The golf trail has been a major loser for the Bama pension system, but unfortunately it’s now too big to fail. Taxpayers have to keep propping it up every year......tee sheets are wide open most days and the clubhouse are virtually empty. Sad.

Yeah,, they are worth a visit but hard to sustain that indefinitely..

As someone who lives in Alabama, within 10 minutes of two of the RTJ courses (Oxmoor Valley and Ross Bridge) I can say that they are very nice courses...however, they just don't hold up versus some of the more economical options in the metro Birmingham area (Bent Brook, Timberline, and Ballantrae right off hand). Then you exacerbate the fact that several of the courses are in rural areas that simply can't sustain that level of course cost ($75+ for a round) and it is a recipe for disaster post 2007 bubble burst. My son and I will go play the Par 3 course at Oxmoor for $25 but there are just better options for 18 holes of golf in the Birmingham area. Definitely not dropping the $125 for Ross Bridge. Also, it is very troubling for me since I am a teacher and my retirement is dependent on the RSA.

It's sad to say the least. I've played 'em all and some are better than others. Silver Lakes is my favorite on the Trail as IMHO they have the best greens although The Judge at Capitol Hill is the best of the lot. I hope they find a way to save a few of the good ones.

Wrong part of the country for long term growth.

why would they not have a cheaper rate for in state residents vs out of state? make it affordable for locals.

Why they do the "Trail Card"

It seems like they went about this with half-measures. If they wanted to make destination courses that would attract people from around the country, using RTJ and Rulewich for every course wasn't going to do it. If they wanted to focus on local play, then locating the courses near populated areas and designing them to keep costs lower was necessary. What they did was something in the middle, which seemingly isn't working very well.

I've read the article twice now and IMHO it's pretty sloppy reporting.

There are no hard numbers to back up that the trail is losing money only a reference to a report that had no way to back it's findings. Of course the flip side to the argument is that the RSA doesn't / hasn't published any actual revenue numbers for the Trail.

To me it looks like the article is part of a campaign to get more info on the Trail finances. I'm a little surprised that the RSA isn't required by law to provide full details of its investments.

The article is long on opinions and short on facts.

If true, it's sad. I played three courses about four years ago and they were packed. I would be good to see the actual stats.

I thought $125 for Ross Bridge was a bargain. It's a wonderful course.

i play oxmoor and am also a public teacher ... there have been grumblings the past 20 or so years that the trail is not making money and will impede the rsa ... state pensions are in trouble regardless of "drag", but it certainly doesn't help ... the writer is just using the trail to talk about the pension system, which is fine ... it's a decent question to ask ... don't really care what happens ... playing a lot of golf right now since the trail offers a great monthly membership deal - unlimited golf, sans carts, for $200 a month, anywhere except the resort courses ... pensions will eventually go away, but i hope mine stays till i retire, though i don't really plan on retiring, so i'm not too concerned about it ... i would guess only the oxmoor/capital hill/auburn sites break even or make money ... the only thing i wish they would do is returf the oxmoor greens ... just about every site has new greens in the past ten years or so, except oxmoor ... reckon the greens are the originals from 30 years ago ...

nobody in the country cares about debt, so there's no use worrying about what might happen ...

To each his own. If I am shelling out triple digits I expect it to be something really incredible and the course is nice but not worth a repeat visit which is what you need to be sustainable.

Unfunded liabilities for public pensions is well over 5 trillion dollars..... RTJ golf trail isn't the problem.

Incredible will cost you much more than $125. Erin Hills, Pebble, Whistling Straits are all around $500 or more. That's incredible.

Streamsong is $245, Bandon is $295, Punta Espada is $395, Corales is $395, Teeth of the Dog is $395.

Almost every course I have played (and I can list dozens) on golf trips have a green fee of $150 - $400.

Well, if you liked it I'll pass. Thanks for saving me the money. ????

Just my random thought: qualifier: being from the west; I don't see the RTJ marketed or advertised anywhere near other destinations; I never see any 'packages' or offers that entice one to make the trip. I have to make an effort to find out details about the courses and how to make a trip. It may be different further east/SE; but not here. e.g. We make a trip every year to golf destinations, all avid golfers, and not once has RTJ even come up as an option.

