If you are entering the State of Alabama by car it won’t take long before you come across signs along the Interstate that indicate that you are close to a Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Golf Course. The fact is, that wherever you are in the State, you are close to one of the 11 Trail sites, 8 Resorts and 26 golf courses all tolled.
While Montgomery, Alabama is the Capital of the State, in my humble opinion the marquis course on the Trail is a little further north, in Birmingham, The Ross Bridge Course. The vibrant city of Birmingham, known as “The Dinner Table of the South.” If there is one thing I love as much as playing golf is a fine meal!
Birmingham is an ideal spot to start any Trail adventure, whether you are driving into the State or flying. This Trail adventure will take us north, culminating in one of the historical music destinations of America, Muscle Shoals.
Other than the Ross Bridge Course, within minutes you have 2 more 18-hole courses at Oxmoor Valley, The Ridge and The Valley, plus The Backyard, a 9-hole par 3 course meant to be played in about an hour by a foursome. All three courses are also fairly close to a very vibrant downtown area, a great place to consider calling home for a few days would be the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa.
An entertainment hub in the downtown area and in very close proximity to Top Golf, for those who can’t get enough is the Uptown District, 10 or more restaurants to choose from including some rooftops. The Southern Kitchen & Bar being the favorite along with Texas de Brazil and Mugshots for a good old-fashioned burger.
Getting adventurous and a little more upscale dining, some of my favorites include, fine Italian flair at Bottega, Automatic Seafood and Oysters, more than just seafood, and Blueprint on 3rd a casual American brassiere.
Outside of playing golf, a must stop is a visit to Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, there is no place like this in the world. Whether you are a motorsports fan or not you will be amazed by the worlds largest collection of motorcycles, over 1,800 plus the worlds most extensive Lotus collection.
Barber Motorsports Museum
Moving on from Birmingham our first stop was just over an hour northeast to RTJ Golf Trail at Silver Lakes in the Anniston / Gadsden, Alabama. There are 36 holes in all here, 9 of those being the Short Course a collection of stunning par 3’s around Lee’s Lake.
The Appalachian Foothills are the backdrop to a stunning setting in Northeast Alabama for Silver Lakes. The 36 holes take you through forests, wetlands, grasslands, dramatic elevation changes and yes, the wow factor created by the waters and bridges of Lee’s Lake and Silver Lake.
I am big on the water and bridges adding WOW factor to the course, but, the most notable of the course characteristics are the greens. Large, contoured, quick and usually well protected on the front side. If you can’t hit it high and let it land softly you are in for a long day! We played the Heartbreaker and the Mindbreaker nines and grateful that we ran out of daylight. With my back already broken, I don’t think I could have survived another 9 on the Backbreaker.
We got off Silver Lakes at sunset and with our next round being at Hampton Cove in Huntsville we made the hour or so drive that evening. Minutes from the AC Hotel which was home for the evening is Campus No. 805 with a smorgasbord of dining options and is recognized as “The South’s Premier Brewery and Entertainment Venue. Not having been the most astute student in my day, I must say that this is my kind of Campus.
Mexican flare at Hops N Guac won over as our dinner choice with their self serve bar that includes 50 Taps of Craft Beer. Around the corner, Rock N Roll Sushi is just as it sounds, Rock’n Roll and sushi…..that will be for next time. A few other options include; good old pub style meals, burgers, fries and wings, inside Ale’s Kitchen. Straight to Ale is Southern Born, Southern Brewed! Founded by local home brewers in 2009, we opened for distribution in 2010 and have grown to be one of Alabama’s largest production breweries. Campus No. 805
Next morning, and before our round we had to make a stop at another one-of-a-kind attractions, only in Alabama. You may detect a pattern here. There is plenty to see and do in Huntsville:
Explore Rocket City
Have you ever wanted to feel like an astronaut for the day? A visit to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center can make that happen. After opening its doors in 1970 an estimated 17 million people have toured the center with roughly 650,000 of those visitors being students.
The U.S. Space & Rocket Center also serves as the Official NASA Visitor Center, and boasts the most comprehensive U.S. manned spaceflight hardware museum and artifacts in the world. Its large rocket and space hardware collection is valued in the tens of millions of dollars. From a model of America’s first satellite, Explorer I, to next generation space vehicles like Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser, and the Apollo 16 Command Module the museum showcases the past, present and future of human spaceflight.
U.S. Space & Rocket Center
 |
 |
RTJ Golf Trail at Hampton Cove is the northern gateway for the Trail, 54 holes of golf and all 3 courses are distinctly different. The Short Course offers up generous landing areas in a links style setting with water in play on 11 holes.
