Robert Trent Jones (RTJ) Golf Trail
Mobile to Birmingham, AL
Fat Guy's combined research from Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, T&L Golf, and other sources
While not all the courses on this trail are designed by the namesake architect, T&L Golf rightfully calls this Alabama swing the Best Value Golf Road Trip in the country, and Golf Magazine's Travelin' Joe lists it as his Best Golf Trip as well. Greens fees at every course on The Trail ranged from $35-$65 as of a couple years ago, so you can still afford the flight into Mobile and the rental car. Plus you'll eat as much fresh seafood and good barbeque as you can stand. There's upwards of 16-plus seriously quality courses along this stretch (most are included on the official website above, but there are a few that aren't), so the toughest part about setting up this trip might be deciding how long you can get away from home and work.
Fly into Mobile, grab your rental car, and head for at Magnolia Grove Golf Club. T&L Golf likes Magnolia's Crossings course, an up-and-down adventure featuring marshes and undulating greens, which hosts an LPGA event. Or try the locals pick, the Falls course, slightly tougher than Crossings, with plenty of uneven lies and water as a thematic strategic issue.
Grub at Fish House Eatery (805 S Mobile, Fairhope). When on The Gulf, eat like you're on The Gulf. Oysters, shrimp, or crab claws... take your pick ($). For the best wings on the Trail, ESPN.com digs Baumhower's Wings (www.baumhowers.com), with 7 Alabama locations from Mobile to Montgomery to Tuscaloosa to Huntsville. It's a great spot to catch a game on TV, and done by former Crimson Tide and Miami Dolphin D-lineman Bob Baumhower since 1981. 10 flavors of wings, and the Buffalo version come in 6 degrees of spicy, so this is one Southern boy who takes his wings seriously. They also feature hand-carved steaks and extensive menus of cocktails and frozen libations. Jimmy Buffet grew up near here, and formed his cheesburger lust at Mobile's The Dew Drop Inn. "The Dew Drop is still on the corner of Old Shell Road and Louiselle Street. The chili cheeseburger with the bun flattened on an industrial toaster is killer. This is also where the Heinz 57 came in. In my day, they cost 35 cents. Today they run $1.65 + tax. Still a bargain."
Booze at The BlueGill (www.bluegillrestaurant.com, Mobile). Esquire nominated The BlueGill as one of their Best Bars In America. "You owe it to yourself to spend Sunday at the BlueGill, a legendary, Elvis-endorsed, bar and restaurant located in the middle of the causeway that runs through Mobile Bay. Arrive early to claim a seat on the spacious deck overlooking the Delta, order a steak Benedict with your mimosas, and then follow tradition by tossing some oyster crackers at the wild alligators lurking in the water directly below you. After breakfast, order a Bushwacker -- a staple beach drink made with dark rum, Kahlua, and coconut cream. On that Sunday, as on every Sunday at the BlueGill, a rock or blues act will take the stage in the amphitheater. And it's a damn fine feeling you'll get when you look around and realize that you're surrounded by 500 other folks who've forgotten about Monday morning." They also love Callaghan's Irish Social Club (www.callaghansirishsocialclub.com, Mobile). "Callaghan's Irish Social Club, a beloved neighborhood pub in a 1920s-era building that once housed a meat market. The inside walls are covered with pictures of regulars vacationing around the world, as well as co-owner John Thompson. There are worn green-and-white tile floors and a back room that still smells of dealings made by city politicians, some of whom still stop by for a postwork drink. They also come for the burger, which in this seafood-crazed town, is universally praised as a welcome alternative. When you meet John and he makes fun of you for just about anything, don't sweat it. It's his way of saying thanks for stopping by."
Stay at the Marriott's Grand Hotel, Point Clear ($109-$189).
Rise and shine early, suffer through that lingering hangover, and head up I-65N to Greenville for Cambrian Ridge's three 9's. The Sherling 9 is a roller coaster through heavy woods and around a lake, The Canyon adds wind and target golf to the mix, and The Loblolly has an open, flat, parkland feel. Canyon/Sherling is the best combo.
