Moving to Huntsville, AL

[picrig]

what courses?

Any advice on what I should do to get my golf fix once I move to Huntsville, AL next month? I have heard that the Hampton Cove courses aren't the best on the RTJ trail, but they still seem to be the best in the area (I've only been to Huntsville once and have never played golf there). It seems like the best deal in the area...for $1400/yr I can play those 36 holes + short course plus The Shoals (an hour away), plus the Gadsen, AL RTJ stop, plus Oxmoor Valley (plus others when I feel like a longer drive). Are there any other real options?

[sisk61]

The best course in Hsv is The Ledges. It's private. Other private clubs are Valley Hill CC and Huntsville CC. Both are nice. Hampton Cove (RTJ) has improved with the renovation of the Highlands course. They have monthly tournanments there that are fun. Also, there is Tennessee Valley Golf Club (http://equip2golf.com/tvgc/) that has tournanments all around. My favorite course within reasonable driving distance is Limestone Springs in Oneonta (limestonesprings.com).

[JJK]

If you can get on Redstone, they have 27 holes that are okay. Hampton Cove is the best bet (Short Course is fun, River has no bunkers, raised greens, and lots of water, and the renovated Highlands is good)), and Fighting Joe and the Schoolmaster in Florence are really nice. Annual membership is your best bet, and the Trail Card is a good deal as well.

 

You might want to check out Goosepond in Scottsboro, as well......

[JessN16]

Here are a few public places (I haven't played any of the private courses there):

 

1) Hampton Cove: Mentioned already and you already know about it. I haven't played the Highlands since the redesign but it was one of my favorite RTJ courses before the redesign, and the redesign has allegedly helped it. The River course there is the only RTJ course with no sand, but it has water galore, is very long and its location (a river basin) makes it unplayable from late June through early September due to the heat and mosquitoes. If they were honest about it they'd call it the West Nile Course (which is a river after all, I guess).

 

2) Goose Pond Colony/Plantation, Scottsboro, 50 minutes east: Probably the best value of any of the courses in the area. Hosts the national Junior College Championships each year. Built right on the side of the Lake Guntersville reservoir on the Tennessee River. Has a wonderful on-site restaurant there called The Docks and also has lodges and fishing excursions, plus sometimes an event at the amphitheater there. Scottsboro is a cool little town all the way around. Can get overplayed sometimes and watch out for goose poop.

 

3) RTJ at The Shoals, Florence, 70 minutes west: The Schoolmaster and Fighting Joe courses. First of the RTJ properties to be designed after Jones' death. There's a Marriott spa/resort hotel nearby, a great restaurant that rotates high above the Wilson Dam and a great little Italian place downtown called Ricatoni's.

 

4) Sunset Landing, Huntsville: Public course on the grounds of the international airport. If you can deal with jet flyovers, it's not a bad little track. Very wide open and isn't played much compared to the municipal course downtown. A little pricey, IMO, for a basic track but it's not bad.

 

5) Joe Wheeler State Park, Rogersville, 40 minutes west: It's the same guy that Fighting Joe is named after at the RTJ course in Florence but that's where the similarities end. Decent state park layout but groundskeeping isn't a strong point. Best thing I can say about it is that it's never crowded.

 

6) Huntsville Municipal, Huntsville: Honestly, not that bad for a muni. There must be an unwritten law that golf courses in Huntsville have to be built next to airports. This one is built adjacent to the now-closed municipal airport. But while full-size planes don't fly out of there anymore, model airplane enthusiasts definitely fly out of the there and it sounds like you're playing inside a beehive on the weekends.

 

7) Lake Guntersville State Park, Guntersville, 40 minutes southeast: Currently closed for renovations, I'm told. Decent state park layout with no water despite the name. Couple a round with a stay at the beautiful on-site lodge, though, and you've got yourself a trip worth taking.

 

8) Gunter's Landing, Guntersville, 40 minutes southeast: Never played it but I'm told it's tighter, hillier and wetter than the state park course.

 

9) Cullman Municipal Golf Course, Cullman, 1 hour south: Decent public layout at a good rate.

 

10) Point Mallard Golf Course, Decatur, 40 minutes southwest: Public course on a peninsula out in the Tennessee River. Pretty good bit of water. For a long time this course was considered one of the best public courses in north Alabama. I don't know what condition it's currently in.

 

11) Quail Creek Golf Course, Decatur/Hartselle, 1 hour southwest: Decent public place, pretty good scenery. Course condition has been so-so from time to time.

 

12) Monrovia Golf Course, Huntsville: I don't even know if this piece of junk is still open. This is a place to take people if you don't want them to take up the game of golf.

 

Jess

[JJK]

Hi,

 

Refering to the above reply, Monrovia is closed, has gone to seed, and is being plowed under to become a Krogers, I believe. On the plus side, you can pick up some free mulch!

[darius1213]

as mentioned before, the best course is by far the ledges. i feel like both the rtj courses (river and highland) are fun to play. i like the river course better. mainly because #9 on the highland course is a joke. also i would highly recommend the bear trace at tims ford lake, [url="http://www.tngolftrail.net/beartrace/timsford/"]http://www.tngolftrail.net/beartrace/timsford/[/url] . a really nice course in kind of a remote (read country) area. it is rarely overcrowded and the greens are usually in good shape. huntsville is a great town. be sure to check out the downtown area. really nice park and fun bars.