Alabama RTJ Trail question

[liptrot]

I am planning a trip to the RTJ trail in late October. I have 5 days to play but 6 facilities I am interested in. Which should I drop from this list:

 

Silver Lakes, Ross Bridge, Capitol Hill, Cambrian Ridge, Highland Oaks, Grand National

 

Thanks in advance

[zojo]

i played the silver lakes course with the 3 9 hole courses, backbreaker, heartbreaker and mindbreaker and it was awesome. Definately don't drop this one from the list. However, I can't say about the other ones, sorry

[Asleep]

Ross Bridge and Capitol Hill "Judge" are musts, imo.

 

Grand National 18s are pretty and good to play when the greens are good. The Par 3 course there is my favorite, though.

 

Cambrian Ridge has a top reputation, but I have yet to get down there.

[Mikolar]

First of all, I'm in Texas even though it going to sound like I work for the RTJ Convention and Visitors Burearu.

 

I enjoy golf and at this point, greatly enjoy traveling to play courses that make for challenges and memorable times. For the price, the Trail is one of the best golf packages around.

 

Over the last six or seven years, I go with a group of guys to hit the Trail seriously for six or seven days. Each day usually involves a quick breakfast, morning 18, lunch on site, afternoon 18...dinner somewhere and a drink back at the hotel....a quick night's sleep and then do it again. With handicaps from 1-7, we try to book three locations each trip so that we can play each course at least twice.

 

We've played every venue and track at each location. Most have at least three nine's or possibly two 18-hole courses (and at least a nine hole par-3 course).

 

The courses range from good to great. The folks on site are nice and quite accomodating. Calling and setting your trip through the central reservations office is easy and simple -- you might be able to save a few dollars with a couple of motels by booking yourself but we let the Trail reservations office handled everything with one exception. We'll normally call each pro shop to double-check maintenance schedules so that we don't have to deal with a recent punching or top dressing.

 

The courses have hosted everything from the NCAA men's championship to the LPGA, Champions and Nike Tour and perhaps more. Depending on your skill levels, you will probably count several of these tracks as among your alltime favorites as each course will offer something that makes it quite memorable and unique.

 

I'm not sure where you're coming in from but starting north in Muscle Shoals; Fighting Joe (long and a links style) and Schoolmaster (more trees and quite nice) are both wonderfully good. As mentioned previously, Silver Lakes is good. Ross Bridge opened this year and we choose not to play it on our recent trip -- the greens were being worked on.

The other courses in B'ham at Oxmore Valley are quite good and all have bent greens now. The courses in Montgomery are among our favorites as well. Your first shot at the Judge is from an elevated tee that's hundreds of feet above the first fairway. The Senator is a scottish style course and the Legislator winds in and out of a swamp -- its awfully fun to play.

 

Cambian Ridge offers three good nine-hole course and we like them a bunch -- these courses don't seem to get as much play and each nine is a different. One winds around a large, quiet lake while another nine takes you up and down a hilly, tree lined course. Plus, there's an old, run-down gas station/bbq place with a really nice family on the interstate in Greenvil. It has the best broasted chicken, fresh lemonade and pie you've ever tasted. We normally stop here even if we're just traveling to another site.

 

Each year, we usually try to find a way to get back to Grand National. The Lakes course is great and the Links course is even better. Depending on tees, you can have all the golf you want with bent greens that are usually good and incredibly large. Some of these will be 40-45 yards in depth.

 

The heat doesn't bother us and we try to avoid crowds that might keep us from playing 36 each day -- so we go in June or early July. It's hot then yet the courses are still in good shape. In October, you might want to check for overseeding and nearby football games -- we're told that most of their play comes in the winter and early spring months.

But the weather should be fine and if you really like golf -- you're going to have to work pretty hard not to enjoy yourself.

[GehenHerzog]

Highland Oaks sucks, don't play it. I played it in the Future Masters and I really didn't like it...It was "ok" at best

[AUDuffer]

I am planning a trip to the RTJ trail in late October. I have 5 days to play but 6 facilities I am interested in. Which should I drop from this list:

 

Silver Lakes, Ross Bridge, Capitol Hill, Cambrian Ridge, Highland Oaks, Grand National

 

Thanks in advance

 

Having lived in Alabama for a long time and gone to Auburn I would recommend dropping Highland Oaks. Compared to the rest it's way out of your way. Capitol Hill, Grand National, and Cambrian Ridge are all more or less in a nice little triangle. If you stay somewhere in Prattville or Montgomery, you right there at Capitol Hill and about an hour from both Cambrian Ridge and Grand National. Grand National has hosted NCAA championships before and the Judge is certainly a must play on Capitol Hill. You can give the Senator a try since they played the Nationwide Tour Championship there for a while. Ross Bridge is where they play the Champions Tour event--it's a newer course, but supposed to be great. Silver Lakes has some awesome 9s and the names are definitely appropriate!! Like one of the posters said Cambrian Ridge is a decent little setup that seems to be ignored. If you have time I'd suggest playing the 9-hole par 3 course...interesting and a wide selection of clubs compared to the 18-hole par 3 course at Grand National.

[liptrot]

thanks for all of the info and suggestions. I'm going to book the trip on Monday. The reservationist is very helpful and the pricing is really great. they have a fall special going and it looks like we can do 36 holes a day with hotel for under $200 a day.

[marnde]

I am going to be in Muscle Shoals area and will have time for 18 holes only. Does anyone have an opinion as to which course I should golf between Fighting Joe or Schoolmaster? What kind of rentals do they have?

 

[Tyler Durden]

I live here in Birmingham and strongly recomend the Ross Bridge Course. It's pretty wide open, but super long. Enjoy.

[BandonOrBust]

We played Capitol Hill, Grand National, and Cambrian Ridge and loved every hole of it!

[marnde]

Reposting (Leaving on December 11th)

 

I am going to be in Muscle Shoals area and will have time for 18 holes only. Does anyone have an opinion as to which course I should golf between Fighting Joe or Schoolmaster?

[scrumpy]

Muscle Shoals!!! A must for everyone. Fighting Joe and Schoolmaster are absolute beasts.

[marnde]

Sounds like a horse a piece.

[Mikolar]

IN MShoals, it may depend a bit on the weather and your HCP. FIghting Joe is a long, could be very long, links style course that plays tough in the wind. Schoolmaster winds through the trees although it has a few long holes as well.

 

My choice would be S'master. If you're hitting it the least bit badly, the high grasses along the fairways of Fighting Joe drain you with lost balls and time, while S'master is more of a normal layout with nice holes, fairway and rough.

[marnde]

IN MShoals, it may depend a bit on the weather and your HCP. FIghting Joe is a long, could be very long, links style course that plays tough in the wind. Schoolmaster winds through the trees although it has a few long holes as well.

 

My choice would be S'master. If you're hitting it the least bit badly, the high grasses along the fairways of Fighting Joe drain you with lost balls and time, while S'master is more of a normal layout with nice holes, fairway and rough.

 

There is snow on the ground up here in Wisconsin and its been about a month since I have touched a club.

 

Schoolmaster it is.

 

THX