ALABAMA'S ROBERT TRENT JONES GOLF TRAIL
Even at the height of peak season-whether spring or fall-Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail has been the poster boy for superior value. However, head to Crimson Tide country in winter and you're talking about a steal, not a deal. With normal highs from December through February ranging in the 53-62 degree region, sweaters are the norm, not the exception, but practically empty are a slew of rugged handsome layouts along the Trent Jones Trail-at prices that will think about staying all winter.
Ross Bridge
8,191 yards, par 72; Green fees: $90-$125
205-949-3085, rtjgolf.com
If it were a professional wrestler, the Trail's newest course would bill itself as the Birmingham Behemoth, to be sure, but proved quite playable for the Champions Tour pros as host for the Regions Charity Classic this past May. Digging the course most was Dr. Dirt, Brad Bryant, who went 12 under on Ross Bridge's vast, sprawling fairways, which feature similarly scaled greens and bunkers.
Ten holes edge lakes, but landing areas and greens are so roomy, it's not that tough to avoid the trouble. What is unavoidable, however, is the gargantuan length of nearly every hole, with par-3s that range from 207 to 239 yards, par-4s from 454 yards to 518 and par-5s from 571 yards to 698. Sure, you can move up a tee box or two, but make no mistake, Ross Bridge is one seriously long slog.
Oxmoor Valley (Ridge Course)
7,055 yards, par 72; Green fees: $40-$77
205-942-1177, rtjgolf.com
Built on land donated by U.S. Steel in Birmingham, the Ridge is yet one more iron-hard Trail track that delivers on value. Shelved into the rolling peaks and valleys of the Appalachian Mountains, the course may frustrate first-timers with its blind shots over mounds and narrow shots through forests.
Nonetheless, Oxmoor is worth the journey, due in part to memorable holes such as the 592-yard, par-5 9th, with its well-guarded green positioned on a plateau, as well as the 176-yard, par-3 17th where the green sits nine stories below the tee. Unique is the green at the par-5 12th and the tee box at the par-4 13th, both of which are located on top of a gray shale mesa left over from long-ago mining operations.
Cambrian Ridge
Canyon Nine: 3,746 yards, par 36; Loblolly Nine: 3,551 yards, par 36; Sherling Nine: 3,681 yards, par 36; Green fees: $40-$77
334-382-9787, rtjgolf.com
Cambrian Ridge, 40 miles south of Montgomery, could very well be the most dramatic of the Trail sites, with the most attractive vistas, steepest terrain, boldest bunkers and tallest trees. Sherling/Canyon offers the best test, but if it's variety you seek, check out the Lobolly, which is as placid as it sounds, with flatter fairways and slightly shorter holes than its sisters.
Sherling offers plenty of muscle-witness the 636-yard 8th, a brutal par-5 that features a mother lode of yawning fairway bunkers. The enormous is green is multi-tiered and a haven for three-putting. Now comes the hard stuff. Fortify yourself at the turn, because Canyon's first hole is a 501-yard, par-4, with an uphill approach. What follows is the 275-yard, par-3 second. Got a club for that? If so, you'll use it again at the 8th, a 258-yard par-3. Better make that drink at the turn a protein shake.
Great Value: Grand National (Lake Course)
7,149 yards, par 72; Green fees: $40-$77
334-749-9042, rtjgolf.com
Ranked No. 70 on GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Courses You Can Play, Grand National's Lake course would be worth the price at double going the going rate-but let's not go there. Instead, we'll focus on November 19, 2007 through February 29, 2008, when you can walk one of the top public tracks in the nation for under $45.
With 12 holes that flirt with 600-acre Lake Saugahatchee, there's no guarantee you won't have to reload a few times-and that goes for your camera as well, thanks to sparklers such the 522-yard, par-5 12th that doglegs to left around the lake and the fearsome 230-yard, par-3 15th, which plays to a long and narrow island green.
Even at the height of peak season-whether spring or fall-Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail has been the poster boy for superior value. However, head to Crimson Tide country in winter and you're talking about a steal, not a deal. With normal highs from December through February ranging in the 53-62 degree region, sweaters are the norm, not the exception, but practically empty are a slew of rugged handsome layouts along the Trent Jones Trail-at prices that will think about staying all winter.
Ross Bridge
8,191 yards, par 72; Green fees: $90-$125
205-949-3085, rtjgolf.com
If it were a professional wrestler, the Trail's newest course would bill itself as the Birmingham Behemoth, to be sure, but proved quite playable for the Champions Tour pros as host for the Regions Charity Classic this past May. Digging the course most was Dr. Dirt, Brad Bryant, who went 12 under on Ross Bridge's vast, sprawling fairways, which feature similarly scaled greens and bunkers.
Ten holes edge lakes, but landing areas and greens are so roomy, it's not that tough to avoid the trouble. What is unavoidable, however, is the gargantuan length of nearly every hole, with par-3s that range from 207 to 239 yards, par-4s from 454 yards to 518 and par-5s from 571 yards to 698. Sure, you can move up a tee box or two, but make no mistake, Ross Bridge is one seriously long slog.
Oxmoor Valley (Ridge Course)
7,055 yards, par 72; Green fees: $40-$77
205-942-1177, rtjgolf.com
Built on land donated by U.S. Steel in Birmingham, the Ridge is yet one more iron-hard Trail track that delivers on value. Shelved into the rolling peaks and valleys of the Appalachian Mountains, the course may frustrate first-timers with its blind shots over mounds and narrow shots through forests.
Nonetheless, Oxmoor is worth the journey, due in part to memorable holes such as the 592-yard, par-5 9th, with its well-guarded green positioned on a plateau, as well as the 176-yard, par-3 17th where the green sits nine stories below the tee. Unique is the green at the par-5 12th and the tee box at the par-4 13th, both of which are located on top of a gray shale mesa left over from long-ago mining operations.
Cambrian Ridge
Canyon Nine: 3,746 yards, par 36; Loblolly Nine: 3,551 yards, par 36; Sherling Nine: 3,681 yards, par 36; Green fees: $40-$77
334-382-9787, rtjgolf.com
Cambrian Ridge, 40 miles south of Montgomery, could very well be the most dramatic of the Trail sites, with the most attractive vistas, steepest terrain, boldest bunkers and tallest trees. Sherling/Canyon offers the best test, but if it's variety you seek, check out the Lobolly, which is as placid as it sounds, with flatter fairways and slightly shorter holes than its sisters.
Sherling offers plenty of muscle-witness the 636-yard 8th, a brutal par-5 that features a mother lode of yawning fairway bunkers. The enormous is green is multi-tiered and a haven for three-putting. Now comes the hard stuff. Fortify yourself at the turn, because Canyon's first hole is a 501-yard, par-4, with an uphill approach. What follows is the 275-yard, par-3 second. Got a club for that? If so, you'll use it again at the 8th, a 258-yard par-3. Better make that drink at the turn a protein shake.
Great Value: Grand National (Lake Course)
7,149 yards, par 72; Green fees: $40-$77
334-749-9042, rtjgolf.com
Ranked No. 70 on GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Courses You Can Play, Grand National's Lake course would be worth the price at double going the going rate-but let's not go there. Instead, we'll focus on November 19, 2007 through February 29, 2008, when you can walk one of the top public tracks in the nation for under $45.
With 12 holes that flirt with 600-acre Lake Saugahatchee, there's no guarantee you won't have to reload a few times-and that goes for your camera as well, thanks to sparklers such the 522-yard, par-5 12th that doglegs to left around the lake and the fearsome 230-yard, par-3 15th, which plays to a long and narrow island green.
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