; the latter less than $300.
You will need to rent a car to play the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, anyway. Memphis is about 2 1/2 hours west of the northernmost course on the trail at Muscle Shoals. Atlanta is less than two hours east of the Opelika-Auburn course near Alabama’s eastern border. There are plenty of rental car options, but be sure to rent one that can handle all of your bags and golf clubs. If you leave your clubs in your car, keep them in the trunk.
More information: The trail’s website (rtjgolf.com/trail) is an excellent starting point. Click on each course to find a map, area attractions and other hotels. You can download or order by mail the trail guide, which provides Marriott hotels along the trail, hole-by-hole scorecard and fees on all 12 courses. Call 800-949-444 for reservations or visit to design your own golf trip. You can reserve tee times and hotels on the website or by calling 15 days to six months in advance. The trail offers year-round specials on the website, as well. General e-mail inquiries to info@rtjgolf.com. Another helpful website on Alabama: .
Off the golf course
Montgomery/Prattville/Greenville: Rosa Parks Museum (253 Montgomery St., 888-357-8843, ext. 661, 334-241-8615 or .); Montgomery Zoo and Mann Wildlife Learning Museum (2301 Coliseum Pkwy., 334-240-4900 or .).
Birmingham: Regions Charity Classic, a Champions Tour event to be held May 14-18 at the Ross Bridge course on the trail in Hoover, a Birmingham suburb; Civil Rights Institute (520 16th St. N, 866-328-9696 or .).
Muscle Shoals/Florence: Ivy Green, birthplace of Helen Keller (300 W. North Commons, Tuscumbia, 35674, 256-383-4066 or .; a week-long Helen Keller Festival is held in late June each year; Alabama Music Hall of Fame (617 Highway 72 West, Tuscumbia, 800-239-2643, . or e-mail info@alamhof.org); Frank Lloyd Wright/Rosenbaum House (601 Riverview Dr., Florence, 256-740-8899 or .).
Huntsville: U.S. Space and Rocket Center (1 Tranquility Base, 800-637-7223 or .); EarlyWorks Museum Complex (Alabama Constitution Village, 109 Gates Ave., Nov.-Dec. is Santa’s Village.
Dothan: Adventureland Theme Park (3738 W. Main St., 334-793-9100 or .).
Mobile: Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center and IMAX Dome Theater (65 Government St., 877-625-4386, 251-208-6873 or .); Bellingrath Gardens (12401 Bellingrath Gardens Rd., 800-247-8420, 251-973-2217 or .).
Auburn/Opelika: Callaway Gardens, a resort in Pine Mountain, Ga., 40 miles east of Auburn (17800 U.S. 27, 706-663-2281 or .).
Anniston/Gadsden: Talladega Superspeedway, host of two NASCAR races, including the Aaron’s 499 on April 27 (3366 Speedway Blvd., Talladega, 877-462-3342 or .). International Motorsports Hall of Fame, (256-362-5002 or .).