Don't know the data. But for me, it is down the list because I don't see it as a option that bumps something else off the list. Eventually I will do it...but it will be 'another time'.

probably more convenient than anything ... you can get here from the midwest fairly easily, even by car ... weather's going to be warm enough, even if it's 40 outside ... state isn't too big and you can ride an hour or two to a different site ... some nice courses in there, but just too many sites that were never, ever going to make money or break even ...

I'm not sure what the investigative journalistic pedigree of the writer is (will circle back and read some other articles) but this is really weak tea.

RSA head Bonner may have launched the RTJ Trail as a bit of a folly or as a halo project for the state of Alabama or maybe he really did think they were onto a revenue spinner; however, the RTJ Trail is a tiny tiny drop in the bucket of the RSA. There is no way the Trail is 'too big to fail' from a money POV, having a scan of their financials, I'd guess they are hanging onto it because it's such a tiny blip in the RSA that saving face on the Trail project doesn't really cost them - no pun intended.

Heck the RSA indicates they are spending $30mil on RTJ Trail and properties annually on marketing alone.

You are missing my point. It isn't marketed well as a golf trip destination. They need local money to keep that course alive as it is not a true "golf destination" and there are other courses in the area that are at that level or close for considerably less. If it is $45 for Bent Brook, Timberline, or Ballantrae or $70 for Oxmoor Valley vs. $125 for Ross Bridge as a local I am taking the others 99 times out of 100. This is especially true because Ross Bridge is not eligible for Trail Card or other discounts. Ross Bridge is not worthy of local money at that price point and is not set up as a destination like the other places you mentioned. It is somewhere in between and that is not appealing to locals at that price point. People don't sit there from other areas of the country and go man I really want to play Ross Bridge.

Very true and several of the courses are not particularly easy to get to and are literally isolated from any other tourist destinations.

I thought the courses were the destination? I've made three trips to the trail to play golf. Didn't find the remoteness an issue. Two rounds a day doesn't leave a lot of time for sightseeing.

People still play and find good golf these days "build it and they will come" these uninspiring penal courses don't hit that note.

I'd feel bad, i'd say I don't like hearing this but being around a tourist area myself I absolutely hate seeing people pay too much money for nothing more than mediocre golf.

I have yet to drive a couple hours down for one of their events. About the only time I go is when we are on a break, I am also a teacher. And yes, it is an expensive day or 2. Funny, I was just joking with my usual playing partner yesterday about the fact that every time we have made the trip it has been crap weather. I have played 10 or so times and only once has it been nice and sunny. All other times, cold, raining, soaked.. Maybe I should not go down spring and winter breaks...

That is great for golf only but say you want to bring your spouse or kids to make it more acceptable as a family outing? Several of the trail courses are not exactly hotbeds for touristy activities. The Huntsville, Montgomery, and Birmingham courses give some other options but several are very remote and are not really at the level to attract major tourist rounds.

Why does it need to be such? Not everything can cater to everyone. And some places - like the trail - likely shouldn't try

For the traveling golfer RTJ Trail is a relatively cheap and cheerful 3 day long weekend for a foursome of blokes, within a few hours flight time, to take a simple 'weekend pass' and play 4 or 5 rounds and head back home. Especially from more Northerly spots that might only have a 6-8 month golf season.

Obviously we can question the overarching 'wisdom' of the whole project, but chasing non-golfing spouses is a waste of time IMHO.

Too bad, but when let politicians run things, generally lose money.

Just saying you lose a percentage of the tourist market that you could cater to with courses like Silver Lakes, Cambrian, and Highland Oaks that are in the middle of nowhere (coming from someone who lives in Alabama). For families it is a lot easier to add in these rounds if there are things for the rest of the family to do around the area. Not much in Greenville, Dothan, or Gadsden trust me. And yes as someone who plays RTJ's a lot, they are good courses but to call the RTJ destination courses on golf alone is a bit of a stretch while the courses at Prattville/Montgomery, Huntsville, Birmingham, and Mobile can be more of a combination of other things. Silver Lakes is one of the best courses on trail, if not the best (yes better than Ross Bridge in my opinion), and it is never hard to get a tee time because they just don't get a lot of traffic out there.

I'm actually rethinking this. I may plan a trip for late February or early March. $84/Day unlimited golf with cart. I could go mid week and get in 54 holes a day and then drive to the next course. It might be worth looking into.

I'll be at the trail the weekend of Mar 13. It's the first weekend after the clocks change and the last weekend of the winter unlimited special.

This will be the third year in a row for me doing it and you can't beat the pricing.