It would appear that while in Northern Alabama that Mr. Jones had no problem in finding water and perhaps, he likes bridges on golf courses as much as I do. The Highlands Course is one of the most picturesque and playable courses framed by rolling terrain, long wavey grasses and of course the aforementioned water. Also, of note here, especially for those of us who like barns on courses, note, the old mule barn on the right side of the 5th hole. Get behind it and the question will be, which wedge to use?
The River Course, a shot makers course and a throwback to the way courses were built long ago, where dirt was merely pushed up to create the greens and tees, leaving all else, including massive oak trees, as is. The course is laid out on former soybean fields in the flood plain of the Flint River. With water on 16 of the 18 holes, and is the only Robert Trent Jones layout in the world designed without a single bunker.
Accommodations here are as close as 2 miles away at the Hampton Inn & Suites, Huntsville / Hampton Cove. Other options in Huntsville (9 miles) include the Hilton Garden Inn, for those looking for a little more upscale, consider 106 Jefferson in Huntsville part of the Marriott Curio Collection.
To the Sights and “SOUNDS” of Muscle Shoals
Checking in to the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa you can’t help but notice the live, Blues Music coming from the restaurant and bar just around the corner. An indication of what this region is all about.
With pizza and Caesar salad on the brain we found a fun music and local theme, little spot, Lost Pizza Co. Excellent pizza and fun atmosphere, it quickly did the trick and it was back to the blues at the Marriott.
Yet another one-of-a-kind experience is where we are off too, to start our day. Ten minutes from the Marriott Shoals, if you are a music fan, Muscle Shoals Sound Studios is a must stop. From a coffin show room, transformed into a music studio in the late 1960s, it turned around the career of the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin. The studio interiors still date to the 1970s, with analogue recording equipment, instruments and memorabilia, and the building has recently reopened to accommodate tours.
The word spread around the world about the quality of music coming out of Northern Alabama, countless Gold and Platinum records. In 1971 The Rolling Stones cut 3 songs that you may recognize, “Wild Horses, Brown Sugar and You Got to Move.” Hundreds of hit songs with artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Dylan, Duane Allman, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Bob Seger, Staples Singers, Rod Stewart, Leon Russell, Willie Nelson, Cat Stevens, Dr. Hook, and Eddie Hinton to name a few.
Today, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is owned and operated by the Muscle Shoals Music Foundation (MSMF), non-profit organization. A cause worth supporting! Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
To get your taste of the Blues and all else that the Florence area has to offer: Visit Florence
RTJ Golf Trail at Muscle Shoals
All good things must come to and end, and what a course to do so on! Here Mr. Jones maintained his use of water and bridges to challenge your game, only here he has the Tennessee River to further enhance the element of WOW! The 36-hole complex sits high above Wilson Lake and the Tennessee River.
Again, you have 2 styles of courses to play, the only similarity is that both are long, one is long and the other is longer. The Fighting Joe Course stretching back to just shy of 8,100 yards gives you the opportunity to grip it and rip it. Wide fairways flanked by grasses and mounds lead you to large and beautifully maintained greens. A good and fun course to play, if you choose the right tees.
The Schoolmaster Course, (named after President Woodrow Wilson) pick the wrong tees here and you are in detention! Just shy of 8,000 yards, you will find narrow tree lined fairways, more demanding approaches to well protected greens. Regardless of how you play, you will remember the beauty that the 18th hole holds on the high bluffs over the river.
Pick the wrong tees here and the locals will say “bless his heart” the rest of us will simply call you a fool!
18th Hole
By now you must have figured out that the State of Alabama is a pretty unique and special place with in my opinion, some of the friendliest people in the south. Believe me, I have spent more time in the south than most.
First off, the golf and the Robert Trent Jones Trail, by far the most successful golf tail in the world. Nowhere can you touch the quality of the courses and the value, whether on Stay & Play packages or a green fee player. Variety, remember, 11 Trail sites, 8 Marriott Renaissance Resorts and 26 golf courses spread throughout the State. Whether you want to play along the Gulf of Mexico or the or in the foothills of the Appalachians the choice is yours.
Off the course, 3 one-of-a-kind stops: 1.) Barber Motor Sports in Birmingham, 2.) U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville and 3.) Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in the Florence / Muscle Shoals area.
To book your Robert Trent Jones (RTJ Golf Trail) Golf Getaway: Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
It must be time to plan your visit to Sweet Home Alabama!
For more information on the State of Alabama in general: Sweet Home Alabama | Alabama Travel