From there make your way up I-65N & I-85N to Opelika/Auburn, which Golf Digest '05 ranked the #1 metro area for golf in the US. T&L Golf loves Grand National's Links course, and it was also ranked #1 on Golf World's 2008 Reader's Choice list. Not a full-on traditional links, but it features mounding, wind, heavy tree cover, and uneven lies. Lake Saughahatche touches 12 holes on Links, as well as threatening much of the Lakes course, with marshy stumpwater backdrops. Pines abound on the Lakes, giving some Carolina flavor. Golf Magazine says try Auburn Tigers coach Tommy Tuberville's fave Auburn Links (3 1/2 stars), or the sporty 3-star muni Indian Pines.
For lunch, try Mike & Ed's BBQ, pork BBQ sandwiches at Chuck's, or the Brunswick Stew at Byron's Smokehouse, washed down with fresh-squeezed lemonade from Toomer's Drugs (Auburn). Dine at The Warehouse Bistro & Pub (105 Rocket, Opelika), a former Budweiser warehouse with above-average fare ($$$). Stay @ Auburn University Hotel ($79-$99).
Then backtrack on I-65 past Montgomery, and tee it up at Capitol Hill in Prattville. The Senate course is a gorgeous, playable links, featuring 149 pot bunkers and perfect mounding, and host of the '01 Buy.com Tour Championship. It's sadistic brother, the Judge, is the toughest track on the RTJ Trail. It's a long loop featuring Spanish-moss laden oaks, and water on 14 holes. T&L Golf rated both courses at 4-1/2 stars, and this combo ranked #2 on Golf World's 2008 Reader's Choice list, so stretch it to 36 today.
If daylight allows, in between rounds lunch at Fat Boy's BBQ Ranch (Prattville). Afterwards, feed that 36-hole hunger at Vintage Year (405 Cloverdale, Montgomery). Pack some decent slacks for this Rat-Pack-cool, well-boothed, 20-year-downtown-staple with simple, excellent food ($$$). Stay at The Legends @ Capitol Hill ($119-$189).
From there it's more I-65N to Oxmoor Valley GC in Birmingham. The Ridge course ($43-$64) lives up to it's name with elevation changes, running along the crest of Little Shades Mountain. The Valley course lies below, with 16 links holes after starting and ending on the mountain. In nearby Pelham, play an extra round Ballantrae GC (www.ballantraegolf.com, $36-$59), named the #3 course in Alabama by the Birmingham News, with a routing cut out of low rolling hills, placid ponds, and pine alleys, by Bob Cupp. The clubhouse has a French chateau feel, with a classy, airy, lightwood grill room.
For those of you on a larger budget, the area around Birmingham is the best spot to upgrade your RTJ Trail experience. On your way into Birmingham, upscale your trip with a round at the upscale FarmLinks Golf Club ($125, www.farmlinksgolfclub.com). A picturesque agronomic laboratory, this hilly 1999 Michael Hurdzan/Dana Fry design an hour southeast of Birmingham uses a variety of grasses and is kept in excellent shape.
T&L Golf says be sure to buck up for Ross Bridge ($80-$115) outside Birmingham, a newcomer that has quickly become the flagship couse on the RTJ Trail. It was also named as Golf Digest's 2007 #39 Toughest Course in America. "It's what Trent would be building if he were still alive--impossibly long with enormous greens and bunkers." Ross Bridge's bar also made Golf Digest's 2008 Best 19th Holes list: "After playing the 8,191-yard course (one of the world's longest), the hospitality will bring you back from exhaustion; it's 'clean, open and comfy' (fireplace and plasma TVs); 'gotta try the shrimp and grits'; overlooks the resort's pool, 'so try not to stare.' " There's also a nice hotel on-site (see below).
For low brow Birmingham nightlife, booze at Lou's Pub & Package, also named an Esquire fave. "When you put a bar inside a liquor store, it's like you're inviting customers to leave by reminding them they can just as easily buy a bottle of Jack and drink at home. And the thing is, the first time you walk through that door and Lou barks at you to hurry up and order, the only thing you think about is leaving. But it'll start to make sense when the after-work crowd descends on the concrete patio tables outside. And then Frankie strolls out there and hands everyone custom-made Lou's Pub & Package ass cushions. Three hours later, when Lou is busting your balls and you're laughing your quite comfortable ass off, you'll start to wonder if you might be sitting in the middle of the least-profitable liquor store on the planet. You're having: Something very cold."
For Birmingham grub, T&L Golf likes Highlands Bar and Grill (2011 11th Ave S, Birmingham) is a must-visit on the RTJ Trail. Serving Southern gourmet, it was named 5th Best Restaurant In The Country by Gourmet Mag ($$$$). Or Hot And Hot Fish Club (2180 11th Ct S) has a stark urban feel, serving Southern gourmet rivaling the Highlands Grill per locals ($$$). For BBQ, hit The Original Golden Rule, or Golf Digest likes Dreamland BBQ in Tuscaloosa, since 1958.
T&L Golf says stay at The Tutwiler ($59-$200). Or Golf Digest Senior Travel Editor Matty G. named Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa (from $209, www.rossbridgeresort.com) as his #1 Most "Affordable" Golf Hotel in the country [apparently his definition differs from mine]. This lavish resort located twenty minutes outside Birmingham offers sweeping views of the golf course, and the amenities include a European-style spa.
Resaissance Ross Bridge GR&S
"It’s arguably the best resort and the best course on the Robert Trent Jones Trail, which is saying a lot. Ross Bridge hosts a PGA Champions Tour event in May. Just down the street you have two and a half courses at [the aforementioned] Oxmoor Valley. The best deal (based on double occupancy) spring 2010 through May: get 3 nights of lodging, 2 rounds at Ross Bridge and 2 rounds at Oxmoor Valley for $672 per person, price includes carts, range balls and sales tax," says Matty.
Reluctantly leaving Birmingham in your rear view mirror, I-20 runs towards Silver Lakes in Glencoe, with three 9's named Backbreaker, Mindbreaker, and Heartbreaker, playing to slopes as high as 151. The par 4's are particularly nasty, with uphill forced tee carries as a main feature. The Backbreaker/ Mindbreaker combo was named the #22 Toughest Course in America by Golf Digest 2007: "The first of three courses on our list from Alabama's mighty, merciless Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. The names of the nines say it all. There's also a third nine, called the Mindbreaker. When we played here, we thought of some other names for these courses, too." Golf Magazine also likes the new Twin Bridges GC in Gadsen.
Dine at Victoria Inn (1604 Quintard Ave, Anniston), a local fave featuring fine foods. Try the stanbys, tenderlion or tuna ($$). Stay @ The Victoria as well ($79-$169). For BBQ, Pruett's BBQ & Catfish (Gadsen).
For your last stop, head northeast to Muscle Shoals, where Golf Digest called The Shoals' Fighting Joe course the #27 Toughest Course in America in 2007. "Another Trent Jones Trail killer, named for Joe Wheeler, the only Confederate general to attain the same rank later in the U.S. Army (he volunteered in the Spanish-American War at 62). Good thing the ninth hole doesn't return to the clubhouse, because many golfers would probably surrender at the turn. Fighting Joe always wins."
Travel time between all these courses ranges from 1-2 hours, which creates a nice leisurely pace, outside of the 4 two-course clubs which will tempt you to get in 36-a-day. If not, play a round in the AM, grab some lunch, then hit the road and be checked in at the next stop and showered before an early dinner, with all evening to hit the town. Or squeeze in 36-a-day running from one destination to the next during late spring/early summer, while daylight allows and before the summer heat kicks in. You could easily spend a week on this trail and still not quite hit all the Must Plays. Which is a perfect reason to come back and do it again next year.
Tip: If you're not a big fan of country music, you may want to buck up for the satellite radio option on your rental car. Your IPOD mix for this golf road trip should include Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama", and Kid Rock's "All Summer Long". And GPS is never a bad idea in unfamiliar territory.
When To Go: Temperatures in Alabama run hot during summer, in the low 90's during July/Aug, and in the high 80's in June/Sept. The best golfing weather is during May (low 80's) and Apr/Oct (mid-70's), but also expect high season greens fees during that time. It's a playable mid-60's in Mar/Nov. Dec-Feb average highs in the 50's, but can easily dip below freezing at night, leading to frost delays and chances of the occasional freak winter storm.
Mardi Gras is a good time to go, as Mobile's celebration rivals that of New Orleans, with less crowds. To give this trip a little more barbeque flavor, coordinate your travel dates with the BBQ competition calendar of the Alabama Barbeque Association's 'Bama BBQ Trail (http://bamabbqtrail.com/trail-map/).